Editing Gaboon viper (section)

==Feeding==
Because of their large, heavy body size, the adults have no trouble eating prey as large as fully grown rabbits. When prey happens by, they strike from any angle. They can quickly reposition their fangs if they happen to miss or strike an unsuitable area of their prey.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cundall |first1=David |title=Viper Fangs: Functional Limitations of Extreme Teeth |journal=Physiological and Biochemical Zoology |date=January 2009 |volume=82 |issue=1 |pages=63–79 |doi=10.1086/594380|pmid=19025501 |s2cid=205989168 }}</ref> Once they strike their prey, they hang on to it with their large fangs rather than letting it go and waiting for it to die. This behaviour is very different from that of other species of vipers. These snakes feed on a variety of amphibians, mammals, and birds such as [[doves]], [[guineafowl]], and [[francolin]]s.<ref name="auto"/> They also hunt many different species of [[rodent]], including field mice and rats, as well as [[lagomorpha|hares and rabbits]].<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Bitis_gabonica/|title=Bitis gabonica (Gaboon Adder)|first=Jacqueline|last=Howard|website=Animal Diversity Web}}</ref>  More unlikely prey items, such as tree monkeys, the [[Gambian pouched rat]], the [[Atherurus africanus|brush-tailed porcupine]], and even the small [[royal antelope]] have been reported.<ref name="Mal03"/><ref name="auto"/>