The Amazing Rhino Viper
I decided to give the hybrids a rest and discover other beautiful animals out there and I’m happy I did.
I’ve never really had a personal or physical experience with any of the animals I’ve written about,But with snakes...I’ve had both a physical and personal experience.
Where my family lived before had mangroves beside it and most water creatures especially snakes( I don’t really know what species) usually come out of there and into the house.Sometimes we see them in the rooms or in front of the house. In my opinion those were very beautiful experiences.
Snakes aren’t reptiles to play with at all and they are very dangerous so in every case where we saw a snake in our house,it wasn’t a party at all.
Ibitis nasicornis is a venomous viper species which I’m happy I didn’t encounter,and its found in the forests of west and central Africa.
The west African rhino viper also known as a butterfly viper for its beautiful striking coloration which consists of series of 15-18 blue or blue-green oblong making ,each has a lemon yellow line down the center.
Its also called Horned puff adder because of its prominent nasal horns which is a set of 2-3 horns like scales on the end of the nose ,also a front pair which may be longer and they also have small eyes.According to research,small doses of its venom can be deadly as we all know and the fangs of a rhino viper Isn’t large ,rarely more than 1.5cm long and they are folded up into the roof of its mouth when not in use and they have the ability to control the movement of their fangs which is really amazing.
This horned viper is large and stout,the body plus the tail total length is from 72-107cm(28-42 inches) and the average total length is 60-90cm(24-35inches),while the maximum length of a rhino viper is 120cm (47 inches).
The female rhino vipers grow larger than the males which I personally find amusing and their heads are narrow,flat,triangular and relatively small compared to the rest of their body,they also have a small neck.
The West Africa rhino viper are known to climb into trees which is aided by a partially prehensile tail,and this is the tail of an animal that has adapted to grasp and hold things.Also,Western rhino vipers are more blue while eastern are more green.
All snakes shed skin as we know,but after a rhino viper sheds skin ,the bright colors fade quickly and they also make a sort of hissing noise from their nose as part of their respiratory function.
This reptile is fascinating to me mostly because their vivid coloration gives them an excellent camouflage to hide during the day in the leaf litter,holes,fallen trees and tangled roots and the dappled light condition of the forest floor helps and and makes them almost invisible.
This is one of the best research I’ve ever made,when you think there could be nothing more amazing about this reptile ,you suddenly bump into more.
Butterfly vipers are powerful swimmers which is incredible and they are also found in shallow pools.They are slow movers but also very capable of striking quickly forward and sideways without coiling first or giving a warning.
And for animal lovers out there just like me,its really not safe holding them by the tail...well,that’s if you encounter one.Because as I said earlier they have a prehensile tail which they can use to fling themselves upward and strike....i know,its amazing right???
They also reveal their presence when approaching by hissing which is a good gesture and they feed on small preys such as killed mice and frogs which they hold onto for several minutes after a strike before swallowing.
Their hissing is recognized as the loudest hiss of any African snake. In Eastern Africa,the breeding seeason is indefinite,and the female butterfly viper gives birth to between 6-38 youngs,and the neonate is 18-25 cm in total length......I feel the Rhino viper deserves applauding.