Bitis rhinoceros

(Schlegel, 1855)

Vernacular names
English : West African gaboon viper
French : Vipère du Gabon occidentale

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

Identification
Very large viper, broad triangular head, reaching up to 2 m. Combination of geometric shapes, bands of brown, blue and cream. Single triangular band from eye to mouth. Head pattern recalls dead leaf. Big horns on snout.

Range and habitat
This species occurs in western Africa, from south-west Guinea to Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Ghana. Lives in clearings in primary and secondary forests, plantations and marshes.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not listed
Status : The species has a relatively small range but remains at least locally common. It is vulnerable to persecution and habitat destruction.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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