Rhinoceros Viper

The Rhinoceros Viper, or river jack, is a vividly colored, venomous snake of the family Viperidae that lives in West and Central African wetlands and rainforests. Its scientific name is Bitis nasicornis. It can be found on plantations and favors moist or damp settings. Massive, heavily keeled scales cover the body. It has a triangular head in green or blue with two or three pairs of horn-like scales on the tip of the snout and a huge black arrowhead mark on top. Although specimens up to 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) long have been documented, the usual length is 70 to 90 cm (28 to 35 inches).

Triangles, rectangles, and diamond-shaped regions in the colors red, yellow, blue, green, and black make up the body's stunning velvet-like pattern. The pattern is reminiscent of that of the Gaboon viper; however, the pattern of the rhinoceros viper is more colourful. The rhinoceros viper is primarily terrestrial and active at night, though it occasionally inhabits water and trees. Although it is a sluggish and slow-moving snake, it can strike sideways and forward quickly. It uses its cryptic coloring to blend in with the forest floor's foliage as it stalks prey by hiding in ambush along rodent paths.