Snake Exploring Prepared By 1 Dr M I

Snake Exploring Prepared By: 1) Dr. M. I. Patel 2) Prof. Harshdeep V. Shah 3) Nishit G. Gajjar

Evolution of Snakes

Most Venomous Snakes

1. Belcher’s Sea Snake You may be somewhat familiar with these sea snakes. They are quite common, and you may have seen them in films or even in person. They are recognizable from their stripes. Usually these snakes have no interest in confrontation, but if one feels threatened, it may bite you. Three out of four times this will be no big deal, since only about one quarter of Belcher’s Sea Snakes carry venom. Those that do though have the highest concentration of venom in existence. Just a few milligrams has the capacity to kill thousands of human beings, making this the most poisonous snake in the world. Nonetheless, most Belcher’s Sea Snakes are quite harmless thanks to a docile personality and a lack of venom.

2. Rattlesnake When most people think of poisonous snakes, the rattlesnake springs to mind pretty quickly. These snakes are found throughout the Americas and are actually a type of viper. Their name comes of course from the rattle which is found at the end of the tail and which creates a distinctive noise. Eastern Diamondbacks are the most poisonous of all rattlesnakes. Thankfully, only about 4% of bites result in fatalities with prompt treatment, but untreated, any rattlesnake bite has the potential to kill. The venom can also cause permanent damage to organs and may even lead to the loss of a limb.

3. Death Adder You know that famous legend about Cleopatra using a snake to kill herself? The type of snake she supposedly used was a death adder. You can find these snakes throughout Australia, New Guinea, and other regions. A bite can result in paralysis, respiratory arrest, and death inside of only six hours. With fast treatment, a patient is unlikely to die, but without treatment, about 50% of bites are lethal. Death adders also prey on other snakes.

4. Inland Taipan While it’s difficult to be as impressed by the Inland Taipan after learning about the concentration of venom in a Belcher’s Sea Snake bite, it’d be foolish to discount the Taipan just because its bite can only kill as many as 100 people! Taipans usually avoid human contact, however, and you are unlikely to ever encounter one.

5. Eastern Brown Snake This type of snake is among the few which are actually aggressive. It is commonly found in Australia, and may be found in populated areas like cities, not just remote locations. If it perceives someone as a threat, it will actually chase that person out of its territory. If the snake is not confident of its safety, it may decide to bite. If it does so, it may bite many times during a single attack. Less than half contain venom, but those that do can cause paralysis or death. Because of its proximity to population centers and its aggression, you could argue the Eastern Brown Snake is the most dangerous snake in the world.

6. Blue Krait This snake is not as well known as some, but its venom is 16 times more potent than that of the cobra! There also is no really good antivenin to use, which makes it quite deadly. The Blue Krait tends to keep to itself and usually only comes out at night, though, so it is generally easy to avoid.

7. Black Mamba This snake is usually found in Africa. A single bite contains enough venom to kill ten people (Just ten? You’re still thinking about that sea snake, aren’t you). It can travel as fast as 20 km/h, which makes it the fastest snake on the planet. The Black Mamba will bite a number of times when it attacks, and if the bite is not treated, it is almost always going to result in death.

8. Tiger Snake This snake is native to Australia and is recognizable because of it width and yellow bands. The bites are very accurate, and without treatment, will result in death nearly three quarters of the time.

9. Philippine Cobra This snake is easily spotted because of its wide neck collar. While cobras inspire fear, most types of cobras don’t even make this list. The Philippine Cobra, however, does. It doesn’t even have to bite you to poison you. All it has to do is spit, and it can do that from 3 meters away and still hit you. Paralysis from the venom can cause death within thirty minutes.

10. Saw Scaled Viper This viper is usually found in the Far East and Middle East, and generally comes out after dark. The main danger with this creature is that the venom is so slow-acting that a victim may make the mistake of waiting too long to seek treatment. Treatment can prevent death in the majority of cases, but without it, death will result slowly and painfully over the course of two to four weeks.

11. Taipan Another entry from Australia, the venom in a Taipan is strong enough to kill up to 12, 000 guinea pigs. The venom clots the victim’s blood, blocking arteries or veins. It is also highly neurotoxic. Before the advent of an antivenin, there are no known survivors of a Taipan bite, and death typically occurs within an hour. Even with successful administration of antivenin, most victims will have an extensive stay in intensive care. It has been likened to the African Black Mamba in morphology, ecology and behavior.

12. Vipers are found throughout most of the world, but arguably the most venomous is the Saw Scaled Viper and the Chain Viper, found primarily in the Middle East and Central Asia, particularly India, China and South East Asia. Vipers are quick tempered and generally nocturnal, often active after rains. They are also very fast. Most of these species have venom that cause symptoms that begin with pain at the site of the bite, immediately followed by swelling of the affected extremity. Bleeding is a common symptom, especially from the gums. There is a drop in blood pressure and the heart rate falls. Blistering occurs at the site of the bite, developing along the affected limb in severe cases. Necrosis is usually superficial and limited to the muscles near the bite, but may be severe in extreme cases. Vomiting and facial swelling occurs in about one-third of all cases. Severe pain may last for 2 -4 weeks. Often, local swelling peaks within 48 -72 hours, involving the affected limb. Discoloration may occur throughout the swollen area as red blood cells and plasma leak into muscle tissue. Death from septicaemia, respiratory or cardiac failure may occur 1 to 14 days post-bite, or even later.

Indian Snakes That Are Non Poisonous Indian subcontinent is home to approximately 10 percent of the total snake species found in the world, There are 270 species of snakes in India, out of which about 60 are highly venomous and 30 species are Non Poisonous. Other then the below list of Non Venomous Indian Snakes, these are few more Non Poisonous snakes of India such as Reticulated Python, Brahminy Worm Snake, Stripped Keelback snake and Mildly Venomous Flying Snake and Vine Snake.

1. Indian Rat Snake The oriental ratsnake or Indian rat snake is a common species of colubrid snake found in India and local named as Dhaman snakes are one of the longest and fast-moving snake in India, frequently found in urban areas where rodents thrive.

2. Indian Rock Python a large nonvenomous python species found in Indian subcontinent, locally called as Ajgar in Hindi. Like all snakes, Indian pythons are strict carnivores and feed on mammals and Occurs in a grasslands, swamps and rocky foothills habitats.

3. Common Sand Boa or Indian sand boa is a nonvenomous boa species endemic to Indian subcontinent also found in Iran. Red sand boas is called do - muha snake in Hindi because of the resemblance of the tail to its head, found in dry, semi-desert scrub plains and rocky dry foothills.

4. Banded Racer The Banded Racer is a species of colubrid snake found in India, the Nonvenomous snake of small to medium-sized found in the plains of North Bengal and Kashmir. Banded Racer is one of the 20 species of Non-venomous Indian snakes, Katraj Snake Park of Pune has the maximum number of snakes species in India.

5. Dog-faced Water Snake is a species of a colubrid snake found in coastal waters of India, commonly found in mangroves forest of Sunderbans Delta. Roar movie has a scene where Dog Faced Water Snakes are attacking one person in the mangroves forest.

Anatomy of the Snakes

Incubation by snakes

Symptoms after Snake Bite