Bitis gabonica

(Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)

Vernacular names
English : East African Gaboon viper
French : Vipère du Gabon

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

Identification
Very large viper, broad triangular head, reaching up to 1.5 m. Combination of geometric shapes, bands of brown, blue and cream. Double band running from eye to mouth. Small horns on snout. Head pattern recalls dead leaf.

Range and habitat
This species occurs in central Africa, from Nigeria to north Angola, east to western Kenya, south to Zambia. Small populations in South Africa and Tanzania. Lives in clearings in primary and secondary forests, plantations and marshes.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : VULNERABLE
CITES : Not listed
Status : The species has a large range but its populations are more and more threatened by hunting for bushmeat, traditional medicine and wildlife trade.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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