The most dangerous snake on the planet: rating, features and interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

Snakes never attack a person just like that. The aggression of reptiles is always justified, but if she bit, then there was a reason. And at this time it is important not to panic, but to have time to see the pattern on the back of the attacker. Suddenly this is the most dangerous snake in the world.

How dangerous is poison?

In general, snakes are just reptiles that are much weaker than humans, but to compensate for this shortcoming, their internal secretion glands produce a complex mixture of organic and inorganic substances, which is called snake venom. Naturally, the composition and properties of the venom of different snakes are not the same, but the inhabitants of Russia and the northern regions are very lucky that the most dangerous snakes in the world do not live on their territory. After all, the poison of these representatives of the fauna can kill a person in a matter of hours.

The venoms of the most dangerous snakes include proteins, amino acids, enzymes, fatty acids, trace elements. According to the nature of the impact, poisons are:

Neurotoxic. The substance stops the transmission of neuromuscular signals and the person dies of paralysis of the lungs.
Hematovasotoxic. Such poisons cause muscle spasms and swelling of the internalorgans.

The venoms of the most dangerous snakes are also divided by origin. So, they secrete the poisons of sea snakes. They are considered the strongest among all existing. Asp venoms, which have neurotoxic effects, and viper venoms also belong to this classification.

Formidable opponents

If we talk about the most dangerous snakes in the world, then a person is unlikely to get rid of them with a slight fright. Such a meeting can be fatal, so you need to know who to be afraid of.

The top 10 most dangerous snakes include the following reptiles:

Tiger snake.
Taipan.
Dubois is a sea snake.
Mulga.
Malay Krait.
Sand efa.
Egyptian cobra or Gaia.
King Cobra or Hamadryad.
Black mamba.
Rattlesnakes.

Brindle

The top of the most dangerous snakes is opened by a resident of Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea - a tiger snake. Its color is fully consistent with the name - the belly is bright yellow, and the back is decorated with wide black stripes.

The venom of this reptile is very toxic. Its amount, released in one bite, is enough to kill 400 people. Despite such a frightening fact, this snake is very peaceful, it only bites if it is directly attacked or someone accidentally steps on it. Unfortunately, accidentally stepping on this reptile is quite real, because it can be very easily confused with a stick. It sounds, of course, paradoxical, but travelers often grab a tiger snake to drive away another snake.or poisonous spider. So in Australia, before you pick up something, you need to take a closer look at this something.

This snake has very little poison, so it saves it. Often, tourists can come across ads in Australia that the tiger snake is very cowardly, so you don’t need to kill it when you meet it. She will leave on her own, and if she shows aggression, then, no doubt, she will attack.

Taipan

Another most dangerous snake is also a resident of Australia and New Guinea. The bite of this representative of the fauna can even kill a horse, and its name has long been considered synonymous with death. Its poison could kill hundreds of people.

For a long time nothing was known about this snake, because everyone who came face to face with it died. Only in the middle of the twentieth century, the first taipan caught was presented to the scientific community. A person who is bitten by this snake will live no more than an hour. Of course, there is an antidote, but the victim has only three minutes to give an injection, then it will be useless, so even today half of those bitten by taipan die.

Unlike the tiger snake, the taipan is not the most peaceful creature, and is also very fast. You need to have literally lightning-fast reaction to avoid his attack. One plus - the reptile is quite rare. It is not found in densely populated and urbanized regions. In the modern world, there are three subspecies of these snakes: coastal taipan, desert (it is also called a cruel snake, because it rushes at everyone indiscriminately) and land taipan.

HerHRH Madame Dubois

The third place in the top of the most dangerous snakes is taken by the dubois sea snake. While all sea snakes are venomous, this one has extremely toxic venom. The reptile lives in the seas of Indonesia, Malaysia and on the coasts of Australia. Its poison strikes the respiratory center, and the victim dies of paralysis of the lungs.

All sea snakes live at shallow depths, after all, they breathe with lungs and are forced to surface from time to time for a portion of air. Although snakes are able to absorb oxygen from the water with the help of the mucous membrane of the mouth, they cannot stay under water for more than two hours.

Dubois lives mainly in shallow water, so bathing people often become her victims. By itself, the snake is not aggressive, but since it is difficult to see it under the water column, a person can accidentally step on it. Although the venom of the sea snake is toxic, it injects it in small doses, so people practically do not die from the bites of this reptile.

Mulga

And again, the most dangerous poisonous snake is a resident of Australia. Mulga, or brown king, produces a lot of poison, therefore it is very dangerous, although its poison is not as toxic as, for example, that of the taipan. The further north a snake lives, the angrier its character.

Mulga prefers to drive away an enemy she is not going to eat, rather than bite him. Most victims of her bites are themselves to blame for trying to tease the snake, beat with a stick, or wanted to catch. The remaining minority of those bitten are people who just accidentally hit her without noticing.

Mulga is a large snake, sometimes it can grow up to three meters in length. Her back shines with a beautiful chocolate shade, her belly is several tones lighter. Serum from her bites exists and works very well if you enter it at the right time. But this snake is often confused with the brown snake, which is not included in the top of the most dangerous snakes in the world. Wrongly chosen treatment becomes the main cause of deaths after meeting with mulga.

Malay Krait

The territory of its habitat is the Malay Archipelago. The body of this snake is decorated with black, white or yellow stripes. Its bites are very toxic, some of the victims die even after receiving medical attention. The researchers note that the poison from a single bite of a krait is enough to send 10 people into the world.

Krayts behave differently depending on the time of day. Usually during the day these snakes are lethargic and sleepy, so if they see a person, they crawl away on their own, without making any extra sounds. At night, the snakes become fast and agile, and can attack even without a warning hiss.

Krayts often settle next to a person and often become casual guests of a human dwelling. It's good that they have short fangs that cannot bite through tight denim clothing.

Efa

Perhaps it can rightly be called the most dangerous snake in Africa, it accounts for more human deaths than all African snakes. Efa is a small bright snake, less than a meter in length. Hereasy to notice because of the color - golden scales with white spots. Lives mainly in desert areas.

Everyone who did not die after being bitten by this snake was left with an invalid. The poison of this reptile causes the death of the skin. Therefore, after a bite to a person, limbs are often amputated or skin is transplanted. Also, the poison of sand epha causes bleeding in all mucous membranes. Blood begins to ooze from the eyes, ears, nose.

Despite such a terrifying biography, Efa has never had a warlike character. She uses poison for hunting, and she tries to avoid encounters with bipeds. As soon as she sees a person, she begins to make a special sound. Do not get close to her, she jumps far and fast, capable of hitting the enemy at a distance of three meters.

Gaya

Speaking of the most dangerous snakes, it is impossible not to mention cobras. The Egyptian cobra belongs to the aspid family and is considered the most dangerous among them. In Egypt, she is worshiped as Cleopatra's snake.

Gaya reaches a length of about 1.5 meters, and can also spit with poison. Bitten by an Egyptian cobra can die after 15 minutes. There is an antidote, but it does not always have time to introduce it in time. The cobra is especially stubborn, if it gets angry, it will definitely bite - no exhortations will help.

Despite the danger, cobras in Egypt are often kept as pets (after breaking off their teeth). Also, these snakes are used for entertainment - they often perform in the markets with hand kites. There is a belief among the Egyptians thatEgyptian cobras only bite bad people, but the facts say otherwise - cobras often attack a person not only without warning, but also for no reason.

Hamadryad

Another cobra, included in the top 10 most dangerous snakes, is proudly called the royal one. It is considered the largest venomous snake in the world. Before attacking a person, the snake becomes in a fighting stance, opens its hood and hisses menacingly. The king cobra can reach a length of more than five meters. At the same time, its fangs are much smaller than those of other poisonous snakes. In most reptiles, the poisonous fangs are folded; in the cobra, they remain static. Therefore, they are small, and if they were even a millimeter larger, the snake simply could not close its mouth. A similar structure of the jaw leads to the features of the attack. Usually, snakes bite and quickly return to a fighting position, while a cobra tightly clings to its prey so that the poison penetrates deeper. While biting, she can "chew" her opponent, sinking her fangs into the flesh over and over again.

And yet, this method of combat is not entirely effective: while the snake bites a person, its body remains defenseless, so king cobras attack people with great reluctance. During the bite, they may not even inject poison into the victim, and sometimes, after their frightening dance, they simply hit the person with their head to scare. And yet, only a quarter of the wounded survive after her bite.

Black mamba

Another 10 most dangerous snakes include a three-meter reptile from the mamba genus. The black mamba lives in Africacontinent. During an attack, it never limits itself to one bite, the snake will try to inject venom several times in a row. If the poison enters a vein or artery, the victim dies on the spot.

Approximately 20,000 people die each year from black mamba bites in Africa. The mamba can be olive, gray or brown in color and is uniquely distinguished by its black mouth. The speed of this snake is simply amazing - 20 kilometers per hour. For this achievement, she was even listed in the Guinness Book of Records. But its danger is not only in speed, but also in a strange desire to live next to a person. Mamba is calm, and if he sees danger in the face of a person, he tries to hide in a hollow and an abandoned termite mound.

In Africa, there is a belief that her partner will come to avenge a killed mamba, so the snake needs to be dragged away from home. It is also believed that a snake can chase a person for several kilometers to bite.

Rattlesnakes

These snakes are commonly found in Asia and the Americas. The length of the largest representative of this family (rhombic rattlesnake) can reach 2.5 meters. Such reptiles are known for their "rattles" on their tails. These snakes do not like to engage in fights with large opponents, so if they see danger, they begin to “ring the rattle”, warning not of an attack, but of their presence. Only bites when absolutely necessary.

The venom of these snakes is highly toxic and often fatal. Another dangerous thing is that rattlesnakes have strong jaws,which are able to bite through even a dense, leather boot. The antidote is successful in combating deaths, but the poison can cause tissue necrosis, due to which you can lose a limb.

But if you look at things rationally, it does not matter which of the most dangerous snakes is in the path of man. A reptile will never attack unless it has a reason to.