India is known to be the country of snakes and snake charmers. You can find some incredibly venomous snakes in the deep forests of India. There are more than 270 varieties of snakes in India, out of which almost 60 are highly poisonous. Some of the most dangerous ones are Krait, Cobra, Russell’s Vipers, Saw-scaled vipers and many more.
Let’s check out this list of poisonous snakes in India!
Indian Krait
Indian Kraits induce muscle paralysis and are extremely neurotic. One bite of this snake can be lethal for a person. There are many species of Krait snakes in India, including common krait, Indian krait, and banded krait. However, there is one type of Krait known as the Bungarus; they are the most dangerous Kraits. In fact, they are the most dangerous snakes in the world.
Indian Cobra
The Indian Cobra is another highly venomous snake found in India. They are also known as “Nag” in Hindi. These snakes can stay in varied habitats, but they prefer to stay in areas around villages, edges of open forests or fields. They usually feed on fronds, lizards or other rodents. They are also considered “Holy” as per Indian tradition and are associated with Lord Shiva and his Lingam. These snakes are worshipped on a festival named Nag Panchami.
Russell’s Vipers
The local name for these snakes is Dabola or Koriwala and are also very venomous. They come in the category of the Indian Krait or Russell’s vipers and are very dangerous. They are responsible for thousands of deaths each year in India. Although they are the smallest among the other dangerous snakes, they are still equally venomous. Their average length is 4 feet, and they are brownish grey or dark brown in color. They usually feed on rodents.
Saw-scaled vipers
The Saw-scaled vipers have a wide head which is even wider than their neck. They have large eyes and have a rough-scaled snake. They are known to have their habitat in scrublands, sand, and soft soil. They feed on arthropods like large insects, centipedes or scorpions. They also feed on frogs, lizards, etc. The Indian Saw-scaled vipers are comparatively small and are a part of the viper family. They are extremely dangerous and poisonous.
Malabar Pit Vipers
These are the Indian Green Pit Vipers, also known as tree or bamboo vipers. They belong to the Pit Viper family, and they primarily live on bushes, arboreal, vines, and bamboos. They have a sensing system for cooling and heating. They feed on insects, lizards, and frogs. Their length goes up to 2.5 feet. Malabar Pit Vipers are usually found in the Western Ghats in India.
King Cobra
The King Cobra is the biggest snake that is found in India. Their length can go up to 13 to 15 feet on average. Some rare and unique King Cobras can go up to 18 feet in length. Hence, they are the world’s longest poisonous snake. Their habitat is in the humid jungle, cool swamps, bamboo clusters, etc.
Coral Snakes
The coral snakes are also known as banded sea krait or yellow-lipped sea kraits. They are found in India and are highly venomous. These coral snakes or sea snakes, are very good swimmers. They have a higher venom potency than an average land snake in India.
What is the difference between venomous and poisonous?
Toxic animals can be venomous or poisonous. Venomous animals inject toxins with a bite or sting. Poisonous animals are harmful when touched or eaten. For example, cobras are venomous because they bite and inject venom. Lizards can be poisonous if they are toxic when eaten. People sometimes wrongly call venomous snakes poisonous. If an animal’s bite kills you, it’s venomous. If you die from eating an animal, it’s poisonous. Toxins are harmful chemicals. Venom is injected, poison is ingested, or it is touched. A venomous animal isn’t always poisonous. The garter snake isn’t venomous, but it’s poisonous if eaten because it has toxins on its skin.
Final Words
And there you go! These are some of the top poisonous snakes in India that have a venomous bite. Now you know which snakes to steer clear of in the future.
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