Gaboon Adder vs. Rat | National Geographic

so you want to be a gaboon adder well
first of all you’ll have to move to the
rainforest in the equatorial belt of
tropical Africa your thick six foot long
body will sport beautiful geometric
patterns perfect for blending in on the
forest floor and as you age you’ll grow
a pair of decorative horn like scales
from your snout you’re a passive hunter
able to sit perfectly still until your
next meal arrives a scent of fresh rat
brings you to full alert your prey
spends its last moments blissfully
unaware of your presence
you’re efficient accurate and deadly
your victim makes a run for it but it
doesn’t stand a chance as if it were a
match for the likes of a gaboon adder
like yourself all you have to do is
follow the scent trail of your mortally
wounded rain
you wait until your meal is completely
inert I mean what’s the point of getting
bitten for nothing your venom has
already started the eating process by
jesting the rats
tissues from the inside out now here’s
where you stand out in the pantheon of
snake t’en as you ingest your booty you
reveal the most impressive bags of any
snake in the world
two inches long and capable of flicking
open like switchblades to draw the rat
into your body like a lot of your
serpentine counterparts you unhinge your
jaw so you can swallow the rat in one
gigantic gulp you inject massive amounts
of venom more than any other snake alive
and enough to kill a human but you
rarely do that swallowing a rat is one
thing but a human – huh heartburn City
nope you’ll stick with rats but tail the
best part