Bitis rhinoceros facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bitis rhinoceros |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Bitis
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| Species: |
rhinoceros
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The Bitis rhinoceros is a fascinating type of viper snake. It is also known by common names like the West African Gaboon viper. This snake is found only in West Africa. Like all vipers, it is venomous, meaning it can deliver a bite that contains venom. You can easily tell it apart from its close relatives because it has two large, horn-like growths on its nose!
What Does the Rhinoceros Viper Look Like?
The Bitis rhinoceros snake has a very special feature: two big scales on its nose that look like horns. This is why it's called the "rhinoceros" viper! Another snake, B. nasicornis, also has these horn-like scales. However, B. nasicornis usually has brighter colors and a narrower head.
The Bitis rhinoceros is also related to the B. gabonica snake. But the B. gabonica does not have these nose horns. The B. rhinoceros is also generally a bit bigger. If you look closely, the dark triangle shape behind the eye of the B. rhinoceros is solid. In B. gabonica, this triangle is split into parts.
Where Does the Rhinoceros Viper Live?
The Bitis rhinoceros snake lives in West Africa. You can find it in countries like Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. It might also be found in Guinea-Bissau.
Ghana and Togo are at the eastern edge of where this snake lives. Sometimes, the B. rhinoceros and B. gabonica snakes can be found in the same areas there. The region that includes Togo, Benin, and eastern Ghana is called the Dahomey Gap. This area is drier and separates the rainforests of West Africa from those in Central Africa. Recently, in 2022, a B. rhinoceros was even seen in Nigeria!
