I always loved watching Discovery n NGC and especially the 'Wild' and 'Built for the Kill' when it comes to the category of Animal science , however I like the other shows aired as well.. But lemme not get into them , instead this post is all about 'VenoM' . The other day I was trying to find out the top 10 Venomous Snakes of the planet and our search engine(I hope you like Google Search :) ) threw me a huge list of sites bearing the Top 10. But then I was confused coz each site showed a different list of top 10 with some similarities as well , there was no branded so called official top 10 list. I tried to figure out but as usual lost interest after a while :D and I ended up listing out the Venomous Snakes of the 7 continents.
I now feel that its a pretty good find and so here comes the list. I dont think so that I would satisfy the 'Venom experts or rather the Herpetologists' but I can atleast hope for the best ^_^
To start with Asia is one of the richest habitat for the most poisonous snakes.
Almost instantly u say Cobra if you are an Asian when asked about venomous snakes. The deadly venom which it carries makes it the formidable Snake.
King Cobra- found in South and South-East Asian parts , its the longest venomous snake on the planet. Its named King since it feeds on other snakes and on its own species at times.
A lethal strike can kill the human within no time.
Indian Cobra-found in the Southern Asia( India,Pakistan,Bangladesh,Srilanka,Nepal,Bhutan) it accounts for most snakebite casualties in these parts.
The Spectacle marks which it displays to warn off predators is the striking feature of this snake.Its often worshiped and is treated sacred in the Southern India. It's categorized as the Big Four of India.
Russell's Viper-found in South East Asia, China ,Taiwan and Indian Sub-continent, its most dangerous viperid snake. This deep yellow,tan brownish snake covers a huge part of Asia and is responsible for almost all the snakebites on the region. Its the common viper and is extremely camouflaged
Krait-found on Indian Soil as well as the South East Asia , it carries a venom 15times more potent than the Cobra . Comes in different varieties such as Banded Krait, Common Krait etc. These are Nocturnal Creatures mostly feeding on rats , frogs and lizards
Pit Vipers- they are the poisonous vipers found all over Asia.
Malayan Krait (Bungarus candidus )- Southeast Asia and Indonesia. 50% of the bites from this snake are fatal even with the use of antivenom treatment.
Black Mamba-the World's second largest poisonous snake lives in Africa. Growing upto 4 mts , these black-mouthed snakes are the most feared and dangerous snakes on Africa. They are found in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Botswana, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and the Congo. These can hunt prey both in day and night making it one of the successful predators.
Their Cousins Green Mambas are also dangerous but only carry 1/10th of the toxic content of their former species.
Boomslang-Its an exception of the Colubridae family, and carries a highly dangerous venom. Its a small snake and lives in Saharan Africa.
Puff Adder- is a venomous viper species found in Savannah and grasslands from Morocco and western Arabia throughout Africa except for the Sahara and rain forest regions.
Bush Viper- This triangle headed green snake lives on the tree perches feeding on lizards and birds and known to carry a lethal venom. Its found in sub sharan Africa
Egyptian Cobra and Gaboon Viper are the other poisonous snakes of the continent
Common Adder-Not recognized as highly dangerous these are wide-spread snakes of Europe.
Long Nosed Viper-Its the most dangerous viper of Europe.The most distinctive characteristic is a single "horn" on the snout, just above the rostral scale. It consists of 9-17 scales arranged in 2 (rarely 2 or 4) transverse rows
Ursinis' Viper - a venomous viper and a very widespread species, found from southeastern France all the way to China (Xinjiang)
American Copperhead- a venomous pitviper species found in North America. Its not known to inflict lethal doses of venom, this snake is an ambush hunter like the most vipers
Cottonmouth is a venomous pitviper species found in the eastern United States. Adults are large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite, but their reputation for aggression is largely undeserved. This is the world's only semi aquatic viper, usually being found in or near water, particularly in slow-moving and shallow lakes and streams.
Coral Snake- the smallest, yet one of the most poisonous snakes lives in southern parts of North America. The notable feature of these snakes are the colorful bands on their skins.New World coral snakes possess the second most potent venom of any North American snake, behind some rattlesnake species.
Rattlesnake-Diamondback Rattlesnakes are the largest of all North American Venomous Reptiles and is in the family Crotalidae. These impressive snakes are not only deadly, but incredibly beautiful as well.Around 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year.
Bushmaster- The Bushmaster, lachesis muta muta is the largest Pit Viper in the world with a nasty reputation as a "cruel dude". The Bushmaster is a huge, thick-bodied and highly venomous snake with a triangularly shaped head, one of nature's warning signs that a snake is poisonous and potentially deadly.
Tropical Rattlesnake is a venomous pitviper species found in South America. The most widely distributed member of its genus, this species poses a serious medical problem in many parts of its range.
Jumping Viper is a venomous pitviper species found in Mexico and Central America.
Others are Mojave Pit Viper, Eyelash Viper, fer-de-lance
When it comes to Australia you'll find a great number of venomous snakes. Infact four of the top 10 venomous snakes hail from Aus.
Inland Taipan-also known as the Small Scaled Snake and Fierce Snake, is native to Australia and is the most venomous snake in the world. Maximum yield recorded (for one bite) is 110mg. That would probably be enough to kill over 100 people or 250,000 mice. These rare snakes are virtually unknown in collections outside of Australia.
Taipan - Australia. The venom delivered in a single Taipan bite is enough to kill up to 12,000 guinea pigs.
Tiger snake- a type of venomous serpent found in southern regions of Australia, including its coastal islands and Tasmania. These snakes are highly variable in their color, often banded like those on a tiger, and forms in their regional occurrences.Tiger snakes possess a potent neurotoxin (notexin), coagulants, haemolysins and myotoxins, and rank amongst the deadliest snakes in the world.
Death Adder is a genus of highly venomous elapid snakes. Commonly called death adders, they are native to Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands, and are among the most venomous snakes in the world.
Death adders inject on average 40 – 100 mg of extremely toxic venom with a bite. This makes an untreated death adder bite one of the most dangerous in the world.Death adder venom is completely neurotoxic, containing neither haemotoxins or myotoxins, unlike most venomous snakes.
Australian Brown Snake-The King Brown or Mulga snake is a venomous snake found in Australia. It is the second largest venomous snake in Australia (after the Taipan) and the third largest venomous snake in the world and produces large amounts of venom. Although the name implies it is a brown snake, it is in fact part of the black snake genus.
Australian Copperhead is a genus of venomous elapid snakes native to the relatively fertile temperate southern and eastern part of the Australian continent.
Almost all the sea snakes are venomous and infact the deadliest snake on the planet lives in ocean!
Beaked seasnake- also known as the hook-nosed sea snake, the common sea snake, is a species of sea snake.
It is found in the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf (off Oman), south of the Seychelles and Madagascar, the seas off South Asia (Pakistan, India and Bangladesh), Southeast Asia (Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand, Vietnam), and Australia (Northern Territory and Queensland) and New Guinea.
Yellowbelly Sea Snake- or Pelagic Sea Snake is a species of sea snake found in tropical oceanic waters around the world.
Banded Sea Snake-Sea Snakes are highly venomous marine reptiles inhabiting the warm tropical waters of the world.
I now feel that its a pretty good find and so here comes the list. I dont think so that I would satisfy the 'Venom experts or rather the Herpetologists' but I can atleast hope for the best ^_^
Asia
To start with Asia is one of the richest habitat for the most poisonous snakes.
Almost instantly u say Cobra if you are an Asian when asked about venomous snakes. The deadly venom which it carries makes it the formidable Snake.
King Cobra- found in South and South-East Asian parts , its the longest venomous snake on the planet. Its named King since it feeds on other snakes and on its own species at times.
A lethal strike can kill the human within no time.
Indian Cobra-found in the Southern Asia( India,Pakistan,Bangladesh,Srilanka,Nepal,Bhutan) it accounts for most snakebite casualties in these parts.
The Spectacle marks which it displays to warn off predators is the striking feature of this snake.Its often worshiped and is treated sacred in the Southern India. It's categorized as the Big Four of India.
Russell's Viper-found in South East Asia, China ,Taiwan and Indian Sub-continent, its most dangerous viperid snake. This deep yellow,tan brownish snake covers a huge part of Asia and is responsible for almost all the snakebites on the region. Its the common viper and is extremely camouflaged
Krait-found on Indian Soil as well as the South East Asia , it carries a venom 15times more potent than the Cobra . Comes in different varieties such as Banded Krait, Common Krait etc. These are Nocturnal Creatures mostly feeding on rats , frogs and lizards
Pit Vipers- they are the poisonous vipers found all over Asia.
Malayan Krait (Bungarus candidus )- Southeast Asia and Indonesia. 50% of the bites from this snake are fatal even with the use of antivenom treatment.
Africa
Black Mamba-the World's second largest poisonous snake lives in Africa. Growing upto 4 mts , these black-mouthed snakes are the most feared and dangerous snakes on Africa. They are found in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Botswana, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and the Congo. These can hunt prey both in day and night making it one of the successful predators.
Their Cousins Green Mambas are also dangerous but only carry 1/10th of the toxic content of their former species.
Boomslang-Its an exception of the Colubridae family, and carries a highly dangerous venom. Its a small snake and lives in Saharan Africa.
Puff Adder- is a venomous viper species found in Savannah and grasslands from Morocco and western Arabia throughout Africa except for the Sahara and rain forest regions.
Bush Viper- This triangle headed green snake lives on the tree perches feeding on lizards and birds and known to carry a lethal venom. Its found in sub sharan Africa
Egyptian Cobra and Gaboon Viper are the other poisonous snakes of the continent
Europe
Common Adder-Not recognized as highly dangerous these are wide-spread snakes of Europe.
Long Nosed Viper-Its the most dangerous viper of Europe.The most distinctive characteristic is a single "horn" on the snout, just above the rostral scale. It consists of 9-17 scales arranged in 2 (rarely 2 or 4) transverse rows
Ursinis' Viper - a venomous viper and a very widespread species, found from southeastern France all the way to China (Xinjiang)
North America
American Copperhead- a venomous pitviper species found in North America. Its not known to inflict lethal doses of venom, this snake is an ambush hunter like the most vipers
Cottonmouth is a venomous pitviper species found in the eastern United States. Adults are large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite, but their reputation for aggression is largely undeserved. This is the world's only semi aquatic viper, usually being found in or near water, particularly in slow-moving and shallow lakes and streams.
Coral Snake- the smallest, yet one of the most poisonous snakes lives in southern parts of North America. The notable feature of these snakes are the colorful bands on their skins.New World coral snakes possess the second most potent venom of any North American snake, behind some rattlesnake species.
Rattlesnake-Diamondback Rattlesnakes are the largest of all North American Venomous Reptiles and is in the family Crotalidae. These impressive snakes are not only deadly, but incredibly beautiful as well.Around 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year.
South America
Bushmaster- The Bushmaster, lachesis muta muta is the largest Pit Viper in the world with a nasty reputation as a "cruel dude". The Bushmaster is a huge, thick-bodied and highly venomous snake with a triangularly shaped head, one of nature's warning signs that a snake is poisonous and potentially deadly.
Tropical Rattlesnake is a venomous pitviper species found in South America. The most widely distributed member of its genus, this species poses a serious medical problem in many parts of its range.
Jumping Viper is a venomous pitviper species found in Mexico and Central America.
Others are Mojave Pit Viper, Eyelash Viper, fer-de-lance
Australia
When it comes to Australia you'll find a great number of venomous snakes. Infact four of the top 10 venomous snakes hail from Aus.
Inland Taipan-also known as the Small Scaled Snake and Fierce Snake, is native to Australia and is the most venomous snake in the world. Maximum yield recorded (for one bite) is 110mg. That would probably be enough to kill over 100 people or 250,000 mice. These rare snakes are virtually unknown in collections outside of Australia.
Taipan - Australia. The venom delivered in a single Taipan bite is enough to kill up to 12,000 guinea pigs.
Tiger snake- a type of venomous serpent found in southern regions of Australia, including its coastal islands and Tasmania. These snakes are highly variable in their color, often banded like those on a tiger, and forms in their regional occurrences.Tiger snakes possess a potent neurotoxin (notexin), coagulants, haemolysins and myotoxins, and rank amongst the deadliest snakes in the world.
Death Adder is a genus of highly venomous elapid snakes. Commonly called death adders, they are native to Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands, and are among the most venomous snakes in the world.
Death adders inject on average 40 – 100 mg of extremely toxic venom with a bite. This makes an untreated death adder bite one of the most dangerous in the world.Death adder venom is completely neurotoxic, containing neither haemotoxins or myotoxins, unlike most venomous snakes.
Australian Brown Snake-The King Brown or Mulga snake is a venomous snake found in Australia. It is the second largest venomous snake in Australia (after the Taipan) and the third largest venomous snake in the world and produces large amounts of venom. Although the name implies it is a brown snake, it is in fact part of the black snake genus.
Australian Copperhead is a genus of venomous elapid snakes native to the relatively fertile temperate southern and eastern part of the Australian continent.
Oceania
Almost all the sea snakes are venomous and infact the deadliest snake on the planet lives in ocean!
Beaked seasnake- also known as the hook-nosed sea snake, the common sea snake, is a species of sea snake.
It is found in the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf (off Oman), south of the Seychelles and Madagascar, the seas off South Asia (Pakistan, India and Bangladesh), Southeast Asia (Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand, Vietnam), and Australia (Northern Territory and Queensland) and New Guinea.
Yellowbelly Sea Snake- or Pelagic Sea Snake is a species of sea snake found in tropical oceanic waters around the world.
Banded Sea Snake-Sea Snakes are highly venomous marine reptiles inhabiting the warm tropical waters of the world.
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