Poisonous snakes of the world

Poisonous snakes of the world

1. inland taipan

• The bite of an inland or western taipan—Oxyuranus microlepidotus, also called, appropriately, the fierce snake—delivers a veritable witch’s brew of toxins.
• Generally regarded as the world’s most venomous snake, the inland taipan is appropriately known as ‘the fierce snake’.
• Living in more remote locations than the coastal taipan, the inland taipan rarely comes into contact with humans, the Australian Museum reported. 
• These dark-marked scales occur in diagonal rows so that the marks align to form broken chevrons of variable length that are inclined backward and downward. The lowermost lateral scales often have an anterior yellow edge.

2. King cobra

• The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the longest venomous snake in the world. Its bite delivers a tremendous amount of paralysis-inducing neurotoxins.
• With a 50% fatality rate for untreated human bites, the king cobra is an apex predator that deserves to be high on this list of venomous snakes.
•  Even a single bite can kill a human in 15 minutes and an adult elephant in just a few hours, Sean Carroll, molecular biologist at the University of Maryland, wrote in The New York Times.

3. black mamba

• Africa's deadliest snake, the black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) can kill a person with just two drops of venom, Live Science reported. Named for the dark, inky color inside of their mouths, black mambas are actually brownish in color.
•  As with all snakes, mamba generally try to avoid confrontation with humans, but if backed into a corner they are more than happy to stand their ground and fight.
•  The venom of the black mamba is a protein of low molecular weight and as a result is able to spread rapidly within the bitten tissue. 
•  Despite its aggressive reputation, unprovoked attacks on humans have not been proved, and it is responsible for only a small number of deaths annually.

4. Coastal Taipan

• The coastal taipan is found in coastal regions of Northern and Eastern Australia and the nearby island of New Guinea. 
• Adult specimens of this species typically attain sexual maturity around 1.2 m (3.9 ft) in total length (including tail)
• Before 1956, when an effective antivenom was produced, this snake's bite was nearly always fatal, according to Australian Geographic.
• The coastal taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) produces venom that is nearly identical to that of its inland cousin. Its bite is lethal in more than 80 percent of untreated cases.

5. Banded krait

• The banded krait (Bungarus fasciatus) is a highly venomous relative of the cobra. Its venom is essentially a neurotoxin that induces paralysis
• The snake's venom can paralyze muscles and prevent the diaphragm from moving, according to a 2016 study published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 
• It’s a shy, nocturnal snake that doesn’t go out of its way to bite people, though when bites do happen their venom can cause respiratory failure and potentially suffocation.

6.Eastern Brown Snake

• Native to Eastern and Central Australia and Southern New Guinea, the solitary and fast-moving eastern brown snake is found in most habitats apart from dense forests. 
• The colour of its surface ranges from pale brown to black, while its underside is pale cream-yellow, often with orange or grey splotches. 
• It’s considered the world’s second-most venomous land snake and is responsible for about 60% of snakebite deaths in Australia. 
• The eastern brown snake is of slender to average build with no demarcation between its head and neck

7. eastern tiger snake

• The eastern tiger snake (Notechis scutatus) is the most widely distributed type of tiger snake, which inhabits the southern fringe of Australia and the region’s nearby islands.
• Its potent venom can cause poisoning in humans in just 15 minutes after a bite and is responsible for at least one death a year on average, the University of Adelaide reported. 
•  Fatal to hums if left untreated, tiger snake bites account for an estimated 17% of Australian snakebite victims.
• When threatened, they flatten their bodies and raise their heads above the ground in a classic prestrike stance.

8. Boomslang

• About 24 hours after being bitten on the thumb by a juvenile boomslang (also called a South African green tree snake), herpetologist Karl Patterson Schmidt died from internal bleeding from his eyes, lungs, kidneys, heart and brain, researchers reported in 2017 in the journal Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. 
•  A rear-fanged snake, it delivers its venom by chewing on its victim until the victim succumbs to the toxins.
• In this species, the head is distinct from the neck and the canthus rostralis is distinct. 
• The tail is long, and the subcaudal scales are paired. Ventral scales are 164–201; the anal plate is divided; and the subcaudals are 91–131.

9. Saw Scaled Viper

• The saw-scaled viper is found in parts of India and the Middle East and is the snake responsible for the most human deaths each year.
• There are 10-12 supralabials, the fourth usually largest, and 10-13 sublabials.
• The color-pattern consists of a pale buff, grayish, reddish, olive or pale brown ground color, overlaid middorsally with a series of variably colored, but mostly whitish spots, edged with dark brown, and separated by lighter interblotch patches.
•  Hydration and antivenom (there are nine types of antivenom for this snake) should be administered within hours of the bite for a person to survive, Understanding Animal Research said.

10.  Fer-de-lance​​​​​​​

• A bite from a fer-de-lance (Bothrops asper) can turn a person's body tissue black as it begins to die, according to a 1984 paper published in the journal
• And if that didn't scare you off, consider this: A female can give birth to 90 fierce offspring, according to the University of Costa Rica.
• It has a broad triangular head and is usually about 1.2 to 2 metres (4 to 7 feet) long.
• The common French name fer-de-lance, or “lance head,” originally referred to the Martinique lancehead (Bothrops lanceolatus) found on the island of the same name in the West Indies.

Blog Upload on - Dec. 21, 2021

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