Encountering one of these most dangerous snakes can cost the victim their life. Snakes bite about 5.4 million people each year, resulting in between 81,000 and 138,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization WHO. Venomous snakes kill their victims with poisons produced in modified salivary glands, which the animal then injects with its fangs into its prey. Here are 10 venomous snakes that not only kill small prey, but can also knock people down, according to Live Science.
1. Domestic taipan snakes
The domestic taipan snake (Oxyuranus scutellatus) is one of the most venomous snakes, meaning that just a little bit of snake venom can kill its prey (or human victim). They live hidden in the clay crevices of the floodplains of Queensland and South Australia, often in pre-dug burrows of other animals.
Living in more remote locations than coastal taipans, inland taipans rarely come into contact with humans. When it feels threatened, the snake will curl its body tightly into an S shape before rushing out with a quick or repeated bite.
A key component of the venom that sets it apart from other species is the enzyme hyaluronidase. This enzyme increases the rate of poison absorption in the victim's body.
2. Coastal taipan snakes
Coastal taipan snakes have amazing speed. When threatened, snakes that live in the humid forests of temperate and tropical coastal regions will lift their entire bodies off the ground with extraordinary precision and inject venom into their enemies. Before 1956, when an effective antivenom was produced, the bite of this snake was nearly always fatal.
3. King Cobra
The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the longest venomous snake in the world with a size of up to 5.4m, according to the Natural History Museum of London. It can detect a moving person from up to 100 meters away, according to the Smithsonian Institution.
When threatened, the king cobra will use the ribs and special muscles in the neck to open the "hood" - the skin around the head. These snakes can also lift their heads off the ground about a third of their body length.
Each bite of the king cobra has up to 7ml of venom and this species tends to attack with 3-4 bites. A single bite can kill a human in 15 minutes and an adult elephant in just a few hours.
4. krait snakes
The scorpion (Bungarus fasatus) is a slow-moving species during the day and is more likely to bite after dark. The venom of the krait can paralyze the muscles and prevent the diaphragm from moving, making it impossible for air to enter the lungs, leading to suffocation.
5. Viper's flower balance
The Echis carinatus is the smallest member of the Indian "Quad" - along with the Russell's viper, the common krait (Bungarus caeruleus) and the Indian cobra (Naja naja). - arguably the biggest culprit of snakebite-related deaths in India.
6. Russell's Viper
According to research published March 25, 2021 in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, about 58,000 deaths in India are caused by snakebites each year and the Russell viper (Daboia russelii) is responsible for the majority of cases. this case of death
7. Cobra
Native to the mountains and grasslands of southeastern Australia, the cobra (Notechis scutatus) is so venomous that it can poison humans within 15 minutes of its bite and cause death.
8. Boomslang Snake
The boomslang snake, which can be found all over Africa but mainly lives in Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, is one of the most venomous of the so-called later fangs, according to the Animal Museum. Physics from the University of Michigan.
Such snakes can fold their fangs into their mouths when not in use. Like other venomous snakes, this snake has venom that causes the victim's blood to bleed both internally and externally.
9. Serpent fer-de-lance
A bite from a fer-de-lance snake (Bothrops asper) can cause a person's body tissue to turn black as it begins to die. Because the fer-de-lance snake's venom contains anticoagulants, its bite can cause a person to bleed. A female snake can give birth to 90 ferocious offspring.
10. Black mamba snake
Africa's deadliest snake - the black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) - can kill a person with just two drops of venom. Black mamba snakes are actually brown, averaging about 2.5m long and can move at a speed of 19km/h.
Long snakes are born with two to three drops of venom in each fang. By adulthood, they can store up to 20 drops in each canine. Left untreated, the bite of this African snake can always be deadly.
