The African Bush Viper is one snake in the many genus
of Atheris snakes deserving the Viper name. This
snake is highly poisonous. Ambush predators, the many tree-swelling
species of Bush Vipers are largely nocturnal hunters throughout
the Rainforest and its bordering swamp and open woodland
habitats. The Bush Viper, typically reaching
lengths averaging just over 2 ft in length, has beautiful
coloration ranging from pale greens to darker olive, brown
or a rust color. Primarily arboreal, living in the tree
top canopies, the African Bush Viper descends frequently
to feed on small rodents, frogs & lizards. This snake
often hunts by using its tail to hang from the low lying
branches and waits for an unsuspecting target victim to
make a meal!
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The Bush Viper uses its prehensile tail
in a coil-like fashion, similar to an arboreal mammal, the Kinkajou -
a relative of the raccoon which sports up to a 20 inch prehensile
tail equivalent
to its body length, to anchor itself to branches. The African Bush
Viper is native to most of Africa ranging throughout the rainforest,
the Congo Basin, including Angola, Cameroon, Uganda, Kenya and
Zaire. The Bush Viper exhibits polymorphism in body color achieving
a wide range of body shade coloring. Although the green body color
of some Bush Vipers is well-known, it is a dangerous assumption
to presume all Bush Vipers are green. This species cannot be readily
identified solely from body color with such a wide range of colorization
of the species known to include even shades of yellow, orange,
red, blue & grey. It is this natural adaptation for survival
and it is these many color hues that gives this snake excellent
camouflage in arboreal tree top habitats and has earned them the
common name of "Leaf Viper". Very pronounced keeled scales
give this snake an almost "Hairy" look and there are
species so named "Hairy Bush Vipers".
This species ranges through equatorial Africa
including the Congo Basin, a unique ecosystem covering over
one million square miles of rich tropical rainforest, second
in size only to the Rainforest of the Amazon Basin. The Bush
Viper makes it homes in the same territory as the wild African
Lions, Bongos, Cheetahs,
African Golden Cats,
Mountain Gorillas, Lowland Gorillas and the great African Elephants,
the sole
survivors of the family of trunk-bearing mammals. These wild
elephants are directly descended from the now extinct Mastodons
and prehistoric Wooly
Mammoths that once ranged the entire planet. Very little is
known about the venom composition of the Bush Viper with no
specific Antivenom and medical professionals are usually advised
to administer a polyvalent inoculation.
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Mostly snakes in the genus Atheris are nocturnal, however
some species in the Viper sub-family Trimeresurus such as the
Green Pit Viper, endemic to Sri Lanka and the Ceylonese Palm
Vipers are highly active by day. Not known to be overly aggressive
or carrying the fierce reputation of the Bushmaster Snake -
the largest Viper in the New world, the African Bush Viper is
much
smaller but will stand its ground and defend itself if disturbed
in its habitat. Sexually dimorphic, females tend to be much larger
than the males with some reaching up to 32 inches in length.
Breeding in the wild takes place in
the fall from September to November. Captive
breeders replicate
the wet/dry seasonal
cycle of the jungle rainforest throughout the year to induce
breeding. Once the Bush Vipers are paired, copulation is also
a nocturnal affair and often times occurs instantly upon introduction
of the male & female. Bush Vipers are viviparous, or live-bearing,
reptiles giving birth to anywhere from 4-16 young after a 6-7
month pregnancy cycle. Similar to baby Copperhead
Snakes, the
young Bush Vipers have a brightly colored tail which they use
as a worm-like lure to attract small prey and the whole of
their body coloring often changes with age.
Common Name(s): African Bush Viper, Common Bush Viper, Green
Bush Viper, Leaf Viper and Variable Bush Viper
Scientific Name: Atheris squamigera
Snake Family: Viperidae
Sub-Family: Viperinae (Vipers)
Description: Larger of the arboreal Viper snakes with broad
triangular shaped head varying in colors, exhibiting polymorphism
including shades of light greens to darker olive, brown and
rust colors also known in colors of reds, blues, yellows and
greys. Use prehensile tail, particularly for feeding. These
species have scales so strongly keeled that it gives many species
the appearance of being "hairy".
Characteristics: Not known to be aggressive but will defend
themselves when threatened.
Reproduction: Viviparous (bearing live young) and breed in
the fall, typically giving birth to 4-16 young following a
6-7 pregnancy cycle.
Length: 45-75 centimeters (Approx. 1.5-2.5 ft). Females are
larger and may reach lengths up to 32 inches.
Habitat Distribution: Equatorial Africa in
the Rainforest habitat of the Congo Basin, ranging through
the countries of Angola, Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda,
Zaire. Subspecies
throughout wide range including Sri Lanka.
Subspecies - There are several
subspecies in the "Atheris" family
of Bush Vipers:
African Bush Viper (Atheris squamiger)
Acuminate Bush Viper (Atheris acuminata)
Barbour's Short-Headed Viper (Adenorhinos barbouri)
Bristly Bush Viper (Atheris hispida)
Broadley's Bush Viper (Atheris broadleyi)
Horned Bush Viper (Atheris ceratophora)
Great Lakes Bush Viper (Atheris nitschei)
Lowland Swamp Viper (Atheris superciliaris)
Lowland Viper (Proatheris superciliaris)
Montane Viper (Montatheris hindii)
Rungwe Bush Viper (Atheris rungweensis)
Southwest Cameroon Bush Viper (Atheris subocularis)
Tai Hairy Bush Viper (Atheris hirsuta)
Upemba Bush Viper (Atheris katangensis)
Western Bush Viper (Atheris chlorechis)
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