This is perhaps the most famous snake of Guatemala (though its range extends a little into southern Mexico also), and like most herpers who visit Guatemala I was very much hoping to see one. I was not kept in suspense; I found this one on my first night in the country, perched in what appeared to be an ambush position on a boulder in a stream. They are very good climbers and are typically found in trees and other vegetation, so this was an unexpected sight. My guide Fred Muller and I took some photos and the snake eventually grew irritated by our presence and swam off in the stream.

Here is a list of all the reptiles and frogs I saw on this trip to Guatemala.

The next night, in a different location, Fred found two more of these. Both were up in trees like normal bright green vipers.

And we saw one more bonus individual the following night. On the rest of our trip we saw a couple of other species of Bothriechis, but no more of these famous ones.