? Gaboon Viper
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Suborder: Serpentes Family: Viperidae Subfamily: Viperinae Genus: Bitis Species: B. gabonica
Binomial name
Bitis gabonica (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)

The Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica) is native to equatorial Africa and is the largest viper found on this continent. It is also the largest member of the puff adder family. There are two subspecies: B. g. gabonica found in East Africa and B. g. rhinoceros in West Africa. Download high resolution version (945x945, 183 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Binomial name Aptenodytes forsteri Gray, 1844 For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders  Crocodilia - Crocodilians scary crocodiles. ... Suborders Amphisbaenia - Worm lizards Sauria- Lizards Serpentes - Snakes Squamata (scaled reptiles) is the largest recent order of reptiles, including lizards and snakes. ... Superfamilies and Families Henophidia Aniliidae Anomochilidae Boidae Bolyeriidae Cylindrophiidae Loxocemidae Pythonidae Tropidophiidae Uropeltidae Xenopeltidae Typhlopoidea Anomalepididae Leptotyphlopidae Typhlopidae Xenophidia Acrochordidae Atractaspididae Colubridae Elapidae Hydrophiidae Viperidae Snakes (from Old English snaca, and ultimately from PIE base *snag- or *sneg-, to crawl), also known as ophidians, are cold blooded legless reptiles closely... Subfamilies Crotalinae (Pit Vipers) Viperinae (Vipers) The Viperidae family is made up of two subfamilies: Crotalinae (Pit Vipers) Viperinae (Vipers) Categories: Stub | Snakes ... Genera Adenorhinos Atheris Azemiops Bitis Cerastes Daboia Echis Eristicophis Macrovipera Montatheris Proatheris Pseudocerastes Vipera This page is about Viper snakes. ... Species (Gaboon Viper) (Rhinoceros Viper) The Bitis genus of vipers consists of sixteen species. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Constant Duméril. ... Gabriel Bibron (1806 - 1848) was a French zoologist. ... Auguste Duméril. ... A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ... A puff adder is a common name for two diffenrent species of snake. ...

Size

One of the three giant vipers of Africa, this species is certainly the largest. The dimensions of this thick-bodied reptile can only be described as extreme, with reports of specimens of up to 2.4 metres in length, having fangs over 63 mm long and a head nearly 15 cm across. However, such measurements are probably somewhat exaggerated. The specimen mentioned in in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the longest fangs of any venomous snake -- 50 mm -- was 1.83 metres long: still very impressive. Specimens of around 1.8 meters may weigh as much as 16 kg. On average, however, they are 1.2 meters long and weigh 7-10 kg. Genera Adenorhinos Atheris Azemiops Bitis Cerastes Daboia Echis Eristicophis Macrovipera Montatheris Proatheris Pseudocerastes Vipera This page is about Viper snakes. ... The Guinness Book of Records (or in recent editions Guinness World Records, and in previous US editions Guinness Book of World Records) is a book published annually, containing an internationally recognized collection of superlatives: both in terms of human achievement and the extrema of the natural world. ...

Venom

Although it does not have a particularly toxic venom compared to some other notorious species, it more than makes up for this with volume: as much as 1000 mg of dried venom has been extracted -- 40% more than the eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus) has been known to produce. It is not surprising then, that the fang orifices, out of which the venom flows, are also the largest of any venomous snake. The venom itself, which has both hemotoxic and neurotoxic components, can cause direct damage to cardiac tissue and prove fatal to humans even with prompt treatment. Binomial name Crotalus adamanteus Palisot de Beauvois, 1799 Crotalus atrox Baird and Girard, 1853 Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes (Crotalus adamanteus) are the largest species of snake found in the United States. ... Hemotoxins are toxins that destroy red blood cells (hemolysis), disrupt blood clotting, and/or cause organ degeneration and generalized tissue damage. ... A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells – neurons – usually by interacting with membrane proteins and ion channels. ...

Appearance

The color pattern of the Gaboon viper, with a series of rectangles down its back and hourglass shapes on its sides, is often described as striking and one of the most beautiful of all snakes. The colors include black and different hues of purple, brown, yellow and beige. The head, which is distict from the neck, looks like a large dead leaf, except for a pair of silvery white eyes. Overall, this is an excellent camouflage in the dappled light conditions of the forest floor.

The West African subspecies B. g. rhinoceros has a distictive set of enlarged rostral scales that look like a pair of horns on its nose. This is a characteristic that it shares with a close relative, the rhinoceros viper (B. nascornis). The East African subspecies B. g. gabonica has no such enlarged rostral scales, and is overall somewhat smaller than B. g. rhinoceros. Binomial name Bitis nasicornis (Shaw, 1792) The Rhinoceros Viper (Bitis nasicornis), also called the River Jack is a viper found in a band across sub-Saharan African, including Kenya, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. ...

Feeding

Gaboon vipers prey on a large variety of terrestrial birds and mammals, as well as toads and frogs on occasion. There is even a report of a Gaboon viper that ate a small antilope.

Behaviour

A classic ambush predator, it spends most of its time lying and motionless on the forest floor, buried in the leaf litter with only its head exposed. Usually, the snake positions itself along a path in the jungle frequented by small animals. The species is surprisingly docile in nature, but at the same time its behaviour is often described as unpredictable. It can strike with lightning speed in any direction, often without warning. Sometimes, a Gaboon viper will not withdraw after a strike, but will hold on until its prey is dead.

Like other members of the puff adder family, when it feels threatened the Gaboon viper is capable of inflating its already bloated body considerably, after which it will force the air out again while flattening its head to produce a loud hissing sound in a slow and steady rhythm. As with other species that inspire deeply, in captivity this is a trait that can leave specimens vulnerable to respiratory problems under certain circumstances. A puff adder is a common name for two diffenrent species of snake. ...

Habitat

The Gaboon viper is terrestrial and is generally found in rain forests, but sometimes also in open country. Ditmars even described this species as being a creature of sterile, sandy places that would imbed itself in the sand with the exception of the top of the head.

Reproduction

Females breed every 2 to 3 years and usually give birth to between 16 and 24 live young, although numbers as high as 60-70 have been recorded. The young have the same colors and markings as the adults and are about 25 to 30 cm long.

Gallery

References

• Living Snakes of the World by John M. Mehrtens, Sterling Publishing Co., 1987.
• Reptiles of the World by Raymond L. Ditmars, published by The MacMillan Company, 1937.
• Toxicology and Pharmacology of Venoms from Poisonous Snakes by John H. Brown, published by Charles C. Thomas, 1973.

External links

• Keeping Gaboon Vipers