Bitis nasicornis

(Shaw, 1802)

Vernacular names
English : Rhinoceros viper
French : Vipère rhinocéros

Classification
Class : Reptilia
Order : Squamata
Family : Viperidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can reach up to 1 m in length. Prominent horns on snout, scales strongly keeled. Incredible coloration. Combination of geometric shapes, bands of brown to pink to bright red, blue, yellow, gray and cream.

Range and habitat
This species occurs in western and central Africa, from Liberia to Gabon and Congo, east to Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Lives in forests, grasslands, cultivated areas, plantations and marshes.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : VULNERABLE
CITES : Not listed
Status : The species has a large range but some of its populations are declining alarmingly because of overexploitation and loss of habitat.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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