Gaboon Viper Fangs: Why They’re the Biggest Snake Fangs in the World

Chances are, you probably haven’t heard of the Gaboon viper. Despite having the largest fangs of any snake in the world, the Gaboon viper is little known outside herpetological circles. This is because, unlike flashy, famous snakes, like king cobras, boa constrictors, and Burmese pythons, Gaboon vipers are rarely seen. These snakes dwell in the deepest rainforests of central Africa, happily eating a steady diet of small and medium-sized mammals. Gaboon vipers are some of the deadliest snakes on the planet, but they seldom come into contact with people.

Here, we’ll discover all there is to know about the Gaboon viper and its large fangs. We’ll start by getting to know the Gaboon viper a little better. Then, we’ll learn about their fangs and just why they get so big. Finally, we’ll take a look at Gaboon viper venom and what makes it so deadly. 

Gaboon Viper Profile

Gaboon vipers are African snakes; they’re not found anywhere else on Earth. They have some of the most intricate patterns of any snake, which makes them incredibly hard to spot on the forest floor. Let’s learn more about them.

Location and Habitat

Gaboon vipers live in central and western Africa. They’ve been seen in Togo, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Ghana, Liberia, and more. They live primarily in rainforests but are also sometimes found in savannahs. Thanks to their diet, Gaboon vipers also take up residence in agricultural areas with plenty of rodents.

Unlike lighter species of snake, like the green mamba, the Gaboon viper does not climb trees. Instead, they spend their entire lives on the forest floor, blending in with the leaf litter. Gaboon vipers are actually so heavy that climbing is nearly impossible for them.

Appearance and Size

Gaboon vipers have some of the most intricate, complex patterning of any snake. Gaboon vipers have overall brown bodies, but nearly every shade of brown can be found in their scales. They have both rectangles and ‘X’ marks along their backs, accompanied by hourglass-shaped patterns of several shades of brown along their sides.

Their patterning isn’t the only remarkable thing about Gaboon vipers. Their heads are also extremely distinct. They’re very large and very wide. Like all pit vipers, they have heat-sensing pits near their nostrils and vertically elliptical eyes. Also, they have large venom glands located just behind their eyes. As if Gaboon vipers weren’t unique enough, they also have elongated scales on their noses that look like twin horns.

Behavior

Gaboon vipers are nocturnal ambush predators. At night, they lie in wait, completely camouflaged in the dead leaves or grasses on the ground. When a small mammal, like a rat, mouse, hare, rabbit, porcupine, or Gambian pouched rat, runs by, they strike. Their fangs are exceedingly long, and these snakes are capable of pumping a lethal amount of venom into their prey in less than a second.

Gaboon Viper Fangs

When it comes to snake teeth, there are several different varieties. Gaboon viper fangs are known as solenoglyphous, which essentially means they’re not to be messed with. All pit vipers are solenoglyphous, i.e., large-fanged and venomous. Gaboon vipers have two rows of small, backward-pointing teeth on the roof of their mouth. But the big showstoppers are the two-inch-long fangs located at the front of the mouth.

Gaboon viper fangs are so long that they actually fold back when they close their mouths, like a switchblade knife, instead of retracting. When the Gaboon viper is lying in ambush, the fangs lay flat against the roof of the mouth. However, when it strikes, all two inches of the fangs extend and penetrate. Like the back teeth, they’re recurved, so there’s no chance of the prey slipping away.

Why Are Gaboon Viper Fangs So Big?

Out of all the types of snakes in the world, pit vipers generally have the largest fangs. Among pit vipers, Gaboon viper fangs rule. But just why are their fangs so big? Studies suggest that Gaboon viper fangs grew to their monstrous size as a way to more effectively incapacitate and kill their favorite prey — small mammals. 

The larger the venomous snake’s fangs, the better chance they have at successfully envenomating their prey. Also, the more successful strikes they make, the longer they live, and the more babies they make. So, over time, snakes with bigger fangs disproportionately pass on their big fang genes, leading to future generations of big-fanged snakes. 

Gaboon Viper Venom

Since Gaboon vipers live mainly in uninhabited forests, come out only at night, and have generally docile dispositions, bites are rare. Often, it takes a person actually stepping on them for the Gaboon viper fangs to sink in. Many of the bites that do occur happen when people intentionally attempt to handle these gentle, yet deadly, snakes. 

Gaboon viper bites are always a medical emergency. Their hemotoxic venom is potent enough to immediately affect the body’s primary systems. This can quickly lead to death if left untreated. Locally, the area of the bite undergoes significant swelling, and the tissue around the bite generally turns necrotic. Fatalities from Gaboon viper bites are not unheard of, but, with prompt antivenom and emergency medical care, the victim can be treated.