Dangerous Snakes of the World
These beautiful, fascinating creature are some of the deadliest in the world.
Krait
Kraits are black or a bluish black with white, narrow bands down the body. They are a highly poisonous snake, found only in Asia. A Krait will eat other snakes, mice, lizards, frogs and even snakes from of its own species. Being nocturnal creatures, they sleep or remain inactive during the day and hunt at night. Their habitats consist of dense jungle, open fields and human settlements. The venom of a Krait is said to be 15 times more lethal than that of a common Cobra.
Russell’s Viper
Russell’s Vipers cause thousands of deaths each year in Asia and is the main cause of death in Sri Lanka alone. Their body background color is most often brown, tan or deep yellow. Three rows of black circles run the length of the body and the underbelly is normally cream. Russell’s Vipers are active at night and can become highly aggressive if irritated. They will almost always administer a lethal dose of venom when it strikes its prey. Their main diets are rodents but they will eat scorpions, land crabs, house cats, rats, lizards and squirrels as well. They live in shrubbery, grassland, farmland and in the great wide open.
Black Mamba
The Black mamba receives its name not from its obvious grey or olive body color, but from its dark black mouth. They grow to an average length of 8.5 feet, making them Africa’s largest venomous snake. They are also one of the fastest snakes in the world, being able to travel over 12 miles per hour. Black mamba’s mainly live in the African grasslands however, they can also be found in trees, bushes and even homes. Their diet consists mainly of rodents and small animals, occasionally a bird may be eaten. Typically, Black mambas will not eat other snakes, and reptiles. They hunt both day and night and when given the chance, bask in the warm sun.
Puff Adder
The Puff Adder is the heaviest and second largest viper in the world, growing up to 7 feet. There bodies are long and thick with a short tail. Their colors vary depending on the habitat in which they live. Some colors include gray, brown, light yellow and orange-brown. They have two distinct dark circles around the eyes and a broad, triangle shaped head. The Puff Adder is considered Africa’s deadliest snake, causing many human deaths each year. Many who survive a bite from a Puff Adder have to have arms or legs amputated. Puff Adders live in savannahs, grasslands and rather close to human habitats. They are a nocturnal creature and feed on rodents, birds, small mammals, lizards and amphibians.
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9 Responses to “Dangerous Snakes of the World”
On February 16, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Cool article. I have to say though…I am SCARED TO DEATH of snakes!!! LOL!
On February 16, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Nicely done! I’m hoping to never meet one of these critters though …
On February 17, 2009 at 2:20 am
Nice work Jessica. The Black Mamba is my fave.
RJ
On February 17, 2009 at 5:10 am
Very informative article, even though they do scare me to death!
On February 17, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Snakes are fascinating, which is one reason I picked this topic also, but I hate them. They are so frightening!
Well written and informative.
On March 4, 2009 at 10:16 pm
i am most impressed with jessica’s article on dangerous snakes. i am a herpetologist (study reptiles and amphibians) as well as a toxinologist (study venoms). among all reptiles and amphibians, venomous snakes are my specialty. other than calling a venomous snake, “poisonous”, i found no errors in her article. in fact, i am quite impressed that she was able to differentiate between the 2 extremely different terms: “most dangerous” and “most venomous”. most people, indeed, almost all persons when speaking of venomous snakes usually characterize the most venomous snake as the most dangerous snake. the 2 could not be further from the truth. the most VENOMOUS snake is known as Oxyuranus microlepidotus, or the inland taipan. it is by FAR not near the most dangerous snake in the world because it has been responsible for absolutely 0 (zero) deaths worldwide. there are a number of reasons for this, among them being its geographic location in regard to people and it is a very mild mannered snake, not easily angered. however, the most DANGEROUS snake, though extremely toxic and venomous, is not the most venomous snake. in my opinion as well as many other herpetologits worldwide, the most dangerous snake(s) in the world would be either the russell’s viper (Daboia russelli) mentioned in the article or the saw-scaled viper (Echis sp.) not mentioned in the article. in the united states each year, approximately 12,000 to 15,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes, with most bites occurring from the western diamondback (Crotalus atrox), the copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) and the cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus). however, of those bitten, fewer than 20 die (more times than not it isn’t from the actual venom but rather the anti-venom used to counteract the effects of the venom. many people have an allergy to horse’s and are not aware of it. anti-venom is made from horse serum and therefore when given to patients with an allergy, they go into anaphylatic shock and suffocate, unless quick action is used by the medical team.). however, the low mortality rate is not apparent in many other countries where venomous snakes reside. case-in-point, india. india suffers more fatalities from snakebites than most other countries combined. whereas in the united states 15,000 people may be bitten each year with 12-15 deaths, in india ALONE over 20,000 people DIE each year from venomous snakebites. now, there are a number of reasons for this and due to a lengthy answer, i will not articulate but a large reason for this high mortality rate is because of the extremely venomous russell’s viper and the saw-scaled viper. there are 2 other snakes that make up the “big 4″ and they are the common or indian krait (mentioned in the article) and the indian cobra. it is a toss-up as to which kills more people, the russell’s viper or the saw-scaled, but suffice to say that both of those snakes presents a much, much greater mortality rate than the inland taipan or even the black mamba (which is extremely dangerous but doesn’t come in contact with many people which is why it isn’t AS dangerous. though you don’t want to get bitten by one.) and that is why they are considered the “most dangerous” snakes in the world, though not the most venomous. if anyone would like more information (i have just scraped the surface in reality), feel free to email me: jdrinehart@yahoo.com.
jessica, very good article.
jason
On March 14, 2009 at 6:07 am
why it is less than 10? you ah,,what ah stupid!!!!!!!!!!
On March 16, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Your article is interesting. I mostly see copper heads, rattle snakes, cotton mouths, rat snakes, corn snakes around here but I know there are many different kinds that I don’t normally see.
On June 19, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Snakes freak me out, but I’m going to have to get used to them. Sleeping in the desert that is.
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