The name of this extremely poisonous snake, whose bite is most likely to be fatal, actually indicates the shape of the headier, “head” or “iron,” de lance, “of the lance”; i.e., lance head.
But it might also indicate the speed with which the serpent strikes or the fact that it springs at its victim like a charge with a lance.
This lance-headed or yellow viper is found chiefly in tropical America, infesting especially the sugar plantations of the West Indies.
