According to the World Health Organization, 5.4 million people are bitten by snakes each year, resulting in between 81,000 and 138,000 deaths, and many more amputated. However, snakes with strong venom are not always the most dangerous for humans. Most venomous snakes only want to be alone and do not actively seek out encounters with humans.
From colorful but deadly Malaya blue corals to sometimes indistinguishable cotton beaks, here are the 10 most precious venomous snakes in the world.
Slender scales too climb snake Inland Taipan
Considered the most venomous snake in the world, Australia's rare and reclusive fine-scaled Taipan snake. When provoked, take strict self-defense measures, attacking with one or more bites. Fortunately, the interior is rarely encountered and is not particularly aggressive. Its prey is mainly small and medium-sized mammals, especially long-haired mice.
Black Mamba
Black mambas inhabit vast areas of savannahs, mountains and forests in southern and eastern Sub-Saharan Africa. Its name comes not from its color, it is brown or gray-green, but from the black interior of its mouth.
When threatened, the snake actively defends itself, including raising its head, opening its mouth, making a warning hiss, and then quickly repeating the attack in succession. It's fast, travels at 12 miles per hour, and climbs trees easily. Contact with humans is rare, but the venom of the black mamba is extremely dangerous.
Boom slang Boomslang
Native to central and southern Africa, it is often mixed with the brown and green of trees and shrubs. It stretches its body outward from the tree, disguised as a branch, until it is ready to attack.
Blue Malayan Coral Snake
The blue Malay coral snake has a dazzling pair of light blue stripes that grow larger than its blue-black body and a reddish-orange head and tail. Just don't get too close to its venom glands extending into a quarter of its body to produce a neurotoxin that triggers paralysis and strains the victim's muscles in uncontrollable spasms.
The snake hides in the fallen leaves of the lowland forests of Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and western Indonesia, preying on other snakes as well as lizards, birds and frogs. Its powerful venom makes it one of the most dangerous snakes in Southeast Asia.
Saw-Scaled Viper
Subspecies found in much of North Africa, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka, this aggressive, jagged venomous snake is usually hunted at night, prefers lizards and toads, and sometimes small birds. Its defensive posture is a cyclic number-8, and it attacks with immense force and speed. Although it is rarely fatal to humans, it is one of the most dangerous snakes in the world because it produces a highly poisonous, often found in arable land areas, and extremely aggressive.
Russell's Viper
In India, tens of thousands of people are bitten by Russell's poisonous snake every year. It is one of the deadliest venomous snakes in the world, and most of the bitten victims die of kidney failure. These nocturnal rodents bask in the sun during the day, but often hide in rice and farmland, posing a threat to farmers. Snakes can be yellow, brown, white or brown, with dark brown ovate outlined in black and cream rings. Although they are generally docile, they move quickly when threatened, curling up into S-shapes and making loud hissing noises before attacking.
Vanderlands Fer-de-Lance
It feeds on lizards, possums, frogs, and crop pests such as rats and rabbits, benefiting farmers. If the victim is not treated promptly, its venom can cause severe swelling and tissue necrosis.
Olive Sea Snake
It inhabits shallow coral reefs, fish hunting, shrimp and crabs. This sea snake has lived in the water all his life and hunted at night.
Cottonmouth (Water Moccasin)
It is a semi-aquatic venomous snake found in the southeastern United States that feeds on turtles, fish and small mammals. Although its venom is powerful, its mouth is not particularly aggressive. However, it will strike at humanity's legitimate defense.
King Cobra King Cobra
The King Cobra (Cobra) is the world's largest venomous snake, found in northern India and southern China, as well as in the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia and the Philippines. This aggressive snake's terrifyingly fixed fangs release neurotoxins to paralyze prey and suppress breathing.
King cobras live in areas next to forest streams and mangroves, as well as agricultural areas and trees. Its preferred food is other snakes, sometimes rodents. Its low hissing and groaning may sound like a dog's roar, but despite its fearsome reputation, it mostly avoids people and does not initiate an attack unless threatened.