Brazil: Iguacu Falls – Jararaca Pintada
As we walked along the national park trails on the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls (without any tourists – see previous post why), we stumbled on a snake. I didn’t notice it and probably stepped either on it or really close to it, the snake launched against Natali’s leg in an apparent defensive strike, but miscalculated on a moving target and landed in a ditch next to the trail. Next image – Natali screeming at the top of her lungs with an iPhone in hand nevertheless and bending over the curled up and withering snake, filming and photographing it (while still screaming – Natali, not the snake). After we both took enough pics and videos, the snake slowly crawled into the bushes alongside the trail. Later, we found out it was Jaracara Pintada or Bothrops neuwiedi – a South American species of pit viper. In fact, this is the most venomous snakes on the continent, responsible for lion’s share of snake bites and deaths (over 80% of the total) in Brazil and Argentina.
