Gaboon Viper

• For all its reputation, it is an extremely placid, slow-moving snake that rarely bites.
• It eats small mammals and ground birds, taken from ambush.
• It is the heaviest viper in the world, with exceptional individuals topping 20 kg.
• anatomíaIt has the longest fangs of any venomous snake known, able to exceed 5 centimetres, and delivers one of the largest volumes of venom per bite of any snake.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)

Habitat and environment

Rainforest and moist woodland of sub-Saharan Africa, sheltering among the leaf litter

Birth weight

~30 cm long at birth, its markings already much like an adult's

Size at birth

30 cm long at birth

Sexual maturity

3-5 years, at a length of 80-100 cm

Gestation / incubation

~7 months (180-240 days) of gestation, a viviparous species

Litter / clutch size

8 to 43 young per litter (usual reference 15-40)

Life expectancy in captivity

Documented record of up to 18-20 years in captivity

Sources consulted: Dimensions.com; Snake Wiki (Fandom); BioDB; Britannica; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Animal Diversity Web; The Animal Facts; Grokipedia (Gaboon viper); Animalia.bio