---
title: "What the sources say about the Gaboon Viper | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "32 claims from the Gaboon Viper profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/gaboon-viper-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/gaboon-viper/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Gaboon Viper (*Bitis gabonica*)

> 32 claims from the Gaboon Viper profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Gaboon Viper](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/gaboon-viper/)

## Gaboon viper. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/gaboon-viper

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Africa's largest viper has a head that mimics a fallen leaf | The Gaboon viper is the largest viper in Africa. Its coloration and broad head, which mimics a fallen leaf, camouflages it among leaf litter on the forest floor. |
| the longest fangs of any venomous snake, up to 5 cm long | Their fangs can be 2 inches (5 centimeters) long, making them the longest fangs of any venomous snake. |
| Rainforests and wet areas in parts of Central, East and West Africa | These vipers live in rainforests and wet areas in parts of Central, East and West Africa. (note: stats.habitat and body) |
| Small and medium-sized mammals and birds | They eat small and medium-sized mammals and birds. (note: stats.diet and body) |
| Fangs up to 5 cm long, the longest of any venomous snake | Their fangs can be 2 inches (5 centimeters) long, making them the longest fangs of any venomous snake. (note: stats.superpower; fang length claimed above) |
| Its broad head mimics a fallen leaf, right down to the central vein | its broad head mimics a fallen leaf, right down to the central vein |
| the brown, pink and purple diamonds along its back blend into the litter of the forest floor | combination of light and dark brown, pink and purple arranged in diamonds and stripes along its back |
| blend into the litter of the forest floor | helping it blend into the leaf litter on the forest floor |
| a snake camouflaged to match the forest floor | This striking pattern is excellent camouflage in the snake's native habitat, helping it blend into the leaf litter on the forest floor. |
| It is the largest viper in Africa. | The Gaboon viper is the largest viper in Africa. (note: Taxonomy block; the family name is the claim) |
| The National Zoo says Gaboon vipers weigh more than 20 kg and reach more than 1.8 m long, and the biggest have heads nearly 15 cm across | weighing more than 45 pounds (20 kilograms) and reaching lengths of more than 6 feet (1.8 meters). The largest individuals have heads nearly 6 inches (15 centimeters) across at their widest point. (note: ADW's older 7 to 10 kg, 1.2 m average is not used; the current institution page wins. Attributed to the zoo because ADW (7 to 10 kg) and AnAge (2,381 g average adult) give far lower weights.) |
| This snake is a passive hunter. It lies hidden and strikes at whatever small creatures pass within range | Gaboon vipers are passive hunters, waiting concealed to strike at whatever small creatures pass within range. |
| Most snakes bite and let go. This one holds on until its prey dies. | Most snakes strike and release, but this viper holds on until its prey dies. |
| A Gaboon viper can control whether it injects venom and how much, so a strike can range from no effect to rapid death. | the viper can control whether it injects venom and how much, so the result of a strike can range from no effect to rapid death. |
| most bites happen when someone steps on a snake that had no chance to get away | Most bites occur when the snake is stepped on before it has an opportunity to get away. |
| Females can give birth to 50 to 60 live young at a time. | Females can have 50 to 60 babies at a time. The young are born live. |
| They can be 5 cm, or 2 inches, long. According to the National Zoo, no other venomous snake has longer ones. | Their fangs can be 2 inches (5 centimeters) long, making them the longest fangs of any venomous snake. (note: FAQ 1) |
| Not by nature. The National Zoo calls it placid and says it very rarely bites people. Bites mostly happen when someone steps on it before it can slip away, and a harassed snake lifts the front of its body and hisses before it strikes. | Gaboon vipers have a placid nature and very rarely bite humans. Most bites occur when the snake is stepped on before it has an opportunity to get away. If harassed, it will raise the upper part of its body and hiss in threat before actually striking. (note: FAQ 2) |
| A female can produce 50 to 60 young at a time, and they are born live instead of hatching from eggs. | Females can have 50 to 60 babies at a time. The young are born live. (note: FAQ 3; 'instead of hatching from eggs' is what 'born live' means) |
| Gaboon viper fangs can be 5 cm long, which the National Zoo says makes them the longest of any venomous snake. | Their fangs can be 2 inches (5 centimeters) long, making them the longest fangs of any venomous snake. |
| A passive hunter, the Gaboon viper lies hidden and strikes at whatever passes within range | Gaboon vipers are passive hunters, waiting concealed to strike at whatever small creatures pass within range. (note: vibe.reason) |
| dangerLevel: Deadly | the result of a strike can range from no effect to rapid death |

## AnAge entry for Bitis gabonica. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Bitis_gabonica

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The AnAge longevity database lists a maximum of 18 years in captivity | Maximum longevity 18 years (captivity) |
| In captivity, the record in the AnAge database is 18 years. | Maximum longevity 18 years (captivity) (note: FAQ 4) |

## Marsh & Whaler (1984). The Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica): Its biology, venom components and toxinology. Toxicon.

https://doi.org/10.1016/0041-0101(84)90152-1

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A review of the species says it makes prodigious amounts of venom, yet weight for weight the venom is rather low in toxicity next to other poisonous snakes | The viper does indeed produce prodigious amounts of venom, but the toxicity, weight for weight, is rather low compared to other poisonous snakes. |
| In experimental animals, systemic envenomation is marked by an abrupt drop in blood pressure, damage to the heart and laboured breathing | Systemic envenomation is characterized by immediate abrupt hypotension, subsequent cardiac damage and dyspnoea. (note: Scope: the abstract says the venom's effects 'have been studied in a variety of experimental animals'.) |
| the snake is docile, and the same review links that to the very low number of human bites | This handsome animal with such striking features is undoubtedly docile which accounts for the very low incidence of bite amongst humans. |

## Calvete, Marcinkiewicz & Sanz (2006). Snake Venomics of Bitis gabonica gabonica. Protein Family Composition, Subunit Organization of Venom Toxins, and Characterization of Dimeric Disintegrins Bitisgabonin-1 and Bitisgabonin-2. Journal of Proteome Research.

https://doi.org/10.1021/pr060494k

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A proteomic study of venom from East African Gaboon vipers found 35 proteins, from 12 toxin families | The protein composition of the venom of the East African Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica gabonica) was analyzed using RP-HPLC, N-terminal sequencing, MALDI-TOF peptide mass fingerprinting, and CID-MS/MS. In total, 35 proteins of molecular masses in the range of 7-160 kDa and belonging to 12 toxin families were identified. |

## Cundall (2009). Viper Fangs: Functional Limitations of Extreme Teeth. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology.

https://doi.org/10.1086/594380

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A viper's fangs are extremely long, rotating, hollow teeth | The fangs of vipers are extremely long, rotating, hollow teeth. |
| A video study of more than 750 strikes by 86 viper species found that vipers reposition their fangs after first contact in more than a third of strikes | Analysis of video records of more than 750 strikes recorded at 60 or 250 frames per second for 285 individuals representing 86 species in 31 genera shows that vipers reposition fangs after initial contact with prey in more than a third of the strikes. |
| The authors say that suggests strong selective pressure for a rapid nerve-and-muscle response to a misplaced fang. | The prevalence of repositioning, even among species that normally release prey, suggests strong selective pressure for rapid neuromotor response to fang placement error. |

## Luiselli et al. (2021). Bitis gabonica. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T13300893A13300904.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2021-3.rlts.t13300893a13300904.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Vulnerable | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). (note: stats.conservationStatus. GBIF's copy of the Red List gives taxon 13300893 as Bitis gabonica, the name this profile uses, so the category applies.) |