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The Most deadly snakes in the world

Updated on November 21, 2011

The Most Dangerous Snakes in the world

Snakes are most feared animal in the world (besides Humans). The reason being is simple; they are slimy, sneaky, dangerous creatures that are often very deadly. They are long and slender, legless and highly carnivorous. They have no external ears, and no eyelids and are covered with overlapping tough scales. They have a very advanced bone structure, allowing them to dislocate and relocate their jaws on will; so they often swallow things many times their size.

They live all over the world and mostly near water. There are thousands of species of snakes and they range in size vastly. Some species will only grow up to 8cm long (e.g. Thread Snake); yet others can grow up to several metres long. (e.g. Pythons & Anacondas).

Snakes are rarely seen as friendly creatures although many people do keep them as pets. Any person who keeps a pet snake usually keeps them engaged in a glass tank. They aren’t the type of animal you want sneaking around your house; especially as a single bite could often kill you.

Larger snakes such as Pythons and Boa Constrictors are not known for being poisonous. They might not carry venom but they have developed a very unique way of immobilising their prey. They use the power of their bones to crush their prey. Even a small python or boa Constrictor can easily crush a Human’s wind pipe and kill them.

There are many smaller snakes which don’t have the ability to crush a meal; and don’t have any venom. These ones will still bite! So don’t assume they are always friendly. Venomous snakes come in all colours and sizes and can often be confused for non venomous snakes, so in the wild always show caution.

When people talk about the most deadly snakes in the world in all honesty you will struggle to find a list that will encompass every snake in the world. Talking about deadly snakes people take constricting and non venomous snakes out of the equation. Simply put they are dangerous, but just like any other animal they rely on their body strength and natural hunting abilities to defend themselves or attack. Snakes that live under the sea have also been left out of mainstream research because scientists have just not had the ability to capture and test their venom. It is believed though that sea snakes are more venomous then land snakes.

So in truth I should have called this article “The most dangerous venomous land snakes (that have been discovered up to Nov 2011) in the world” but that title is a little less catchy!

Much of modern day research uses something called the LD50 test. This is a test where mice are used as test subjects with the venom. According to the most up to date research the most dangerous venomous land snakes are:

1) Inland Taipan

2) Eastern Brown Snake

3) Coastal Taipan

4) Many Banded Krait

5) Peninsula Tiger Snake

6) Saw Scaled Viper

7) Black Mamba

8) Western Tiger Snake

9) Philippine Cobra

10) Tiger Rattlesnake


Inland Taipan
Native to Australia
SC LD50 rating 0.025mg / kg
The Inland Taipan; also known as the Fierce Snake or Small Scaled Snake is the most venomous snake in the world. It is a very shy and anti sociable snake which will usually recluse away from trouble. The snake is usually darkly tanned with a colour ranging from a dark hue to an olive green depending on age and the season. Many scales will have a dark edge, which often appear in diagonal rows. The lowest scales will often have a yellowy edge. Adult snakes are around 1.8 metre in length although the can grow to almost 2.5metres. These snakes will usually kill with a single accurate bite then retreat. It will return once the prey is dead to safely eat.

Eastern Brown Snake
Native to Australia
SC LD50 rating 0.0365mg / kg
The Eastern Brown Snake, often referred as the common brown snake ranges in size usually between 1.5metres and 1.8metres and is occasionally seen longer then two metres. They range is shades of brown and they can have a range of patterns across their bodies including speckles and bands. It is notoriously very fast and aggressive yet it still mostly flees when confronted. These snakes are most active during the day.

Coastal Taipan
Native to Australia& New Guinea
SC LD50 rating 0.106mg / kg
The Coastal Taipan are large venomous snakes; often reaching 2.5metres. This snake has a slender body, which is strong and sturdy and a very big long head. Colour is usually reddish brown, but some are darker. These snakes bite very deep into the flesh; and can cause death as fast as 30minutes after biting. Untreated bites have a mortality rate that is very close to 100%.

Many Banded Krait
Native to China, Taiwan, Burma, Laos, Vietnam
SC LD50 rating 0.108mg / kg
These snakes are mainly found in woodlands and mangroves but they can also live at high altitudes. This is one of the few species that survives up to around 1,300metres above sea level. They are medium to large snakes, with a maximum length of around 1.85metres. The snake has black and white bands down its body, usually having larger black bands then white. This is a nocturnal snake but disturbing in the day will often really anger it.

Peninsula Tiger Snake
Native to Australia
SC LD50 rating 0.131mg / kg
The tiger snake is a very active dangerous snake which can reach up to 2.1metres long. There are many different morphs of this snake which are all look different, and act different but all share the same type of venom. A tiger snake can be easily identifiable by its skin patterning. There are usually coloured bands of dark colours followed by contrasting light colours. They have venom which is very toxic to Humans. The Peninsula Tiger snake averages only 1.1metres in length and has white markings around the chin and lips.

Saw-scaled Viper
Native to Asia: Indian Subcontinent
SC LD50 rating 0.151mg / kg
The Saw Scaled Viper, also known as the little Indian Viper or the Echis Carinatus is responsible for causing the most snakebite deaths due to the frequency of attacks. These snakes are usually only around 60cm in length, and they have a very distinct head and neck. The colour pattern consists of grey, blue, red, olive or brown coloured skin, overlaid with lighter blotches. The white botches appear to run at angles down the body creating triangles. These snakes are mainly nocturnal although during the day they can still be very active and attack.

Black Mamba
Native to Sub Saharan Africa
SC LD50 rating 0.185mg / kg
the Black Mamba is one of the most deadly snakes in the world. It is actually the longest venomous snake in Africa and can reach up to 4.5metres in length. It is the fastest snake in the world, and notoriously the most aggressive, and the most deadly. This snake when cornered does not flee, it attacks. It is called the Black Mamba because the area around the mouth is distinctly black; not the whole body. A bite from this snake will inject 10times the venon needed to kill a human. A bite from a Black Mamba has killed notoriously a large 7,500 pound elephant is a national reserve in Kenya.

Western Tiger Snake
Native to Australia
SC LD50 rating 0.194mg / kg
The tiger snake is a very active dangerous snake which can reach up to 2.1metres long. There are many different morphs of this snake which are all look different, and act different but all share the same type of venom. A tiger snake can be easily identifiable by its skin patterning. There are usually coloured bands of dark colours followed by contrasting light colours. They have venom which is very toxic to Humans. The Western Tiger snake average at 2 metres in length and has a very distinct long neck. The skin is yellowy nearer the head, and darker near the tail.

Philippine Cobra
Native to Philippines
SC LD50 rating 0.02mg / kg
The Philippine Cobra is a highly venomous spitting cobra that averages around 1.6metres in length. It is a fairy stocky snake and adults are usually a uniformed light to medium brown. This snake is not likely to kill you, but the venom can make you have a bad headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, diarrhea and difficulty breathing.

Tiger Rattlesnake
Native to Northwest Mexico and the Southwest U.S.
SC LD50 rating 0.21mg / kg
This snake is fairly short, never longer then a metre, and has a large rattle and small head. The colours are usually patterns of gray, lavender, blue, blue grey and pink. This snake is known for having one of the most aggressive looking faces and it is the most toxic of all rattle snakes. If bitten it should be considered a major life emergency.

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