The first time I was intrigued by a snake was during the movie scene of Harry Potter’s first encounter with Nagini. At that time, that beast seemed like the deadliest magical creature I had ever seen. Little did I know dangerous snakes like Nagini do exist in real life, and they are far more threatening than the CGI-incarnated Horcrux.
According to the World Health Organization, there are 600 species of venomous snakes, but only 200 that are really dangerous to humans’ lives. Before we dive into the most dangerous snakes on the planet, let’s get our hiss-vocabulary straight.
Snake: limbless scaled reptiles with a long tapering body and with salivary glands often modified to produce venom which is injected through grooved or tubular fangs.
Cobra: venomous Asian and African elapid snakes that when excited expand the skin of the neck into a hood by movement of the anterior ribs.
Viper: a common Eurasian venomous snake that attains a length of about 2 feet, varies in color from red, brown, or gray with dark markings to black.
(Courtesy: Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
And to remember the difference between poisonous and venomous, we will quote the famous Tumblr thread that appeared a few years ago: “If you bite it and you die, it’s poisonous, and if it bites you and you die, it’s venomous.”
(Thank you, random Tumblr superhero!)
Now prepare yourself to be amazed AND frightened – these dangerous snakes didn’t come to play!
10.) Blue Krait (Malayan Krait)
Thai National Parks
The Blue Krait is considered one of the deadliest snakes in its species. You can find it in Southeast Asia and Indonesia. When we read that the Blue Krait is cannibalizing snakes from its species and other snakes, we knew we weren’t in front of a regular snake.
Also, 50% of its bites are fatal, with a venom 16 times more potent than that of a cobra. The frightening effects of the venom are the overexcitation of muscles, followed by their paralysis. Eeek!
