How can you identify a poisonous snake?

Aug 09, 2022, 16:45 IST

Identification of poisonous snakes

Of the 330 India species only 69 are poisonous, comprising 29 species of sea snakes and 40 species of land snakes.

The following key will serve to identify poisonous snakes from non-poisonous snakes.

Biology Doubts page consist of more questions and answer related to this topic.

Structures	Characters		Nature	Snakes
1. Tail	Laterally compressed, oar like.		Poisonous	Sea snakes (Enhydrina, Hydrophis)
	Cylindrical, tapering		Poisonous or Non- poisonous [Needs further examination]	Land snakes
2. Belly scales or Ventrals	Belly scales small, continuous with dorsal scales.		Non-poisonous
	Ventrals are not fully broad to cover belly		Non-poisonous	Pythons
	Ventrals broad, fully covering belly		Needs further examination
3. Head scales, Loreal pit, sub caudals	Head scales small, head triangular No loreal pit		Poisonous	Pitless Viper (Ancistrodon himalayanus)
	Head scales small, a loreal pit between nostril and eye		Poisonous	Pit vipers (Lachesis, Ancistrodon
	Subcaudals double		Poisonous	Vipera russeli
	Subcaudals single		Poisonous	Echis carinata
	Head with large shields and no loreal pit		Needs further examination
4. Vertebrals, 4^th infra labial, 3^rd supra labial	Vertebrals enlarged, hexagonal, 4^th infra labial largest		Poisonous	Krait, Bungarus
	Vertebrals not enlarged, but 3^rd supra- labial touches eye and nostril	Neck with a hood and spectacle mark	Poisonous	Cobra, Naja
		Hood absent, coral spots on belly	Poisonous	Coral snakes, Calliophis