India’s Deadliest Poisonous Snakes
India is a land of vivid wildlife. A major part of it is of reptiles, that include some deadly poisonous snakes. The word “snake” may send a shiver down the spine of many of us. So, here’s the list of five snakes to stay away from in India.
A Spectacled Cobra
2. Saw-Scaled Viper
Scientific Name - Echis carinatus
Length- 38 to 80 cm
A saw-scaled viper may inject an average of 18 mg of venom, and only 5 mg of it is enough to kill an adult human being. It is one of the deadliest snakes of India. These snakes love soil, rocks and scrubs and are mostly found under loose rocks and moist logs. It is oviparous and the young ones are born mostly between April to August. It feeds on lizards, frogs, scorpions and other insects. Its a nocturnal reptile, but it can be found during the day hiding in burrows and under rocks. It warns its enemy by producing a saw like sound by rubbing its scales onto each other. And that’s where it gets its name from. It has the reputation to kill more humans than any other snake in India.
A Saw-Scaled Viper
1. King Cobra
Scientific Name : Ophiophagus hannah
Length : 300 to 400 cm
The king cobra is the world’s largest venomous snake. It releases about 200 to 500 mg of neuro toxins in one bite. It can kill an adult human in half and hour. A king cobra usually bites on the upper body, due to its great length. The largest king cobra ever seen was 5.7 mt. It can be found in dense forests, and particularly near lakes and streams. It is mostly seen during the day, and thus classified as a diurnal specie. It feeds on other snakes like rat snakes, small pythons, and some poisonous species of the genus Naja. It growls below the frequency of 2500 Hz. A female king cobra is the only snake in the world which builds a nest for laying eggs. Due to the high mortality rate of 60% after a king cobra bite, and its increasing conflicts with humans, due to loss of habitat, the King Cobra has become the most feared and the deadliest snake in India.
A King Cobra
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