Beastfile · Reptiles
Gaboon Viper
Bitis gabonica
Also known as Gaboon Adder
The longest fangs of any snake, on an animal you will walk straight past.
Overview
The Gaboon viper is a heavy, slow African snake that has invested everything in not being seen and then in one decisive strike. Its geometric pattern of browns, purples and creams dissolves completely into rainforest leaf litter, and it will lie motionless for days waiting for prey to walk within reach. It has the longest fangs of any snake, around five centimetres, and delivers a large volume of venom. Despite that, it is famously unaggressive: it rarely strikes at people and often gives no warning simply because it does not move at all.
Origin
Rainforest and adjacent woodland across West, Central and East Africa, in leaf litter on the forest floor.
Habitat
RainforestNotable Traits
- •The longest fangs of any snake, roughly five centimetres
- •Leaf-litter camouflage that works even in the open
- •Ambushes by lying still for days at a time
- •A very broad, flat, triangular head with small nasal horns
- •Among the heaviest-bodied vipers in the world
Conservation
Least Concern, with a wide range, though it is affected by rainforest clearance and is killed on sight in some areas.
🤯 Fun Facts
- 1It holds on after biting rather than striking and releasing, which is unusual for a viper.
- 2Its camouflage is so effective that the main danger to people is stepping on one that was in plain view.
- 3It moves in a straight line, caterpillar-style, rather than the side-to-side motion of most snakes.