Gaboon viper

Gaboon viper, (Bitis gabonica), extremely venomous but usually docile ground-dwelling snake found in tropical forests of central and western Africa. It is the heaviest venomous snake in Africa, weighing 8 kg (18 pounds), and it grows to a length of 2 metres (about 7 feet). The Gaboon viper also possesses the longest fangs of any snake, measuring up to 4 cm (1.6 inches) long. The stout body is boldly patterned with rectangles and triangles of buff, purple, and brown, which gives the snake its velvetlike appearance. This pattern provides excellent camouflage and allows this sluggish viper (family Viperidae) to become nearly invisible among leaves and roots of the forest floor.

The Gaboon viper is a broad-headed snake with two hornlike projections on its snout. When threatened it will hiss, a behaviour common to nearly all snakes. Rodents and ground-dwelling birds, its main prey, are struck and held by the viper’s venomous bite until death occurs. The Gaboon viper breeds every two to three years, giving birth to 15–40 live young.