Gaboon Viper
Bitis gabonica · Viperidae
Also called: Gaboon Adder, Butterfly Adder
A massive, ornately patterned forest viper with the longest fangs and one of the highest venom yields of any snake. Slow and placid, but a bite is catastrophic.
What the Gaboon Viper looks like
How to identify it
- 1Very heavy body with a geometric pattern of buff, purple and brown
- 2Enormous broad triangular head with a small nasal 'horn'
- 3Fangs up to two inches long
- 4Superb leaf-litter camouflage
Snakes it's confused with
Less ornate, with chevron bands and a smaller head.
Behavior & danger to humans
Calm and slow to anger, but delivers a huge dose of venom through long fangs.
⚠️ Danger: Potentially lethal. The long fangs and high venom yield make any bite critical.
Related snakes
VenomousEastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
Crotalus adamanteus
The largest venomous snake in North America and arguably the most dangerous. Its hemotoxic venom destroys tissue and blood cells, and a defensive bite is a medical emergency.
VenomousCopperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix
Responsible for more venomous snakebites than any other US species, but its bite is rarely fatal. Excellent camouflage in leaf litter leads to surprise encounters.
VenomousCottonmouth (Water Moccasin)
Agkistrodon piscivorus
A semi-aquatic pit viper named for the white interior of its mouth, which it gapes as a warning. The only venomous water snake in North America.
VenomousEastern Coral Snake
Micrurus fulvius
A relative of cobras with potent neurotoxic venom. Famous for the rhyme 'red touches yellow, kill a fellow' that separates it from harmless mimics.