Gaboon viper (below), the most heavy-bodied venomous snake and, I think, among the most beautiful

Nile crocodile (below), a species that sometimes kills and eats humans…grinning toothily

Spectacled cobra (below)

Eastern diamondback (below), doing something funky with its mouth

Copperhead (below)

Eyelash viper (below), another on my list of most beautiful

Black-tailed rattlesnake (below)

Blood python (below), heaviest python

All photos copyright Monique Bos, 2011-12.