Gaboon Viper

Length: 3 1/2 – 5 ft
Range: Woodlands of Western and Central Africa

Subspecies:
East African Gaboon Viper (B. g. rhinoceros)
West African Gaboon Viper (B. g. gabonica)

Gaboon vipers are a venomous snake species belonging to the African puff adder genus Bitis. Gaboon vipers are the largest member of the Bitis genus with some specimens reported to be up to 6 ft. They are also the worlds heaviest viper reaching 16 – 20 lbs.  They sport a pair of nasal horns on their snout, the horns are much larger in the Eastern subspecies (B. g. rhinocerous). The gaboon viper’s broad triangular head contains the longest fangs in the snake world reaching upwards of 2 inches in length. To match it’s giant fangs these vipers also have the largest venom yield of any venomous snake.

These snakes are perfectly camouflaged to blend in with the leaf litter on the forest floor with their pattern of  alternating light and dark shapes. Gaboons use this camouflage to their advantage working mainly as an ambush predator and lying motionless for long periods of time and waiting for prey to cross their path. Gaboon vipers are known to be a generally docile species that when threatened often freezes relying on their camouflage to protect them and rarely biting. Most bites from this species happen after they have been stepped on by an unaware hiker. Even though these snakes are docile in nature these snakes should be treated with the same respect as any deadly snake as their venom is capable of killing a human.

These large and robust snakes have no problem taking down large prey such as rabbits and monkeys. These snakes feed on a variety of birds and small mammals. They have been witnessed wrapping their large bodies around prey like a constrictor to hang on as they wait for their venom to take full effect.

During the breeding season males engage in combat to determine the dominate male. The males raise their heads as high as they can and intertwine their necks and try to wrestle each other to the ground. Females give birth to between 10 and 30 live young. The gestation period for these vipers is about a year so females are on a 2-3 year breeding cycle.