For the bird mist-netters at GVI Amazon, it involved an early morning start, 4.45am to be precise. We needed to be at our study site by 6am and there was a long walk ahead of us. We put our heads down and hit the trails. Forty minutes into the walk Edwin, one of our ten week interns, unknowingly disturbed a dull brown snake. It flashed across the path and came to a halt just one meter away. Leaning in to get a closer look in the torch light, we realised it was the infamous Fer-de-Lance (Bothrops atrox).

Widely revered as the most deadly snake in the region, this species causes more deaths per year than any other snake. We gave it the respect it is due and slowly backed off. Although generally considered to be nocturnal, these snakes have been found occasionally in the day time where their cryptic brown and tan colouration blends in perfectly with the leaf litter. They are much feared because the composition of their venom is particularly lethal and fast-acting. The fatality rate used to be high, but nowadays treatment is usually possible if the victim receives medical attention promptly. With this in mind we decided it was time to move on to the mist netting site. This close encounter served to remind us that; in the Amazon, you can never let your guard down.

Chris Beirne, GVI Amazon Base Camp Manager