# @natgeo on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CvXNVmgub4z
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/8114470-natgeo-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/055245bc81.jpg
- **Posted:** 2023-07-31T13:00:09.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** National Geographic (@NatGeo) — https://gondola.cc/NatGeo

## Caption

Photo by jenguyton | Immersed in the verdant labyrinth of Costa Rica, we explored the Monteverde cloud forest on a National Geographic expedition, where we encountered a palm pit viper (Bothriechis lateralis). This captivating contradiction of beauty and menace lives high in the canopy, which was visible to us from the unique vantage of a hanging bridge. The snake curled onto a branch, languid yet lethal, perhaps readying itself for the hunt. These vipers are sit-and-wait predators; using their prehensile tail as an anchor against a potentially deadly plunge to the forest floor, the vipers will strike at unlucky birds, lizards, or rodents that pass by. natgeoexpeditions. #NatGeoExpeditions

## Stats

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- **Likes:** 97,173
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- **Comments:** 572

## Tags

natgeoexpeditions

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