World's 6 Deadliest Snakes

Usually the deadliest snake would be the one that just bit you. Of the 2,000 different species of snakes in the world, there are 6 that hold a fierce reputation. All measured for size, volume, toxicity of venom, personality, and deaths caused, these selected snakes are topped for being the most fatal of all of their kind. So watch out whenever you come in contact with any snake or these in particular:

King Cobra

Found mostly in India, the King is the longest and most venomous snake in the world. A substantial snake reaching up to 18 feet long, it can be dangerous. Their venom is lethal and can produce more venom and has the largest venom sacs than any other snake, up to 2 teaspoons. The King can lift three-fourths of their body off the ground and move forward in that position, especially in defensive and offensive mode.

When bit by the King, the toxic venom is injected in the body and blocks electric impulses passed between neurons in the nervous system. You become paralyzed and your heart and lungs shut down and eventually you will die. One bite of the King can kill up to 20 adults. Their casualties are 5-10 people per year. What's fascinating about the King is that it growls because of the vibrating membrane in the kazoo like poles in the windpipes.

Spitting Cobra

Located in South Africa, this venomous snake is smaller than the King Cobra by a bit. This reptile is called 'spitting' for a reason. Holes on the Spitters' fangs are more rounded on the front than other species of cobras. When the cobra exhales, venom shoots out toward the prey or enemy and is accurate up to 8 feet. Andrew Jackson, a Wildlife Conservationist, states that they are pretty accurate and hit what they intend to spit at and spits at movement.

If the venom is squirted on a human being, it does nothing unless it comes in contact with a cut or in the eyes, which causes blindness. To kill, the venom must enter the blood stream. If it does, it has the same affect as the King Cobra, which causes paralysis. Spitting is only their distance defense mechanism, so it's wise not to get too close. The Spitting Cobra records only a dozen fatalities a year.

Inland Taipan

Found in Australia's outback, this has the most lethal venom of all snakes in the planet. It grows in 8 feet of length and has no unique personality but its venom. It is considered a fierce snake because of its venom which can kill 60-100 people or 100,000 native rats with one bite. The Taipans' venom is overwhelming neurotoxin venom causing complete paralysis by clotting your blood, turning it into a thick soup texture destroying all vital organs. "1 milligram of the venom is equal to 1 M&M candy cut into 1,000 equal pieces and of that piece, is how much it takes to kill one adult human being," says Terry Phillip, a Curator of Reptiles. Without anti-venom, death is inevitable, but luckily so far there are no recorded human deaths.

Russell's and Fer De Lance Viper

In Mangalore, India, these two snakes are similar and come from the same breed but it's their fangs that make them different. The vipers usually shelter in decaying coconut leaves to stay cool and ambush prey. The Russell's viper can grow only up to 5 feet, while the Fer De Lance grows to be 8 feet in length. The hemolytic toxins from the viper attack the blood and tissue forcing them to clot and dissolving them and the skin. When a human's blood clots, the body tells it not to clot, the result ends where the body gets confused and the human starts bleeding from everywhere.

On 1997, in a field station in Costa Rica, herpetologist Mora Maple had a near encounter with the Fer De Lance. Although it bites over 100 people per year, it is nocturnal and that night, Mora forgot to where boots and wore sandals. Heat sensitive organs on the front of the viper's snout allow them to detect warm animals in total darkness which can detect up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit giving the snake a thermal image of their surroundings. When but, her life hung in the balance. Mora's veins and flesh began to dissolve; blood pressure plummeted, and took 17 viles of anti-venom to stop the poison. Luckily she survived and her entire leg and ankle had to be surgical rebuilt.

The Russell's viper kills thousands of people in Asia and has the longest fangs of any group of snakes which average in about an inch but some vipers are twice that long. For being so long, it has a distinct method of closing its jaws as the fangs fold up on the roof of the mouth.

Python

Located in South Africa, it grows to be 20 feet long which is the longest of the 6 deadliest. This particular snake escapes the heat by slithering into built aardvark burrows. A strong python can drag a human underwater and hold the victim until they drown. Pythons have more than 100 needle sharp teeth and a bulldog grill. When coiled around a body, the python inserts 100 pounds of presser per square inch which is enough to compress one's heart and stop the flow of blood in the body causing heart failure and death.

It is massive enough to swallow a whole child. To devour prey, it opens its jaws to 180 degrees, teeth are recurred backwards and two sides of the skull more independently rod back and forth locking the jaws up and over the prey. The Python has no known venom. This is the only snake that can stalk and eat human beings.

Black Mamba

Found in South Africa, this reptile is the most deadliest and fastest of all snakes topping a speed of 12 miles per hour. It can grow up to 14 feet in length. Mambas are often found on trees hunting and basking in the sun. The Mamba is long and slender which makes them light weight having elongated muscles and tendons along their spines, allowing fewer bends when they move. Fewer bends means less of their bodies that touch the ground, which reduces friction. After being bit, a human being can die in minutes. There are no known human casualties.

It's best to get out of harms way by not messing with any living reptile of any sort. Usually, snakes won't mess with anyone until they are messed with or in their way.