The world is home to many species of snakes, some of which are harmless, while others are extremely venomous and can cause instant death to their victims upon attack.
Ranking of the Most Venomous Snakes in the World
1. Belcher’s Sea Snake
Belcher’s Sea Snake is the most venomous snake in the water and the most venomous snake in the world. Just a few milligrams of their venom is enough to kill thousands of people. These snakes swim in the warm waters of the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. Fishermen are often the victims of this species when they pull nets from the ocean.
“Belcher’s Sea Snake” can be found in the seas off Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. Their primary diet consists of catfish, but they also eat pufferfish and sometimes squid. Fortunately, less than a quarter of their bites contain venom, and they are quite docile.
Belcher’s Sea Snake is the most venomous snake in the world
2. Inland Taipan
The most venomous snake on land is the “Fierce Snake“, also known as the “Inland Taipan” (scientific name: Oxyuranus microlepidotus), a reptile belonging to the Elapidae family native to Australia. This snake has the most toxic venom compared to any terrestrial snake in the world.
The maximum amount of venom from a single bite is 110 mg, enough to kill 100 people or 250,000 mice. The toxicity of this snake’s venom is 10 times greater than that of the Mojave rattlesnake and 50 times that of the common cobra.
Inland Taipan
This species has a remarkable ability to change its appearance, varying from dark brown, light brown, to green depending on the season.
3. Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake
Primarily found in the Americas, the rattlesnake has a venom that can quickly paralyze the nervous system of prey such as mice, birds, and some small animals, causing the victim’s heart to stop just a few minutes after being bitten.
4. Philippine Cobra
The Philippine Cobra can spit venom at enemies from a distance of 3 meters, causing the prey to die within seconds. Despite possessing this deadly weapon, the Philippine Cobra only attacks when threatened.
Philippine Cobra
5. Blue Krait
Blue Krait
The Blue Krait is commonly found in Southeast Asia and Indonesia. When bitten by this snake, victims do not die immediately, but suffer from pain, difficulty breathing, and convulsions for hours before succumbing.
6. Eastern Brown Snake
Eastern Brown Snake
This common snake in eastern Australia has a shiny brown color. Once it bites and injects venom, its victims endure some of the most terrifying moments before death.
7. Black Mamba
Black Mamba is the fastest reptile on the planet.
The Black Mamba is primarily found in Africa. It is known for its remarkably precise attack density. This snake is the fastest on land, capable of reaching speeds between 4.32 m/s and 5.4 m/s. The venom of the Black Mamba can kill a person within 30 minutes to 2 hours, causing drowsiness, neurological issues, paralysis, and difficulty breathing.
8. Viper
This species is found in almost every region of the world.
This species can be found in almost every region of the world. However, the two most venomous species, the Saw-Scaled Viper and the Chain Viper, are primarily distributed in the Middle East and Central Asia, especially in India, China, and Southeast Asia. This snake is very aggressive and usually hunts at night, particularly after rain.
9. Tiger Snake
A bite from a tiger snake will cause pain in the legs and neck, sweating, difficulty breathing, and paralysis.
Tiger snakes are quite shy and often flee despite their highly venomous nature. They can be easily found in Australia. Unlike other snakes, tiger snakes tend to run away when confronted; however, they will “go berserk” if cornered. A bite from a tiger snake will cause pain in the legs and neck, sweating, difficulty breathing, and paralysis, with a fatality rate upon biting as high as 60-70%.
10. Boomslang
About 24 hours after being bitten on the thumb by a juvenile boomslang, researcher Karl Patterson Schmidt died from internal bleeding from the eyes, lungs, kidneys, heart, and brain, as reported in the journal Biochimica et Biophysica Acta in 2017.
The snake had been sent to Schmidt at the Field Museum in Chicago for identification. Like others in the field at the time (1890), Schmidt believed that rear-fanged snakes like the boomslang (Dispholidus typus) could not produce a large enough dose of venom to be lethal to humans. They were mistaken.
This species primarily inhabits Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.
The boomslang can be found throughout Africa but primarily resides in Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, and is one of the most venomous snakes among those known as rear-fanged snakes, according to the University of Michigan’s Museum of Zoology. Such snakes can fold their fangs back into their mouths when not in use. Like other deadly snakes, this species has hemotoxic venom that causes its victims to bleed both internally and externally.
With its egg-shaped head, large eyes, and brightly patterned green body, the boomslang is quite striking. According to the South African National Biodiversity Institute, when threatened, the snake will inflate its neck, exposing a bright-colored patch of skin between its scales.
Death from a boomslang bite can be a horrific process. As Scientific American describes: “Victims suffer massive hemorrhaging in muscles and brain, and above all, blood will begin to ooze from every orifice, including the gums and nostrils, and even the smallest cuts. Blood will also start to leak through the victim’s feces, urine, saliva, and vomit until they die.” Fortunately, there is an antivenom for boomslang bites, provided that treatment is received in time.
11. Russell’s Viper
This species is considered one of the most dangerous vipers.
According to a study published on March 25, 2021, in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, approximately 58,000 deaths in India are attributed to snake bites each year, with the Russell’s viper (Daboia russelii), also known as the bamboo viper, being responsible for the majority of these fatalities. This species is considered one of the most dangerous vipers.
In Sri Lanka, where this nocturnal snake prefers to rest in rice fields, it causes a very high mortality rate among rice farmers during the harvest season. The venom of this species can lead to a range of horrific symptoms: acute renal failure, severe bleeding, and multi-organ damage, as reported by researchers in the Handbook of Clinical Neurology in 2014. Some components of the venom related to coagulation can also result in acute strokes, and in rare cases, symptoms resembling Sheehan’s syndrome, where the pituitary gland stops producing certain hormones. Victims often die from renal failure.
12. Saw-scaled Viper
This snake produces a “rattling” sound by rubbing its special serrated scales together when threatened.
Saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus) is the smallest member of the “Big Four venomous snakes” in India—along with Russell’s viper, Indian krait (Bungarus caeruleus), and Indian cobra (Naja naja)—which are believed to be responsible for the majority of snakebite fatalities in the country.
According to a study published in 2013 in the journal Toxicon, instead of the “hissing” sound produced by many other snake species, this snake creates a “rattling” noise by rubbing its special serrated scales together when threatened.
The video showcases the predatory abilities of some of the world’s most venomous snakes.
