East African Gaboon Viper (Bitis gabonica)

[Nightflight99]

The holidays are nearly over, so I'm going for a double whammy tonight. These are my adult East African gaboon vipers (Bitis gabonica) that I raised from neonates in 2010 into some pretty impressive adults. These two images were obviously taken under completely different light conditions, but your eyes are not deceiving you--the female is very pink (which is visible), whereas the male has a strong purple hue to him (which is not visible).


This is the male in his Fall colors.


This is the female in her Summer dress.

[Sublimeballs]

I just love gaboons. These are some nice examples of the species. I'm very jelous of all the awesome snakes you work with.

[Albert Clark]

Impressive for sure. The Gabonicas just seem to be the kings and queens of the venomous world. Probably ahead of the cobras to me. I visited the Atlanta Zoo in December and they had a single individual G.V. and several cobra species in their redesigned and remodeled reptile house. Thanks for sharing.

[Tsubaki]

Beautiful!! prefer the males colors personally.

[Nightflight99]

Originally Posted by Albert Clark

The Gabonicas just seem to be the kings and queens of the venomous world. Probably ahead of the cobras to me.

Gaboon vipers and cobras are THE cliche snakes for venomous keepers--at some point, most longterm keepers will keep these. Just like most keepers will at some point have a rattlesnake. No specific species, just a rattlesnake. I think some of this has to do with the fact that for a nonvenomous keeper, a lot of those taxa are typically off-limits, so when they finally decide to keep venomous snakes, the flood gates open. "May I have one of each, please!"

[PatrickT]

they look wonderful.

[dannybgoode]

Those markings are sublime - reminds me of the geometric camouflage they tried on warships in WWII.

Really does break up the shape of the snake's body which is what camo is more about than truly blending in...

[psychocircus]

absolutely incredible!

[RAD House]

In my opinion I don't think calling a gaboon a cliché is fair. I understand what you are saying about cobras and rattlesnakes, but to me there is not a single animal in the suborder Serpentes that compares to the gaboon in pure beauty. The color range and pattern are unmatched as I see it. Sometimes art is deserving of attention no matter how popular it may be.

[Nightflight99]

Originally Posted by MesoCorney

In my opinion I don't think calling a gaboon a cliché is fair... but to me there is not a single animal in the suborder Serpentes that compares to the gaboon in pure beauty.

I agree that they're gorgeous, but since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there is really no point in arguing that. I do think that gaboon vipers can be considered a cliché among venomous keepers, simply because they are one of the most sought-after snakes, making it somewhat stereotypical to have one. Which in turn is the definition of 'cliché.'

[RAD House]

A cliché becomes irrelevant to the point of being a joke due to over exposure. I get that with cobras and rattlesnakes as the main reason most keep them in due to the danger factor, but with gaboons there seems to be more ethreal than those species. I have seem many specimens of gaboon and never seem to be less than overwhelmed. I know you have seen many snakes over the years, can you hostley say you are to the point that they do not strike you as incredible?

[Nightflight99]

Originally Posted by MesoCorney

A cliché becomes irrelevant to the point of being a joke due to over exposure. I get that with cobras and rattlesnakes as the main reason most keep them in due to the danger factor, but with gaboons there seems to be more ethreal than those species. I have seem many specimens of gaboon and never seem to be less than overwhelmed. I know you have seen many snakes over the years, can you hostley say you are to the point that they do not strike you as incredible?

This is now turning into a discussion on semantics, but I'll humor you. A cliché is defined as something that portrays lack of originality due to overusage or it refers to a stereotype. The fact that the average venomous keeper has usually kept just a few species in particular out of the several hundred species of venomous snakes renders those species stereotypical. And yes, that also shows a bit of a lack of originality, which is extremely common in the herp trade. Consider the incredible (known) diversity of reptiles, which includes over 10,000 species, and then compare this to the average number of species that are found at a reptile show. There is an obvious bias in the trade, and that bias is even stronger among the individual sub-communities, like monitor keepers, colubrid keepers, or venomous keepers. If you visit venomous collections and expos in various countries, there is no doubt that there are certain species that are particularly common among keepers. This bias is relatively easy to understand, but that doesn't change the fact that it is prevalent. Whether the species are beautiful or not has no bearing on the fact that keeping them is both stereotypical and lacks some originality, and is therefore a cliché.

And yes--I find B. gabonica incredible, but I feel the same about Boa constrictor or Malayopython reticulatus, yet they fit the definition of a cliché just the same. The fact that the shoe fits doesn't make the march any less enjoyable...

[RAD House]

Nor should it matter to the keeper in my opinion. Unless you are keeping snakes to make others happy or as a status symbol does it matter what is popular? Really calling someone's collection a cliche is somewhat insulting because it implies that the person did not put much thought into what they are keeping. Most people do not have the means to keep such a diverse collection as you. The gaboon is on my very short list of potential "hots" I would own if I felt it were safe for my family no matter the popularity. At the end of the day you have displayed another incredible piece of your collection, probably the most beautiful yet in my opinion, and for that I thank you.

[Nightflight99]

Originally Posted by MesoCorney

Really calling someone's collection a cliche is somewhat insulting because it implies that the person did not put much thought into what they are keeping...The gaboon is on my very short list of potential "hots" I would own if I felt it were safe for my family no matter the popularity.

Now I realize why you're taking the original statement so personal. This was just a simple observation on my part, and there was no condescension intended or implied. I apologize if my phrasing sounded like I was making a negative statement about people who keep gaboon vipers, but I felt certain that this was obvious, given the fact that I was showing images of my own animals.

In any case, if you're ever interested in talking shop about B. gabonica husbandry, feel free to shout. They make great captives and are very rewarding to keep. In fact, a nicely set-up gaboon viper enclosure can be an ornamental piece in any room.

[pet_snake_78]

The head on those things is just unreal. They are indeed one of those species that would make me want to keep venomous, along with some arboreal species, despite the fact that I'd otherwise prefer not to have hot snakes.