Snake Encyclopedia
Search and identify 1,000+ snakes from around the world — with venomous status, family, range, size, habitat, and how to tell look-alikes apart.
False Fer-de-lance
A harmless colubrid widely known for mimicking dangerous fer-de-lance pit vipers through dramatic head-flattening displays.
Steppe Ratsnake
A widespread, cold-tolerant ratsnake of the Eurasian steppe and taiga edges, ranging farther north than almost any other ratsnake species.
Jamaican Boa
Jamaica's largest native snake, a non-venomous constrictor known locally as the 'yellow snake' for its coloration, and considered vulnerable due to introduced predators.
Striped Skaapsteker
A slender, longitudinally striped snake found across grassland regions of southern and East Africa, closely related to the spotted skaapsteker.
Spotted Skaapsteker
A slender, patterned southern African snake whose name derives from a folk belief linking it to livestock, though it is not dangerous to sheep or people.
Schott's Whipsnake
A slender, fast-moving whipsnake of South Texas brushlands, patterned with pale crossbands on a darker ground color.
Banded Sea Krait
A distinctive black-and-pale banded sea snake that comes ashore to rest, digest, and lay eggs, unlike fully aquatic sea snakes.
Whitaker's Sand Boa
A small, burrowing sand boa native to western India, named for herpetologist Romulus Whitaker and closely related to the more widespread red sand boa.
Olive Keelback
A drab, olive-toned freshwater colubrid common in ponds, ditches, and paddies across South Asia.
Striped Keelback
A common, slender colubrid with pale stripes along the back, frequently found near water and farmland across South Asia.
Water Moccasin
A heavy-bodied semi-aquatic pit viper of the southeastern US, named for the white lining of its mouth displayed as a threat.
Inland Taipan
A highly venomous but reclusive Australian elapid of remote arid regions, often cited for its extremely potent venom.
Cape Centipede-Eater
A small, secretive southern African snake that specializes in hunting centipedes, subduing them with a mild rear-fanged venom.
Malayan Krait
A slender, black-and-white banded krait of Southeast Asia, closely resembling the many-banded krait and regarded as one of the region's most medically significant snakes.
Duberria Lutrix
A small, harmless African colubrid known scientifically as Duberria lutrix, specialized in eating slugs and snails.
Common Slug-eater
A small, docile African colubrid that feeds exclusively on slugs and snails, completely harmless to humans.
Mole Kingsnake
A secretive, burrowing kingsnake subspecies with a faded, blotched pattern that grows more obscure with age.
Barkly Tableland Death Adder
A grassland-dwelling death adder restricted to the black soil plains of the Barkly Tableland in northern Australia.
Boelen's Python
A striking black python with an iridescent sheen and cream banding, restricted to the mountainous highlands of New Guinea.
Many-Banded Krait
A slender, black-and-white banded krait of East and Southeast Asia with venom among the most potent of any land snake, well known in the herpetological and medical literature.
False Water Cobra
A large, aquatic South American colubrid capable of flattening its neck into a cobra-like hood when threatened.
Western Groundsnake
A small, highly variable desert snake that may be striped, banded, or plain depending on the population.
Highland Copperhead
A cold-adapted Australian elapid found at higher elevations in the southeast, closely related to the lowland copperhead but occupying alpine and subalpine habitats.
Salazar's Pit Viper
A recently described green pit viper from northeastern India, popularly noted for being named after a fictional Harry Potter character.