It has a very characteristic brown band on the head. The West African Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica rhinoceros) subspecies has something like a pair of “horns” situated between the nostrils. Among the venomous snakes, they feature the largest fangs, the teeth of an adult Gaboon viper can measure about 5 cm (2 inches). Females are generally larger, and heavier than male snakes. The gaboon viper presumably lives for about 18 years in the wild.It features a large triangular shaped head that tapers into a narrow neck and their large and thick body. It reaches lengths up to 1.8 meters (6 ft) and can weigh up to an excess of 20 kg in some cases. The Gaboon viper is not only the largest member of the genus Bitis is also the heaviest venomous snake in Africa. The species is also commonly known among other names as swamp jack, butterfly adder, Gaboon adder or forest puff adder (not to be confused with the puff adder). The species is mostly nocturnal.Ĭurrently there are 2 subspecies recognized by scientists, including the nominate subspecies East African Gaboon viper ( Bitis gabonica gabonica) and the West African Gaboon viper ( Bitis gabonica rhinoceros). They are found for the mot part at the lower altitudes, but sometimes they can be found as high as 1500 up to 2000 meters. The Gaboon viper preferred type of habitat are the sub-Saharan tropical rain forests and woodlands on the fringes of these forests. The Gaboon Viper ( Bitis gabonica) is a venomous viper along the equatorial belt of Africa, East and Central Africa and southeast Africa. In the African Portuguese-speaking countries, it can be found in Guinea Bissau, Angola and northern Mozambique, but also in Guinea, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Central African Republic, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Rhinoceros viper hiss