Somehow, a Gaboon viper — whose home is the tropics of central and western Africa — was on the lose Monday in a Southern California neighborhood, police say.
The sighting of the extremely venomous viper, which has the longest fangs of any snake in the world, spurred the Santa Ana Police Department to issue a public advisory accompanied by exclamation points.
The alarming reptile was “last seen in a tree within a residential neighborhood near Main Street and Edinger Avenue,” according to the department’s warning to the public.
“We are asking the public to please be aware of your surroundings. If you see the snake, DO NOT approach or attempt to handle it,” the department said in a post on social media.
Anyone who spots the snake is asked to provide the location to the department by calling (714) 834-4211.
The viper, which has two hornlike projections on its snout, feeds mainly on rodents and ground-dwelling birds. It’s known for striking and then holding on until its prey dies.
The vipers are considered to be placid. According to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute: “Most bites occur when the snake is stepped on before it has an opportunity to get away.”
And if hungry, it will strike “at almost any sideways movement.”
Females give birth to 50 to 60 live young, according to the institute.
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