Venomous Snake Identification - Identifying Poisonous Snakes

Comments on article "Venomous Snake Identification - Identifying Poisonous Snakes"
Name Views and CommentsDate
Jack That's horrible. A slit pupil refers to diurnal or nocturnal, not venomous or not. Coral Snakes are deadly, but have a round pupil. Many snakes have pits or vents. I had a python with very easily identifiable vents. I'm not saying you are wrong about what some venomous snakes look like, but you might identify a snake as "safe" that isn't, which is dangerous.

The ONLY safe rule of thumb for identifying venomous vs. non venomous snakes is: If you cannot positively and immediately identify the exact species of a snake in the wild, do not pick it up. Too many times, rules of thumb are inadequate and lead to someone who isn't really sure picking up the wrong snake. If you don't know exactly what species the snake in front you is, you should always leave it alone.		 10/24/2011
rahul dev thanks sir for introduce snakes... 7/25/2011
Ezhilarasan.A i like this view of varities of snakes and i learnt about the snakes so this is very usefull to identify the snakes which is venomous snakes and which is non-venomous snakes and one more thing is snakes are also a living being so avoid of killing it my dear friends and the most important thing is snakes are harmless unless we trouble them so please save the snakes and like the snakes but dont hurt them because they are precious living thing in the world so be happy my friends and like the snakes ... 7/25/2011
Skinz The information above regarding "All venomous snakes have eliptical eyes" is wrong. Although most venomous species have thes eyes to make a definate statement regarding all species is misinforming and potentially dangerous. 2/28/2011
David R "Snakes, which are not poisonous, possess a round pupil in the center of the eye. All poisonous snakes possess a vertical elliptical cat-like shaped pupil. Venomous snake will possess a small depression between the eye and nostril. This is termed a pit, which is used to sense heat in their prey. If the snake has stripes from head to tail chances are it is a non-venomous snake."

How very misleading this paragraph is. Consider the first statement, concerning serpents with round pupils in their eyes. The coral snakes all have round pupils and are some of the most venomous serpents on the North American continent. The second statement could easily be corrected if, instead of "all poisonous snakes", it referred to "most pit vipers in North America". The third statement is true also of all pit vipers, but not of all poisonous/venomous snakes in North America. The last statement in the paragraph is superfluous, misleading, overly general, and could lead an untrained person to make a deadly mistake!

The more I read this, the more I wish the author would reconsider some of the overly broad statements made. For the amateur, the best method of identification for any serpent is to use a decent field guide (Roger Conant's field guide is an excellent one, if a bit dated.) It is NEVER safe to assume from head shape, coloration, or any single characteristic that you know the species of a particular specimen.

Even experienced herpetologists get bitten if they get careless while handling serpents, and even a non-venomous serpent's bite can cause pain, swelling, and infection around the bite. Always have a healthy respect for the creatures you may handle, and treat them with due care and caution.		 1/30/2011
Boomslang A lot of misleading information. Regarding the fact that only snakes with vertical pupils are venomous for example; What about the Boomslang and most cobras - their pupils are round and not vertical. 12/9/2010
Nyghtmaer13 "Venomous Snake Identification - Identifying Poisonous Snakes
Snakes are much feared creatures. However a majority of snake species are not poisonous. Read on to know certain character traits of snakes that will help you identify the poisonous ones."

Poisonous is NOT the same thing as venomous. Venom is injected. Poison is inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin. There is no such thing as a poisonous snake. Snakes can be venomous, but not poisonous. Saying that snakes can be poisonous is not scientifically accurate and is misleading.		 11/3/2010
Lin D I think if your day job doesn't require a real knowledge of snakes to keep you safe from the venomous ones, you're probably okay and apt to stay that way. Keep THAT job and leave snakes to people who really do know about them. You've included quite a few myths in your article as if to say they're true. Don't feel bad, though, you are not the only one who's wrongfully bought into these myths. Some of these myths are very popular among people who don't study, handle or work with snakes. 10/6/2010
Vincent foreman I have found a snake that I am not fermillyer with it orange with black spots about 6 inches long and its head puffs out like an after I have a pitcher of it and no link to send it to can u tell me what kind of snake it is 9/25/2010
Dhanush Excellent information... 8/8/2010
ire I can' t find any red bttn rattle snake thing! 6/7/2010
dhananjay singh some more sketches and the marks of the wounds of snake bite should be added 10/4/2009
joe show me a picture of a watersnakes 7/29/2009
Joyce What kind of snake has a grey bod, orange belly and a copper colored head as a baby? 5/23/2009
Archana It is very useful article to differentiate between poisonous and non poisonous snakes. 3/9/2009
Timski It is not elapsid, it is elapid. It may also be helpful to include info. on colubrids, as they make up the largest of ophidian families, and the easiest to identify, and that there are venomous species, however none that are native to North America. 3/6/2009
HEATHER THAKES NOW I KNOW NOT TO MESS WITH SNAKES 9/14/2008
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