8 of the World's Deadliest Snakes

Few animals strike as much fear into people as venomous snakes. Although the chances of running into a venomous snake, much less being bitten and dying from the toxin injected into one's body, are miniscule compared to dying from cancer, heart disease, or an automobile accident, this seemingly unreasonable fear remains very real for many people. The snakes described here live primarily in tropical regions, but some might be living in research centers and zoos near you.
_________________________________________________________________________________

The barba amarilla (“yellow chin”) of Latin America

The fer-de-lance (which means “lance head” in French) is not one species but any of several pit vipers from Bothrops, a genus from Central and South America, andTrimeresurus, a genus from Asia. Some officials maintain that young fer-de-lances may be more deadly than the adults because they have not learned to control the doses of venom they deliver.

 One of the most dangerous snakes in Africa

The boomslang (Dispholidus typus) hunts by extending the forward part of its body motionless from a tree, its form mimicking a branch. A rear-fanged snake, it delivers its venom by chewing on its victim until the victim succumbs to the toxins.

The quinessential Australian cobra

The eastern tiger snake (Notechis scutatus) is the most widely distributed type of tiger snake, which inhabits the southern fringe of Australia and the region’s nearby islands. As it prepares to strike, it flattens its head and neck in a manner similar to Asian and African cobras.

The killer of the most people

The saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus) may be the deadliest of all snakes, since scientists believe it to be responsible for more human deaths than all other snake species combined. Its venom, however, is lethal in less than 10 percent of untreated victims, but the snake's aggressiveness means it bites early and often.

 A dangerous snake with a triangular-shaped cross section

The banded krait (Bungarus fasciatus) is a highly venomous relative of the cobra. Its venom is essentially a neurotoxin that induces paralysis.

The longest venomous snake in the world

#2: The largest relative of the cobra in Australia

The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the longest venomous snake in the world. Its bite delivers a tremendous amount of paralysis-inducing neurotoxins. The snake's venom is so strong and so voluminous that it can kill an elephant in just a few hours. Death also results in at least 50 to 60 percent of untreated human cases.

 The largest relative of the cobra in Australia

The coastal taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) produces venom that is nearly identical to that of its inland cousin. Its bite is lethal in more than 80 percent of untreated cases.

The snake with the world's deadliest venom

The bite of an inland taipan—Oxyuranus microlepidotus, also called, appropriately, the fierce snake—delivers a veritable witch's brew of toxins. The venom consists of taipoxin, a complex mix of neurotoxins, procoagulants, and myotoxins that paralyze muscles, inhibit breathing, cause hemorraging in blood vessels and tissues, and damage muscles.