10. Boomslang
This venomous tree snake is actually pretty shy and not very aggressive,
but the boomslang is extremely venomous and can open its jaws really wide to take
really big bites! Their fangs are located in the back of their mouth and they spend most
of their time hiding in trees in Africa but that doesn’t mean you shouldn't be careful!
The boomslang’s family members aren’t deadly, which makes it all the more remarkable that the
boomslang has such a potent venom. Consisting mostly of hemotoxin, its venom prevents blood
from clotting, and also causes hemorrhaging and tissue damage. But you may not even notice this
at first glance. Instead, the boomslang’s venom tends to release slowly over time.
This means that you may think you’re fine and don’t need antivenom, when really, the
venom is taking control! The process is extremely slow and painful, and can take up to five days.
People didn’t even know the boomslang was dangerous until about 1957, when a herpetologist
named Karl P. Schmidt was fatally bitten by one. Schmidt was found dead in his home less
than a day after being bitten, after succumbing to brain hemorrhaging and respiratory arrest.
Later analysis of the boomslang’s venom showed that it was more toxic than many front-fanged
snake species. Today, it’s regarded as one of Africa’s most venomous snakes. The boomslang’s
venom will cause a person to start bleeding from every possible orifice, including the nostrils
and gums, and the victim will also suffer from severe internal muscle and brain hemorrhaging.
Good news is these snakes spend their days in the trees hunting prey,
and typically shy away from anything they can’t swallow. Given the boomslang’s timid nature,
it’s incredibly rare for a human to get bitten by one.
9. Fer-De-Lance The fer-de-lance is one of the world’s
most dangerous pit vipers. It has several names, depending on the region. In Costa Rica, it’s
called the “terciopelo,” which means “velvet,” and in Guatemala and Honduras, the creature goes by
the name “Barba Amarilla” or “yellow beard.” These serpents, which can reach up to six
feet (1.83 meters) in length, inflict enough bites throughout Central America and parts of South
America for medical experts to consider it a “serious medical problem.”
With fangs measuring up to an inch (2.54 cm) long and the ability to open its jaws to a
full 180 degrees, the terciopelo’s bite is extremely painful. Its venom is hemotoxic,
meaning it destroys red blood cells, causing swelling,
blisters, necrosis, or tissue death. Bites can become infected,
amputation is sometimes necessary, and the effects can ultimately prove fatal.
Besides its highly potent venom, the terciopelo is extremely threatening because it often lives
in proximity to humans. The species deals out 46 percent of snakebites in Costa Rica,
making it the country’s most dangerous snake.
Thanks to antivenom, hardly anyone dies from a terciopelo bite. But
it’s still smart to avoid being bitten not only because it hurts,
but because it might be difficult to access medical care, especially from a remote area.
Steve Rankin, executive producer of the TV series “Naked and Afraid,” can testify to this.
While scouting for filming locations in Costa Rica in 2013, he was bitten by a terciopelo. He later
said that it felt like he was being stabbed in the foot, followed by extreme weakness and persistent,
excruciating pain. The crew had to travel for miles on foot, helping Rankin along the way.
A truck ride followed before medics finally airlifted him to a hospital.
8. CARPET VIPER
The carpet viper, or saw-scaled viper lives in dry regions throughout Africa,
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Middle East. There are 12 recognized species,
and scientists believe that they’re responsible for more human deaths than any other snake.
Carpet vipers can measure between 1 and 3 feet long. They’re known for being unusually aggressive
and quick to bite compared to most other venomous snakes, which are elusive and only bite people
when they feel threatened. It’s common for carpet vipers to live in and around areas with dense
human populations and they’re hard to spot, making it easy to accidentally provoke them to bite.
Their venom contains four toxins that cause painful and potentially deadly symptoms,
including swelling, heavy bleeding, and extensive tissue damage. Some victims end
up needing fingers, toes, or limbs amputated. Even when doctors administer an antivenom,
a person’s tissue may destruct so rapidly that doctors cannot save the affected area.
A 2016 study that sought to explain how the carpet viper’s venom does so much damage
revealed that our immune system’s response is part of the problem.
Certain white blood cells, called neutrophils, burst upon coming into contact with microbes
to immobilize and kill invading cells. But with carpet viper bites, this defense mechanism has
the unintended effect of trapping the venom at the wound site, leading to rapid tissue decay.
As terrible as it may sound to lose a finger or two, without neutrophils, the venom would
travel throughout the body, putting the victim at a much higher risk of serious organ damage
and death. Less than 10 percent of bite victims die, but because carpet vipers bite
so many people, it adds up to a high number, making it one of the deadliest of all snakes.
7. BLACK MAMBA The black mamba
is Africa’s longest venomous snake, measuring up to 14 feet (4.3 meters) from head to tail.
It’s also the world’s fastest snake, slithering along at up to 12 miles per hour (19.3 km/hr).
Equipped with venom that can be fatal in as little as 15 minutes, the species is one of
the continent’s most feared serpents. There’s an antivenom, but most bite victims do not survive.
A woman in Kenya had a very scary experience with a Black Mamba when she was walking home
from a party. Actually several black mambas. It was dark and suddenly a
6.5-foot (1.9m) black mamba coiled around her foot and bit her three times!
What terrified her more was the presence of two
more black mambas that she saw out of the corner of her eye.
She started screaming and luckily a man with a machete was walking by and chopped up the snakes.
The woman started losing her vision and fainted. The man managed to get her to
the hospital in the nick of time where she was given anti-venom. Thankfully she survived but I
can’t say the same for the almost 30,000 people who die in Africa from snake bites every year.
6. MANY-BANDED KRAIT Found throughout China
and much of Southeast Asia, the many-banded krait, also called the Chinese krait or the
Taiwanese krait, is an extremely venomous snake measuring up to 6 feet (1.85 meters) long.
The species’ bites are deceiving because they lack the characteristics
that are most commonly associated with dangerous snake venom. For instance,
a person may not experience pain or swelling after being bitten. Instead,
they may feel slightly itchy or numb. It takes one to six hours for more serious symptoms to set in,
making it easy for someone to think that they’re not in any real danger.
But they’ll eventually start suffering from things like double vision, chest discomfort,
weakened limbs, lack of coordination, speech changes, drooping eyelids, difficulty swallowing,
and difficulty breathing. Bites can certainly be fatal, especially since the many-banded krait’s
venom contains neurotoxins, which disable the body’s nervous system.
In 2001, a many-banded krait bit famous herpetologist Joe Slowinski while he was
searching for reptiles in a remote region of Myanmar. The experienced
handler fought to survive, but by the time a medical helicopter arrived, he was dead.
A young Chinese woman died in 2018 after being bitten by a many-banded krait she kept as a pet.
Her parents rushed her to the hospital, which didn’t have the antivenom in supply. She received
it a day later but had already lapsed into a coma by then, and her brain activity had stopped.
These tragedies underscore the life-saving importance of
receiving antivenom as quickly as possible after being bitten by a many-banded krait.
5. INLAND TAIPAN Endemic to eastern Australia,
the inland or western taipan measures up to six-and-a-half feet (2 meters) long.
The species is rather elusive. It avoids humans, making encounters between them and us very rare.
As biologist and snake expert David Penning told Live Science, most venomous snakes bite as a last
resort because it takes a lot out of them to make the venom, and using it comes at a cost.
But even the snakes who avoid humans the most will instinctively respond to a perceived threat
by biting if it feels the need, and the inland taipan is no exception. Because the species feeds
only on mammals, unlike most venomous snakes, its venom has developed to be especially deadly.
The inland taipan’s venom contains a complex mixture of toxins called
taipoxin, which includes neurotoxins and hemotoxins. Within an hour of being bitten,
terrifying symptoms like muscle paralysis, difficulty breathing, slurred speech, seizures,
and internal bleeding set in. Organ damage can occur, and without proper medical care,
a bite can certainly be lethal. And even when the antivenom is administered quickly, it won’t
undo the damage that’s already been done, and the recovery is grueling for survivors.
4. RUSSELL’S VIPER The Russell’s viper has
a wide distribution that includes Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and Taiwan.
This three-foot-long (1 meter) serpent causes nearly all the fatal snake bites within its range,
and for many reasons. For one, it often lives in and near populated areas and is
near humans regularly, increasing the likelihood of an aggressive encounter.
Second, it has a notoriously vicious demeanor and is quicker to bite than most other snakes.
The Russell’s viper is also deadly because of its complex venom, which attacks the body in several
ways. It’s equipped with long fangs that deliver a maximum amount of venom as quickly as possible.
And, unlike most snake species, which administer “dry bites”
or bites without venom, Russell’s viper often uses venom when it bites.
The venom attacks the kidneys and causes internal bleeding. Even if someone initially survives a
bite, they may experience lasting health issues, including fatal kidney failure. The snake’s venom
also targets the pituitary gland, which can stop producing hormones if the damage is extensive
enough. This can cause a condition called hypopituitarism, which sends adults into a type
of “reverse puberty” that adversely affects their fertility, libido, and other natural functions.
3. BUSHMASTER The Bushmaster
genus includes the world’s four largest pit viper species. Found throughout the
rainforests of Central and South America, these snakes typically measure around six
feet (1.8 meters) long but sometimes grow up to 10 feet (3 meters) long.
Bushmasters, sometimes called ox killers, are loaded with potentially deadly venom that
causes swelling, pain, heavy bleeding, and necrosis. Other symptoms include dizziness,
vomiting, blurred vision; hypotension, low blood pressure,
decreased heart rate, bloody diarrhea, and temporary loss of consciousness.
A bushmaster might coil up at a single site for several weeks, lying in wait to ambush its
prey. They hide near the travel routes of their potential prey among fallen limbs, the bottom of
trees, and trails on the ground. The bushmaster can survive on less than ten big meals a year.
This snake is the only pit viper that lives in the Americas that lays eggs.
They don’t give birth to live young. Females stay with the eggs for a while before the babies hatch.
Bushmasters bite between 600 and 700 people every year in Costa Rica alone,
according to a staff member at the Costa Rica serpentarium. Thankfully, there’s an antivenom.
Not only is it lifesaving, but the unpleasant side effects of a bite can also be at least partially
avoided by seeking proper medical care. Without treatment, however, bushmaster bites can be fatal.
2. EASTERN BROWN SNAKE The nine recognized Australian brown snake
species are found throughout Australia, Papua New Guinea, and West Papua. The eastern brown snake,
also called the common brown snake, is reportedly the deadliest among them.
This slender, slithery serpent grows to around six-and-a-half feet (2 meters) long.
It’s found in a variety of habitats, including in and near urban areas with dense human populations.
This is a scary thought, considering that the eastern brown snake is one of the world’s most
venomous land snakes. It’s responsible for around 60 percent of Australia’s snakebite deaths.
The creature’s venom can be deadly and causes symptoms such as nausea,
vomiting, low blood pressure, severe internal bleeding, sweating, headache, abdominal pain,
and cardiac arrest. There are usually very few noticeable symptoms at the wound site,
and while the venom contains some neurotoxins, the nature of the effects typically isn’t neurotoxic.
Symptoms have a rapid onset, often taking just minutes to set in. Within a half-hour,
bleeding issues become noticeable because of the venom’s anticoagulant properties,
which prevent blood from clotting. Effective antivenom has been available
for over a half-century, but time is of the essence for accessing it. Hospitals
typically monitor patients for 24 hours before they’re considered “in the clear.”
1. KING COBRA Found throughout India,
China, and Southeast Asia, the king cobra grows up to 18 feet (5.5 meters) long,
making it the world’s longest venomous snake. Drop by drop, its venom isn’t extremely lethal.
But the king cobra delivers it in large enough doses to kill an elephant or 20 people with a
single bite. Around half of all bites prove to be deadly, claiming thousands of lives every year.
The venom contains neurotoxins, which can lead to cardiac failure and respiratory arrest,
and the worst-case scenario of death can come on rapidly, killing a person within a half-hour
without proper medical care. Initial symptoms include swelling, redness, difficulty breathing,
vomiting, nausea, blurred vision, sweating, drooling, and numbness of the face and limbs.
To prevent things from getting worse, bite victims must seek treatment immediately.
While almost all animals would try to stay clear or not even get close to the highly
venomous and deadly king cobra, the mongoose is positively not the one to be frightened off.
The spirited and fearless mongooses are known to be the most dangerous predators of
all species of snakes. This includes the king cobra.
What would you rather come face-to-face with,
a rabid dog or a King Cobra? Share your answer in the comments. Make sure to
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