Second Gaboon of 2015!

For your reports/images, made outside Europe and the "Mediterranean" countries. Not to be too narrow minded and limited to our European/Mediterranean herps.

Second Gaboon of 2015!

Postby Nick Evans » Mon Oct 05, 2015 6:00 pm

After seeing our first Gaboon Adder in the wild in March this year, my fiancee' and I were treated to yet another sighting this past weekend, on a second consecutive visit to iSimangaliso Wetland Park...(KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa)

We saw this impressive male, of around 1,2m long, crossing a very busy road. We couldn't believe our eyes! We thought it was a python!

What an absolute honour and privilege it is to see such a remarkable animal! An experience we'll never forget.

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Re: Second Gaboon of 2015!

Postby Ruggero M. » Mon Oct 05, 2015 6:12 pm

Lucky man, and lucky adder! :D
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Re: Second Gaboon of 2015!

Postby Matthijs Hollanders » Mon Oct 05, 2015 8:12 pm

Hot damn. Those snakes are so weird and cool.
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Re: Second Gaboon of 2015!

Postby Andre Schmid » Tue Oct 06, 2015 4:38 am

What a beautiful viper ! Congrats on this find !
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Re: Second Gaboon of 2015!

Postby Bobby Bok » Tue Oct 06, 2015 4:16 pm

What a dreamfind, stunning snake and surely a reason for me to visit Africa again!
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Re: Second Gaboon of 2015!

Postby Frédéric Seyffarth » Tue Oct 06, 2015 5:44 pm

Hi!
Nice find, a gaboon with such big horns is a seldom signt i presume?
It's the first time i see that on a gaboon, ordinary it's a Bitis rhinoceros feature...
Really nice snake. It must be impressive to see it in the field!
Thanks for sharing. :P
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Re: Second Gaboon of 2015!

Postby Aleksandar Simovic » Tue Oct 06, 2015 7:28 pm

Great! :shock:
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Re: Second Gaboon of 2015!

Postby Berislav Horvatic » Wed Oct 07, 2015 12:14 pm

Frédéric Seyffarth wrote:Nice find, a gaboon with such big horns is a seldom signt i presume?
It's the first time i see that on a gaboon, ordinary it's a Bitis rhinoceros feature...

I would say that "more pronounced" and "less pronounced" (regarding horns) is quite a subjective
(and rather vague) part of a description of the two (sub)species. To me, the horns on Nick's lucky
find look just "small enough"... Have a second glance at the closeup of the head, and reconsider.

Nick, how on earth did you make the beauty leave a very busy road and enter the forest, where
you obviously took the pictures? Or was it just of his own will? Was he already underway, and you
just watched? Or you "assisted" him a little bit?
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Re: Second Gaboon of 2015!

Postby Nick Evans » Thu Oct 08, 2015 4:50 pm

Thanks everyone :mrgreen:

Berislav, with permission I moved him about 100m into the forest that he was heading into :)
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Re: Second Gaboon of 2015!

Postby Berislav Horvatic » Thu Oct 08, 2015 9:49 pm

Nick Evans wrote:Berislav, with permission I moved him about 100m into the forest that he was heading into :)

With WHOSE permission, f. G. s.?! Why should anyone need any permission to do that - to save an animal
from being overrun by heavy traffic on a busy road?
(Or is it maybe just a subtlety of the genuine English phrasing that I failed to get? Also possible, of course
- since English is not my mother tongue.)
The main question, however, is HOW? I mean, technically. Dragged him by his tail? Or just prompted him
somehow (how?) to leave the busy (and dangerous) road? Just being curious, nothing worse than that...

BTW, what's your own opinion regarding "big" or "small" horns in the two (sub)species? I've stated mine
above (quite modestly, I hope...), but you're the one who's really "in the field", and might know or might
have seen much more yourself, so...?
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