Eight Baby Cantil Vipers Born at Denver Zoo

Posted on March 19, 2012

Eight baby cantil vipers (Agkistrodon bilineatus) were born on February 12 at the Denver Zoo. It is the first ever breeding of the species at Denver Zoo. The vipers are highly venomous and reach about two-feet-long as adults. As adults they vary in color from brown to black, but as juveniles the little vipers have yellowish tips on their tails. The juvenile vipers can use their yellow tail tips (which resemble worms) to lure in small prey. The snakes are native to Mexico and Central America. The species is considered near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with numbers falling 30% over the past 15 to 30 years. Take a look: