I still can’t believe how close I came to dying that day. I was about to reach down—thinking it was just a pile of leaves—when something told me to stop. And thank God I did.

What I nearly touched was a Gaboon viper—one of the deadliest snakes in Africa and also the heaviest venomous snake on the planet.

This thing was almost invisible in the underbrush, thanks to its near-perfect camouflage. Gaboon vipers can grow over six feet long, weigh close to 18 pounds, and have the longest fangs of any snake—up to two inches. Their venom doesn’t just hurt—it destroys tissue and causes your blood to thicken dangerously fast.

They’re generally not aggressive and will stay still unless threatened, but it only takes one misstep to trigger a fatal bite. Most people who get bitten don’t even realize the snake is there until it’s too late. And without immediate medical care, survival isn’t likely.

That day, I was just one second away from becoming another tragic story.