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When K. Chukovsky asked children not to go to Africa because of dangerous gorillas and crocodiles, he forgot to mention the Gabon viper, or maybe he just didn’t have enough rhyme.
This huge snake scares with its size, and appearance with large poisonous teeth, and even its color, which repeats the color of fallen leaves in those tropical forests where it lives, and therefore it is completely invisible.
Description of appearance
Otherwise, this type of viper is called cassava. It differs, first of all, in size: on average, its length is from 90 to 120 cm. But scientists also met individuals that had a length of up to 2 meters and a weight of about 10 - 15 kg.
The massive body of cassava in shape resembles a very large log. The tail is short. The snake has a very peculiar color, created by nature specifically for masking. It is all dotted with various patterns in a combination of brown, black, brown, red and green spots, reminiscent of various irregular triangles, rhombuses, interwoven into intricate patterns. The segments are light gray.
An unusual occurrence among snakes is a too big head when compared with the proportions of the body. Because the skull stands out significantly. Some have growths on their heads, which makes cassava look menacing and intimidating. On the head, between the nostrils and the eyes, there are paired pits that are designed to be able to recognize differences in air temperature even in fractions of a degree. Nature rewarded some snakes with such an original radar to hunt warm-blooded animals in the dark.
Habitat
The homeland of the Gabon viper is African forests in the central part of the continent and in the east, but in other parts you can also find its individual representatives.
Lives on the earth, but mainly spends time in forest thickets or on the outskirts of the forest. In open areas, you can meet her very rarely. Although it sometimes happens that cassava prefers to settle closer to plantations, where there may be more food than workers who are forced to spend all day there are very worried.
Hunting and nutrition
But the hunt for this snake begins with the arrival of twilight. A forked tongue helps her due to the fact that she is the most sensitive organ that can smell the smell of game. And on the front of the muzzle there are radars that help to quickly detect a victim moving nearby. Makes her a great hunter and sharp eyesight.
In an ambush, she waits for a warm-blooded animal. It can be various representatives of rodents, birds, wild cats, mongooses. Dwarf antelopes can also be hunted.
Kassawa hunter is not very skilled because of his heavy weight and size. She is unable to move swiftly, so she grabbed the victim, being in a prolonged ambush. Her pattern, which makes the snake invisible, helps a lot in this. When the animal approaches, a sharp throw of a powerful body follows forward, a bite - and the food is ready.
How dangerous is this snake to humans?
Scientists, having studied the poison of the Gabon viper, found that its poison itself is not so toxic. There are snakes in which the poison is more dangerous. But at cassava it has fast acting toxins, the amount of liquid is so great that because of this it is ranked among the most poisonous snakes on the planet.
Procreation
Before reaching the female’s location, the males start real mating tournaments. They consist in the fact that both grooms are entwined with their backs, and the upper ones push each other with the help of their cheeks and neck, but do not use their deadly teeth.
After mating, the male leaves his chosen one, and then she carries the cubs for more than six months.
The nest of this viper is hidden in the most secluded place, so that enemies could not find it. They relate to ovoviviparous. Children born into the world, and they may turn out to be from 8 to 40 or even more, are already poisonous and can eat insects and spiders. Puberty comes about 4-5 years old.
Video: Gabon viper (Bitis gabonica)
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