This is what happens when you add gaboon viper venom to human blood under a microscope. The extremely toxic hemotoxin venom is so potent that it pulls the blood into the venom that eventually starts causing blood clots. Bitis gabonica venom exerts a number of cytotoxic and cardiovascular effects: cytotoxic effects include widespread hemorrhage, caused by the presence of two hemorrhagic proteins. These hemorrhagins bring about separation of vascular cells. | Bryan Jordan

The Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica) is a venomous snake native to the rainforests and savannas of central and western Africa. It's the largest viper in Africa, weighing up to 18 lbs and growing to 7 ft long. The Gaboon viper has several distinctive features, including: Fangs** The longest of any snake, measuring up to 2 inches. Body** Stout and heavy with a velvet-like appearance. Coloration** Bold patterns of brown, purple, and buff rectangles and triangles. | Critters Of The World & Southern Out

The most effective ambush hunter. The Gaboon viper will lie still and the food will eventually come it's way. 😉 | African Reptiles and Venom

This is a short clip that can show a little bit of what Gaboon Vipers are truly capable of. Anytime you are holding a Gaboon with a hand you are in range. Luckily, most snakes will give you plenty of warning before they strike. This is why there are snake handlers as if snakes wanted to bite people there would be no such thing as snake handler. A good example is a Cobra chasing rodents out of burrows with insane speed vs standing and spreading a hood with slow, predictable strikes. Snakes move w

The Gaboon viper blends seamlessly into its surroundings - making it easy to hunt. Credit: Nat Geo WILD | Wild Animal World