Bitis rhinoceros has a distinctive set of enlarged
nasal scales that look like a pair of horns on its nose. This is a characteristic that it shares with a close relative,
B. nasicornis. However,
B. nasicornis has a brighter color pattern and a narrower head.
B. gabonica is overall somewhat smaller than
B. rhinoceros. Also, in
B. g. gabonica, the dark triangular marking leading back from the eye towards the angle of the mouth is divided. In
B. rhinoceros it is not. ==Geographic range==