Lisbeth wrote: ↑Fri Nov 06, 2020 6:42 pm
Gaboon Viper.
It has the longest fangs of any snake – up to 5 cm in length – and the second-highest venom yield of any snake after the king cobra.
Vipers tend to be heavy-bodied ambush predators. All are venomous and possess relatively large front fangs. These fangs are hinged and fold back against the roof the mouth. The Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica) possesses the largest fangs of any snake at over 50 mm. The heads of vipers tend to be broad and triangular, in order to accommodate large venom glands that are connected by ducts to the snakes’ hollow, needle-like fangs.
Solenoglyphous snakes are snakes with teeth and BIG fangs. This is the type of dentition found on all viper species such as rattlesnakes. These fangs are hollow and sharp for the injection of venom, much like a hypodermic needle. This type of fang is hinged, meaning when the snake’s mouth is closed, the fangs lay flat (parallel) against their upper jaw. But when the snake strikes, the fangs swing forward to a perpendicular orientation. Unsurprisingly, the venom glands of species with solenoglyphous dentition are well developed – venom is delivered to the fangs through a duct, and once the snake strikes and closes its jaws, compressor muscles deliver venom at high pressure.
Gaboon vipers await their prey from a hiding spot and quickly attack with their fangs, injecting toxic venom into the tissues of the prey. They eat primarily small mammals, such as rodents, ground-living or feeding birds (such as francolins or doves), and frogs and toads.