of the most venomous snakes in Brazil, its bite "said to occasion almost certain death", the statistics tell a different story. In his survey of 6,601 snakebite cases in Central and South America, Fonseca (1949) found that 384 were attributed to this species and that, of that number, only eight were fatal (2%). In a study by Baub et al. (1994) of the case histories of 32 patients bitten by this species and admitted to the hospital in Catanduva, São Paulo, Brazil, all developed local pain and swelling. Furthermore, in 97% of all cases the blood clotting time was prolonged (more than 12 minutes), 41% had bleeding (usually from the gums), 32% had local blistering and 9% had necrosis. In all cases, specific antivenin was used and there were no deaths. These findings contrast with other reports involving much more tissue damage. Silva Jr. (1956) includes a description of a Brazilian patient with gangrene on the hand and forearm that required amputation, as well as another bitten four years previously who had scarring over the anterior tibial compartment. Abalos and Pirosky (1963) considered this species to be responsible for many of the total number of snakebite cases in Argentina and included a picture of a young boy, bitten below the knee, with the bare fibula and tibia exposed. In 2004, a 44-year-old woman died from a bleed in the brain after getting bitten at her home. The median lethal dose of this species in Brazil varies according to the location, from to . References Further reading Duméril AMC, Bibron G, & Dumèril A[HA]. 1854. Erpétologie générale ou histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Tome septième [7th]. Duexième [2nd] partie. Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret, Paris. pp. 781–1536. (Bothrops alternatus, p. 1512.) External links . Accessed 9 April 2019. The repeated "cross" motif on its sides gives rise to its Spanish common name víbora de la cruz''. Reptiles described in 1854 alternatus Reptiles of Argentina Reptiles of Brazil Reptiles of Paraguay Reptiles of Uruguay Taxa named by Gabriel Bibron Taxa named by André Marie Constant Duméril Taxa named by Auguste Duméril