Gaboon Viper

“The Gaboon Viper has the longest fangs of any snake”

This strikingly patterned snake is one of the biggest venomous snakes on earth. That doesn’t so much mean length, as it rarely gets any longer than 7 feet, but weight.

It is a creature of a size that’s pleased to move slowly and is slow to anger, but that should fool no one. The gaboon viper has one of the fastest strikes in the snake world and delivers one of the biggest loads of venom.

Gaboon Viper Amazing Facts

Here are five amazing facts about this beautiful, nocturnal ambush predator.

• The gaboon viper is the biggest viper in Africa.
• It delivers the second-largest amount of venom per bite because when it bites it doesn’t let go easily.
• It can have a weight of over 45 pounds.
• Though the viper’s usual diet is made up of small size animals, it has been known to eat a fully-grown royal antelope which is about as big as a toy poodle.
• Fortunately, the gaboon viper is a bit of a slug-a-bed and not very aggressive.

Where To Find the Gaboon Viper 

Gaboon vipers are found in sub-Saharan Africa in habitats that are moist and warm. The patterns formed by their colorful scales allow them to camouflage in the duff and are an aid in the identification of the reptile.

Evolution and Origins

The vipers dwell on the forest floor and are terrestrial creatures that can be found in wet regions and rainforests in various parts of Central, East, and West Africa.

While the oldest known viper fossils date back to the lower Miocene, molecular studies indicate that Viperidae may have originated much earlier, during the early Eocene.

The Old World was where vipers first emerged, with pitvipers later expanding into the New World and quickly spreading throughout North, Central, and South America.

Being part of the Crotalinae family, the Gaboon Viper is closely related to other species of snakes within this subfamily. Examples of other vipers belonging to this group are Rattlesnakes, Moccasins, Bushmasters, and Asian Lanceheads.

Scientific Name

The snake’s scientific name is Bitis gabonica. The species name refers to the Gabon estuary found in the country of the same name or the northern part of what was then the French Congo.

The Different Types

For a while, scientists believed that the gaboon viper had a subspecies called Bitis gabonica rhinoceros. It was then discovered that B. g. rhinoceros was a separate species, and now it is referred to simply as B. rhinoceros.

Population and Conservation Status 

Gaboon vipers are abundant in their native habitat, but their conservation status is listed as vulnerable due to habitat loss.

Appearance and Description 

Identification of this ambush predator is easy because no snake looks quite like it. Its upper body is made up of beautiful diamonds, triangles, and hourglasses in neutral colors that mimic the colors of leaf litter. There are bars running down the back in the shape of lozenges. The scales on its back are beautifully keeled, and its belly is whitish and bears black or brown patches. The snake’s neck is narrow, but its head is massive, broad, and shaped like a leaf.

It is white or cream-colored with a thin dark line down the center. Like many members of Bitis, it has horns between its nostrils. There’s a patch of dark brown behind and below each eye, and the eyes themselves are small and have a silvery sheen and cat-like irises.

The snake also differs from others in that its eyes have a surprising range of movement. One eye can look forward while the other looks backward. Though the look of the snake is breathtaking when it is out in the open, its colors and patterns make it very hard to see as it waits for prey among fallen leaves.

Another aid in the identification of the snake is the fact that it is, frankly, fat. The heaviest venomous snake on the African continent, the gaboon viper can have a weight of over 45 pounds. Females are especially hefty. The size of the animal causes it to move slowly, but it only has to move fast when it strikes. When it does strike it holds on.

This is different from other venomous snakes that strike, pull back, and wait for their prey to die. That the gaboon viper has 2-inch long fangs helps it hold on to its dinner. The fangs are so long that they have to be folded back into the reptile’s mouth, and it has to sort of rearrange its jaws to make sure they fit comfortably.

Venom: How Dangerous Are They?

Gaboon viper bites are actually rare because the snake is so laid-back that it takes a lot of provocation to make it actually bite. The reptile prefers to hiss and flattens its head as a warning. But once a person is bitten, time is of the essence. Though the venom itself isn’t very potent, the snake injects a great deal of it.

There is an antivenom available to treat a bite, but it must be given right away. Even then, a limb may need to be amputated because necrosis or bleeding caused by the bite makes it impossible for the wound to heal properly.

Behavior and Humans

Gaboon vipers are nocturnal, which means they are active at night. This is another reason why bites by these snakes are rare.

At sundown, they come out of their hiding place and find a location to simply wait for prey. Then, like an ambush predator, it strikes, holds on to the prey until it at least stops struggling then swallows it whole. Grown vipers have no predators themselves, but younger ones are sometimes taken by brave secretary birds.

The snake most likely mates during the rainy season. Males fight each other for the right to mate, decorously. They’ll strike with their mouths shut and take breaks between rounds. The fight ends when the winner pins the loser’s head to the ground and raises his own.

Female gaboon vipers are gravid for about seven months, then can give birth to anywhere between 20 and 50 babies at one time. After that, she takes no more care of them. Though biologists aren’t entirely sure of the viper’s lifespan, some believe the lifespan can be as long as 20 years.

Like other snakes, gaboon vipers are helpful to humans because they get rid of pests. However, their venom makes them dangerous. Despite this, they are often used as bushmeat.