The most poisonous snakes in the world

There are a multitude of snakes distributed throughout the world except for both poles and Ireland. They can be roughly differentiated into two main groups: those that are venomous and those that are not.

We will present the most representative snakes among the venomous snakes around the world. Remember that many pharmaceutical laboratories capture or breed venomous snakes to obtain effective antidotes. These captures save thousands of lives every year around the world.

African Venomous Snakes

Let’s start our review of the most venomous snakes in the world with the black mamba and the green mamba, two varieties of very dangerous and venomous snakes:

The black mamba is the most venomous snake on the continent. A characteristic of this dangerous ophidian is that it can move at the incredible speed of 20 km/hour. It is more than 2.5 meters long, reaching up to 4 meters:

• Sudan
• Ethiopia
• Congo
• Tanzania
• Namibia
• Mozambique
• Kenya
• Malawi
• Zambia
• Uganda
• Zimbabwe
• Botswana

Its name is due to the fact that the entire inside of its mouth is totally black. On the outside of the body it can have several uniform colors. Depending on whether the place where it lives is desert, savannah, or jungle, its color will vary from olive green to gun gray. Some people call the black mamba “seven steps”, as legend has it that you can only take seven steps before you are struck down by the bite of the black mamba.

The green mamba is smaller, although its venom is also neurotoxic. It has a beautiful bright green livery and white patterns. It is distributed further south than the black one. It measures an average of 1.70 meters, although there are specimens of more than 3 meters.

European venomous snakes

The horned viper lives in Europe, specifically in the Balkan area and further south. It is considered the most venomous European snake. It has large incisors of more than 12 mm and has a pair of horn-like appendages on its head. Its color is a dusty light brown. Its preferred habitat is rocky crevices.

In Spain there are venomous snakes and vipers, but if there is no associated disease in the attacked human, their bites are only very painful wounds without causing fatal consequences.

Asian Venomous Snakes

The royal cobra is the largest and most emblematic venomous snake in the world. It can measure more than 5 meters and is distributed throughout India, southern China, and all of Southeast Asia. It has a powerful and complex neurotoxic and cardiotoxic venom.

It is immediately distinguished from any other snake by the particular shape of its head. Also distinctive is its defense/attack posture, with a significant portion of its body and head standing defiantly erect.

The Russell’s viper is probably the snake that causes the most accidents and deaths worldwide. It is very aggressive, and although it is only 1.5 meters long, it is thick, strong and fast.

The Russell, unlike most of the ophidians that prefer to flee, is tenacious and still in its place, attacking at the slightest touch. It inhabits the same places as the cobra, as well as the islands of Java, Sumatra, Borneo, and the plethora of islands in that part of the Indian Ocean. It is light brown with darker oval spots.

The striped krait, also known as the bungara, inhabits Pakistan, Southeast Asia, Borneo, Java and neighboring islands. Its paralyzing venom is 16 times more potent than that of the cobra.

They are usually yellow with black stripes, although sometimes they may show blue, black or brown tones, depending on each case.

South American Venomous Snakes

The yararacusú snake is considered the most venomous snake in the South American continent and measures 1.5 meters. It has a brownish hue with a variegated pattern of lighter and darker tones. This tonality helps it to camouflage itself among the fallen leaves that carpet the floor of the humid jungle. It inhabits tropical and subtropical climates. Its venom is very powerful.

It lives near rivers and tributaries, so it feeds on frogs and rodents. It is a great swimmer. This snake is found in Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia.

North American Venomous Snakes

The red diamondback rattlesnake is the largest snake in North America. It measures more than 2 meters and is also very heavy. Because of its color, it camouflages perfectly with the soil and stones of the wild and semi-desert places where it lives. Its name “rattlesnake” comes from a kind of cartilaginous rattle that this snake has on its tail.

It has the habit of making an unmistakable noise with this organ when it feels restless, so the intruder knows what he is exposed to when he hears the sinister rattle.

The velvet snake, also called the Royal Nauyaca or Bothrops asper inhabits southern Mexico. It is the most venomous snake in the Americas. It has a beautiful green color and large incisors. Its potent venom is neurotoxic.

Australian Venomous Snakes

The death adder, also known as Acanthophis antarcticus is a highly dangerous snake, since unlike other snakes it will not hesitate to attack, it is very aggressive. Death occurs in less than an hour thanks to its extremely potent neurotoxins.

We find in the eastern brown snake or Pseudonaja textilis the snake that claims the most lives in Australia. That is because this snake has the second most deadly venom in the world and its movements are extremely fast and aggressive.

We finish with one last Australian snake, the coastal taipan or Oxyuranus scutellatus, noted for being the snake with the longest fangs on the planet, measuring about 13 mm in length.

Its highly potent venom is the third most toxic in the world and death after a bite can occur within 30 minutes.

The most poisonous snakes in the world, black mamba, green mamba, horned viper, king cobra, Russell’s viper, striped krait, yararacusú snake, red diamondback rattlesnake, velvet snake, death adder, coast taipan,  magazinepets,