Camouflaged by its colors and patterns, an extremely venomous Gabon viper is barely visible on the forest floor.
At 18 pounds (8 kilograms) the Gabon viper is the heaviest venomous snake in Africa. It also has the longest fangs of any snake, up to 4 centimeters (1.6 inches) long.
Photograph from "In the Land of the Surfing Hippos," August 2004, National Geographic magazine