The West African Bush Viper is a species of venomous Viper that is native to Africa. Some of its common names include the Western Bush Viper, the West African Leaf Viper and the West African Tree Viper.
All of these are simply different names for the same species of snake so if you hear any of these names, they are simply referring to the same species.
As its name suggests, this species is native to the forests of Western Africa where they are typically found a couple of feet off the ground.
Taxonomy
The West African Bush Viper belongs to the Viperidae family of snakes. This essentially means that they are a viper. Other popular families of snake include Elapids, Pythons and Boas.
They belong to the subfamily Viperinae which are regarded as the ‘True Vipers’ or ‘Pitless Vipers’. This subfamily is endemic to Europe, Asia and Africa and contains 13 genera of snakes.
They can be characterised by their lack of heat sensing pits while the closely related sub family of Pit Vipers (Crotalinae) have heat sensing pits.
Some of the other genera in the subfamily Viperinae include the Puff Adder, the Night Adders and the Saw-Scaled Adders.
The genus that this snake belongs to is called Atheris. The Atheris genus consists of the Bush Viper species, all of which are native to sub-Saharan Africa.
There are currently 17 recognised species of Bush Viper. Some of the more commonly known species include the Variable Bush Viper and the Rough Scaled Bush Viper.
There are currently no recognised sub-species of West African Bush Viper and their scientific name is Atheris chlorechis.
West African Bush Viper Description
The West African Bush Viper is a small species of snake that rarely exceeds 2 feet in length. They typically grow to an average length of around 50cm and they have a relatively long tail.
They have heavily keeled scales. This essentially means that the scales are ridged instead of smooth. This gives the scales a rough feel to them.
They typically have a uniform light green coloration that is often overlaid with yellow spotting or markings. This yellow coloration is typically very faint but can vary in darkness and coverage from snake to snake.
It also has black outlines between its scales. This makes the scales on the snake really stand out and is even more noticeable when the skin is stretched. Their bellies are plain green in color.
An interesting fact about the West African Bush Viper is that they go through a number of color changes as they age. A new-born will appear light brown in color but this typically only lasts for about 24 hours.
At this point, the snake will appear more yellow in color. Often some greens are also present at this stage while they may also have some dark spotting. They will obtain their adult coloration before they reach 1 foot in length.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
As their name suggests, the West African Bush Viper is native to Western Africa. However, they are only found in the sub-Saharan portion of the region.
This means that they are not found in Western African countries such as Morocco, Western Sahara and Mauritania. The conditions in these countries are too arid and hot for this snake.
The West African Bush Viper can be found in countries such as Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria and into the coastal regions of Cameroon.
They share part of their geographical range with other common species such as the Gaboon Viper, African Fat Tailed Gecko, the African Sideneck Turtle and the Rhinoceros Viper.
These snakes like to live in densely vegetative regions such as forests where they are typically found around 1-2 metres off the ground.
This can be problematic in farmland as these small, green snakes blend in perfectly with their surroundings. Farmers can unwilling come into contact with these snakes as they are picking fruit from trees.
West African Bush Viper Venom
The venom from a West African Bush Viper is primarily hemotoxic. This venom hasn’t been as widely studied as other types of snake venom but it is potentially life threatening and there is no antivenom.
While there is no antivenom for this snake, antivenom for other species has proven to help reduce certain symptoms of a bite from this snake.
A bite from one of these snakes will lead to bruising and swelling at the site of the bite. This can also lead to necrosis as the tissue around the site of the wound dies.
A common effect of the venom includes an inability to coagulate which results in a large amount of blood loss. Kidney failure is also potential risk after a bite from this snake.
