Top 11 most venomous snakes in the world

Found in the waters of Southeast Asia and Northern Australia, Belcher's sea snake is the world's most venomous sea snake. It has such a strong poison that literally a few milligrams is enough to take the life of 1,000 adults. 

This is a very dangerous snake, but despite this, less than a quarter of its bites contain poison, moreover, it is quite peaceful. Most often, fishermen suffer from its bite, which during fishing, they have to get nets out of the water.

Taipan is the most venomous snake on our planet. Its venom is the most toxic of all snakes living on land. The venom secreted by this snake is enough to kill 100 people or 250,000 mice. 

The toxicity of its venom is 10 times that of a rattlesnake and 50 times that of a cobra. Fortunately, the taipan is not aggressive, and besides, it is quite rare on the path of a person in the wild. No fatalities have yet been reported from meeting this snake, but potentially an adult death from a taipan bite could occur within 45 minutes.

The habitat of this reptile, like many other venomous snakes, is Australia. The eastern variety of the Brown King is considered the most dangerous. 1/1400 ounce of this snake's venom is enough to kill a human. Poison, even of immature individuals, can kill a person. 

This snake has a difficult temperament, and it can become aggressive very quickly. There are cases when the Brown Snake pursued aggressors for a long time, repeatedly biting them. 

Despite the mortal danger, in half of the attacks, the Brown Snake does not inject poison into the victim's body and generally tries not to bite if possible. Since these snakes react to movement, when meeting them, it is better to freeze and standstill.

The Malay or blue krait is by far the deadliest of this species. Found throughout Southeast Asia and Indonesia. Half of the cases of Malay krait bites are fatal, even with timely medical assistance and the introduction of antivenom. 

This snake hunts and kills other snakes, including those of the krait family. They become more aggressive in the dark because they lead a nocturnal lifestyle. However, in most cases, when meeting a person, they try to hide. 

Snake venom 16 times more potent than cobra. When bitten, convulsions appear, and paralysis develops quite quickly. Before the advent of the antidote, 85% of blue krait bites were fatal. Death can occur within 6 to 12 hours.

Taipan lives in Australia. This snake can be compared to the black mamba in morphology and behavior. When released into the bloodstream, the poison contributes to the appearance of blood clots, thereby blocking the arteries and veins. It is so strong that it can kill up to 12,000 guinea pigs. 

In addition, the poison also has the properties of a neurotoxin. Before the advent of the antidote, no survivors of the Taipan bite were known. Even with proper medical care and timely administration of the antidote, the victim is ensured to stay in the intensive care unit.

The black mamba is found in many parts of the African continent. These reptiles are known to be very aggressive and strike with incredible precision. Fun fact, the black mamba is the fastest snake in the world. It is capable of speeds up to 20 km / h. The venom of these snakes is a fast-acting neurotoxin. The black mamba can bite up to 12 times in a row, and one bite is enough to kill 10 to 25 adults.

Symptoms of a black mamba bite: sharp pain at the site of the bite, less noticeable than from the bite of snakes with hemotoxic (rattlesnake) venom. Then, the victim experiences a tingling sensation in the mouth and limbs, double vision, confusion, trembling, foam from the mouth and nose and severe convulsions are possible. 

In the absence of medical care, symptoms rapidly progress: pallor appears, severe abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting, respiratory arrest, coma, and death soon follow. In the absence of an antidote, the death rate from black mamba poison, almost 100%, is one of the highest. Depending on the nature of the bite, death can occur in as little as 15-30 minutes.

Habitat Australia. Tiger snake venom is also a neurotoxin. After it enters the bloodstream, it causes localized pain at the site of the bite, tingling, numbness, sweating, after a while, suffocation and death occur. Most often, this snake, when meeting a person, tries to hide as quickly as possible, but it can become dangerous and attack if it is caught by surprise, or cornered. The tiger snake attacks with lightning speed and without a miss.

The Philippine cobra is one of the most deadly cobra species. It is noteworthy that this reptile is capable of “spitting” poison at a distance of up to 3 m. Just like the Australian bobtail, the cobra possesses a neurotoxic venom that causes paralysis of the respiratory and cardiac systems, as a result of which death occurs within 30 minutes from the moment of the bite. Damage to the skin when bitten is minimal.

Common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, headache, abdominal pain, cramps, and diarrhea.

Vipers are found in many parts of the planet, but perhaps the most venomous species, the sandy efa, which lives mainly in the Middle East and Central Asia, in particular: India and China. These snakes hunt at night and become especially active after rain.

Symptoms of the ingestion of viper venom into the blood: swelling of the affected area, pain in the bite area, bleeding often occurs, a decrease in blood pressure, and a slow heartbeat, in severe cases, blisters may appear and extensive tissue and muscle necrosis may develop. Nausea, vomiting, and facial swelling occur in about 30% of cases. Aching pain, not only in the affected area, can last from 2 to 4 weeks. Death can occur within 1 to 14 days from sepsis, heart failure, or respiratory failure.

Thorntail habitat, Australia and New Guinea. These reptiles hunt their relatives, other snakes, attacking them, usually from ambush. The Australian spiketail has an external resemblance to a rattlesnake: the same triangular shape of the head and a short squat body. When bitten, the snake often injects 40 to 100 mg of venom. Since the properties of thorntail venom are neurotoxins, it is considered the most dangerous, because it causes paralysis of the respiratory organs, as a result of which death can occur within 6 hours.

The antidote used for a thorntail bite works quite effectively, reducing the overall symptoms and easing the condition of the victim. Before the invention of the antidote, the death rate from its bite was 50%.

Interesting fact: The snake's throw speed during an attack is 0.13 seconds.

The only snake in our ranking, whose homeland is North America. It can be easily recognized by the thickening in the tail, which resembles a rattle. This snake is capable of striking at a distance of 2/3 of its body length. The view from the eastern part of the continent is considered more dangerous. People who have not reached puberty are more dangerous than adults due to their inability to regulate the amount of toxin injected. Most rattlesnake species have a hemotoxic venom that damages tissue, destroys organs, and causes non-clotting (coagulopathy). In some cases, after a snake bite, scars remain on the body, even with timely treatment.

Common symptoms: difficulty breathing, excessive salivation, extensive hemorrhage, paralysis. Untreated rattlesnake bites, especially of large species, almost always leave serious injuries and can lead to death. Timely medical care reduces the probability of death by up to 4%.