Bothrops is a genus of the Viperidae family and Crotalinae sub-family of snakes. They are pit vipers, so called because they have a distinctive pit with a heat-detection organ. They are amongst the most venomous snakes known and occur mostly in Central and South America and the Caribbean. The most representative species is the lancehead snake, also the jararaca, its name in Tupi-Guarani.

Some of the most common species are:

• Bothrops alcatraz - Jararaca-de-Alcatrazes
• Bothrops alternatus - Urutu
• Bothrops ammodytoides - Patagonian lancehead
• Bothrops andianus - Andean lancehead
• Bothrops asper - Terciopelo
• Bothrops atrox - Common lancehead, Jararaca-do-Norte
• Bothrops barnetti - Barnett's Lancehead
• Bothrops brazilis - Brazil's Lancehead
• Bothrops blineatus - Jararaca-verde, Green Lancehead
• Bothrops caribbaeus - Saint Lucia Lancehead
• Bothrops cotiara - Cotiara
• Bothrops diporus - Chaco Lancehead
• Bothrops erythromelas - Caatinga Lancehead, Jararaca-da-seca
• Bothrops fonsecai - Fonseca's Lancehead
• Bothrops insularis - Golden Lancehead, Jararaca-ilhoa
• Bothrops itapetiningae - São Paulo Lancehead
• Bothrops jararaca - Jararaca
• Bothrops jararacussu - Jararacussu
• Bothrops jonathani - Cochabamba lancehead, Jonathan's Lancehead
• Bothrops lanceolatus - Fer-de-lance, Martinique Lancehead
• Bothrops leucurus - Whitetail Lancehead, Bahia lancehead
• Bothrops lojanus - Lojan Lancehead
• Bothrops lutzi - Cerrado Lancehead, Jararaca-do-cerrado
• Bothrops marajoensis - Marajó Lancehead
• Bothrops mattogrossensis - Mato Grosso Lancehead
• Bothrops moojeni - Brazilian Lancehead, Caiçaca
• Bothrops muriciensis - Murici Lancehead
• Bothrops neuwiedi - Neuwied's Lancehead, Jararaca-pintada
• Bothrops osbornei - Osborne's Lancehead
• Bothrops pauloensis - Black-faced Lancehead
• Bothrops pictus - Desert Lancehead
• Bothrops pirajai - Piraja's Lancehead
• Bothrops pubescens - Pampas Lancehead
• Bothrops punctatus - Chocoan Lancehead
• Bothrops roedingeri - Roedinger's Lancehead
• Bothrops sanctaecrucis - Bolivian Lancehead
• Bothrops sp. - Marbled Lancehead
• Bothrops venezuelensis - Venezuelan Lancehead

Bothropic venom

Bothropic venom is extremely toxic and may be lethal in a few hours, depending on the quantity injected and the resistance of the animal or human to it. It acts on a chain of proteolysis of plasma proteins, leading to rapid decrease of blood pressure (hypotension) of the bitten animal and to circulatory shock and death. The physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology of bothropic venom has been extensively studied since the end of the 19th century, mainly by Brazilian scientists after Vital Brazil, who developed at the Butantan Institute in São Paulo the first monovalent and polyvalent antivenoms against it. Rocha e Silva and others have demonstrated that the bothropic venom releases bradykinin, a powerful hypotensive agent. A bradykinin potentiating factor (BPF) has been discovered by Ferreira and collaborators, which led to the development of a new class of antihypertensive drugs, the ACE inhibitors, such as captopril.