- [Mario] Snake!
Guys guys come here!
- [Coyote] What's happenin' Mario?
(growls)
(dramatic music)
(growls)
- [Mario] Costa Rica is one of the most
bio diverse countries in the world,
boasting over 500,000 described species
of plants and animals.
A true paradise for nature lovers.
- [Coyote] That is a water anole.
- [Mario] Over the years, the Great Wilderness crew
has featured a wide variety of the country's
amazing animals.
From bizarre insects and arachnids,
to an array of unique amphibian species.
And of course, my personal favorite, snakes.
We've got a venomous snake, Coyote.
- What? - Yep.
Today we are on location at the Costa Rican
amphibian research center.
One of our favorite destinations to search for species
in the tropics.
I'm always on the lookout for snakes.
But finding them often requires hours of searching.
Their cryptic patterns, and elusive nature
keep them well camouflaged and hidden from view.
As a wildlife biologist, I'm in tune with these traits,
and I know the signs to look for, when it comes
to having a snake encounter.
From there, it's just a matter of being in the right place
at the right time.
(dramatic music)
- Come here!
Okay now, it might be a little difficult for you to see,
but there's a snake on this little tree right here.
Do you see it?
Do you see it movin'?
Come on up.
Oh oh, there it is, there it is.
There it is.
He's on to us.
Look at that.
Ah this is a really cool species.
They're diurnal, that's why we actually are finding it
during the day.
Most of the time, we're searching for snakes at night.
But as I was walking, I just caught some movement
out of the corner of my eye, and there you go.
We've got ourself a parrot snake.
Now I want to get it off the tree,
but I think first, why don't you guys get some
tight shots of it, 'cause that's some really cool behavior.
You can see its arboreal nature, as it's just actually
hunting through the canopy.
Actually this is a really good shot, come on over here.
It's just peeking out.
Can you see it?
That is so cool.
I'm actually gonna try and get it off the tree
and see, if we can get a better shot.
This is a mildly venomous snake, so I do have to be careful.
I'm gonna use my snake hook just to gently
kind of coax this snake out of this tree.
There we go, there we go.
All right, check this out.
Oh, he's got his mouth open.
He's definitely a little defensive.
I don't blame him, I basically just plucked him
off that tree and now we're presenting him to the camera.
But he's too cool, not to showcase.
Parrot snakes are actually a mildly venomous snake.
There in the Colubridae family, and they have rear fangs.
And right now he's got his mouth open
in a threat display, trying to intimidate me.
Yeah, you do look a little intimidating.
But they are gorgeous.
Let's see if I can actually just swing him around this way.
You know, if we were in Africa for example,
I would have hesitated to actually capture this snake
because of course, there's green mambas and boom slangs
and in fact, this is in the same family as the boom slang,
but it is not as toxic, certainly not as toxic.
The term for that is convergent evolution.
This species looks very similar to other species
in different parts of the world, even through
they're completely unrelated.
Why is that?
Because of its environment.
Because of the niche it has in the environment.
And snakes that are found up in the trees
and naturally gonna look green so that they can camouflage
against the leaf litter.
Now you might be thinkin', a snake during the day?
Usually you guys are searching for snakes at night.
And yes, the majority of snakes out here are nocturnal.
But there are several species that are diurnal.
These species have large eyes that pick up movement
very well.
I mean he is just basically just locked on my face.
Everywhere I move, he's kind of lookin'.
So when this snake opens his mouth, you're actually
gonna see a small opening, called a glottis.
And the glottis aids in breathing when this snake
or all snakes are swallowing large prey items.
It kind of acts like a snorkel.
So when this guy has a mouthful of frogs,
he can still breathe.
The favorite prey of parrot snakes, is tree frogs.
Now the majority of tree frogs are nocturnal.
So how does a diurnal snake eat nocturnal frogs?
Well, during the day the frogs are sleeping,
especially under leaves.
That tree, perfect example where you can find
some sleeping tree frogs.
This snake will come out during the day,
search underneath the leaves.
If he finds a sleeping frog, bites,
injects that mild toxin, and then swallows it whole.
So parrot snakes are found throughout Central
and South America.
There are several species of them.
This is definitely one of the larger species
that I have encountered here in Costa Rica.
Now look at that tail.
Actually, here's something cool.
It's a really good position.
Kind of where my hand is at right there to this point,
that's the tail of the snake.
Generally snakes have fairly short tails.
Oh I know buddy, I know, I know.
He's trying to get away.
I love that defense.
I mean, I know it's trying to intimidate me,
but, actually it looks pretty cool.
Such a wide mouth.
Now certainly when you're out here, or anywhere exploring
looking for snakes, for example, you definitely
need to be aware of the species that are found
in the region.
Identifying the species quickly and accurately
is important.
And for me, I immediately realized this snake
was a parrot snake, and not necessarily a threat
if I were to handle it.
Now the reason I can handle snakes like this
and maybe be so calm for example, is simply just years
of training, learning the behavior of snakes in general
is very important.
Coyote and I can handle snakes very easily
just by simply reading the mood of the snake
or the behavior.
The initial capture, the snake was a little aggressive,
because it was in a defensive mode.
As we've presented this snake, it has quickly calmed down
because I'm simply gently handling it.
- [Coyote] What's happening Mario?
- Well, I am wearing a greet hat,
maybe it's trying to camouflage against my hat.
All right, well I think this snake's said it's done.
So I think that's a wrap.
How cool is that?
We came upon a parrot snake in Costa Rica.
There he goes.
I'm Mario Aldecoa, be brave, stay wild,
we'll see you on the next adventure.
There's certainly no shortage of amazing species
to find in Costa Rica.
And with each visit, more and more of its hidden treasures
are revealed.
With its large eyes, long slender body,
and intense green color, the parrot snake
is perfectly adapted for an arboreal life.
And as a beautiful addition to my photographic library
of snake encounters.
If you though getting up close to a parrot snake
was exciting, make sure to go back and watch the episode
where I photographed the tree boa.
And don't forget, subscribe
and click on the notification bell so you can join us
on the next adventure.
- [Cameraman] Ah, it bit right at the camera!
- [Coyote] Did it really?
- [Cameraman] Yeah.
(howling)