Treasure of the month

September 2016

Bolivian viper

This Bolivian viper (Philodryas psammophidea) is our treasure of the month September. It was caught in Bolivia in 1913 and found its place in the Hamburg Museum of Natural History at Steintorwall in 1921. Today it is part of the herpetological collection of LIB and the subject of international research. A group of Bolivian scientists is focusing on the viper and its relatives and studying the changing distribution of reptiles in Bolivia. "We support this research with data and photos of specimens from our collection," says Jakob Hallermann. "In this way, we are providing important additions to the inventory of animals living today. The analysis of distribution patterns and relationships serves as a basis for environmental protection."

The Herpetological Collection of the LIB is the fifth largest collection of reptiles (amphibians and reptiles) in Germany with about 65,000 collection items.