Gaboon Pit Viper, (Bitis gabonica), also called Gabon viper, 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.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Reptilia |
| Order | Squamata |
| Family | Viperidae |
| Genus | Bitis |
| Species | B. gabonica |
| Binomial name | Bitis gabonica |
Description
The Gaboon Pit Vipers' coloration is a combination of light and dark brown, pink and purple arranged in diamonds and stripes along its back. Light and dark lines radiate from around its small eyes.
It has a short tail, and its broad head mimics a fallen leaf, right down to the central vein. This striking pattern is excellent camouflage in the snake's native habitat, helping it blend into the leaf litter on the forest floor.
Size
Gaboon Pit Vipers are the largest vipers in Africa, weighing more than 45 pounds (20 kilograms) and reaching lengths of more than 6 feet (1.8 meters). The largest individuals have heads nearly 6 inches (15 centimeters) across at their widest point.
Habitat
These vipers live in rainforests and wet areas in parts of Central, East and West Africa. They are terrestrial and can be found on the forest floor.
Nutrition
They eat small and medium-sized mammals and birds. Gaboon Pit Vipers are passive hunters, waiting concealed to strike at whatever small creatures pass within range. Most snakes strike and release, but this viper holds on until its prey dies.
Gaboon Pit Vipers have a placid nature and very rarely bite humans. Most bites occur when the snake is stepped on before it has an opportunity to get away. If harassed, it will raise the upper part of its body and hiss in threat before actually striking.
In addition to its unwillingness to bite, the viper can control whether it injects venom and how much, so the result of a strike can range from no effect to rapid death. A hungry snake will strike at almost any sideways movement, so some bites might well be a result of mistaken identity.
Venom
The Gaboon Pit 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. Their bite can be fatal, though they are calm and rarely bite humans.
Reproduction
The Gaboon Pit Viper breeds every two to three years, giving birth to 15–40 live young.
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