gaboon viper

American  

noun

1. a large, venomous snake, Bitis gabonica, of tropical African forests, having large retractable fangs and geometrically patterned scales of yellow, brown, and sometimes purple.

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gaboon viper British  

noun

1. a large venomous viper, Bitis gabonica , that occurs in African rainforests. It has brown and purple markings and hornlike projections on its snout

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Etymology

Origin of gaboon viper

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

It added that collectors prize both species of turtles in the domestic and foreign trade markets, while the venom of the Gaboon viper – which is native to Sub-Saharan Africa -- "can cause shock, loss of consciousness or death in humans."

From Fox News

Finally, when the toad senses danger, it lets out a long, low hissing noise, similar to the warning hiss a Gaboon viper might make before it strikes.

From Science Magazine

But it escapes being eaten by birds, lizards, and snakes with a trick never seen anywhere else in the world: It looks and acts just like the Gaboon viper, one of the most venomous snakes in Central Africa.

From Science Magazine

The Gaboon viper has the largest fangs.

From The Guardian

“This guy’s one of my favorites,” said French, a former army paratrooper, as he pulled a dead but very alive-looking Gaboon viper out of a walk-in freezer, one of several snakes seized in a federal investigation in Nevada.

From Washington Post