A beauty who touched our imaginations

When we think of animals who touch our imaginations, here on the Herpetology Team, our Gaboon viper, who passed away on June 22, comes immediately to mind.

While our team here at the Zoo knew her well, what was always surprising was how often visitors asked specifically about her. This great ambassador for her species turned 16 earlier this month, and we were fortunate that 15 of those years were spent here with us at Zoo Atlanta.

Gaboon vipers (Bitis gabonica) are incredible snakes. Adults can reach lengths of over 6 feet, which may not seem especially impressive on its own when it comes to snakes, but it’s the sheer mass of these animals that is truly impressive. With weights of adults averaging between 10 and 20 pounds, and large individuals exceeding 30 pounds, this is among the largest of the world’s vipers. They also have the longest fangs of any venomous snake, around two inches in length.

While in overall size, our lovely lady would be categorized as average on the Gaboon viper size scale (she was around 5 feet long and between 12 and 15 pounds most of her adult life), she was definitely not what we’d call “average.” Gaboon vipers are generally regarded as beautiful, with their geometric patterning, almost silky-looking keeled scales, and myriad colors (black, blue, brown, orange, white, and more). I don’t think there’s an “ugly” one out there, but our lady was in a class above … and I have seen a lot of these snakes over the years. Along with the usual complement of colors, she had peach tones on her head and sprinkled throughout that just gave her very crisp pattern some extra POP.

Over the last couple of years, she experienced a series of health challenges which led to the decision by the Herpetology Team to move her behind-the-scenes to allow for more specialized care. The Veterinary Team, in coordination with the Herpetology Team, worked very hard to provide the best care and make her as comfortable as possible in her last months. Everyone on the Herpetology Team is grateful to have gotten to know her over the years and we thank everyone, both in and out of the Zoo, who also appreciated her.

Robert Hill
Curator of Herpetology