Snake Identifier

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.

Central Asian Saw-Scaled Viper

Central Asian Saw-Scaled Viper

A subspecies of saw-scaled viper adapted to the arid steppe and desert basins of Central Asia.

Transcaucasian Sand Viper

Transcaucasian Sand Viper

A desert-dwelling viper of the Caucasus and Iranian plateau, closely related to the false horned vipers.

Speckled Rattlesnake

Speckled Rattlesnake

A desert-dwelling rattlesnake whose speckled coloration closely matches the rocky terrain it inhabits.

Sonoran Whipsnake

Sonoran Whipsnake

A slender, arboreal-inclined desert whipsnake with a striking olive-to-gray body and pale lateral stripes.

Halys Pit Viper

Halys Pit Viper

A widespread Central Asian pit viper found across steppe, desert, and semi-arid habitats.

Tiger Rattlesnake

Tiger Rattlesnake

A small desert rattlesnake with numerous fine crossbands and a proportionally small head but disproportionately potent venom.

Baja California Rattlesnake

Baja California Rattlesnake

A small rattlesnake endemic to the arid Baja California peninsula, adapted to desert scrub and rocky terrain.

Great Basin Rattlesnake

Great Basin Rattlesnake

A pale, desert-adapted rattlesnake of the arid Great Basin, blending well with sandy and rocky terrain.

Saharan Sand Boa

Saharan Sand Boa

A burrowing sand boa of the Saharan and Sahelian regions of Africa, adapted for life beneath loose desert sand.

Sidewinder

Sidewinder

A small desert rattlesnake famous for its unique sideways locomotion, which minimizes contact with scorching sand.

Persian Horned Viper

Persian Horned Viper

A desert viper of the Middle East with prominent hornlike scales above the eyes, occupying rocky and sandy terrain.

Painted Saw-Scaled Viper

Painted Saw-Scaled Viper

A brightly patterned desert viper of the Arabian Peninsula known for its distinctive warning display and rasping sound.

Sand Viper

Sand Viper

One of the smallest vipers in the world, a tiny desert adder famous for its sideways locomotion across the dunes of the Namib.

Coastal Rosy Boa

Coastal Rosy Boa

A docile, small desert-and-scrub boa from coastal Southern California, recognized by its three longitudinal stripes.

Northern Black-tailed Rattlesnake

Northern Black-tailed Rattlesnake

A robust, calm-tempered rattlesnake of rocky desert and mountain terrain, easily recognized by its uniformly dark tail.

False Horned Viper

False Horned Viper

A desert viper of the Middle East that mimics true horned vipers with supraocular scale projections, but belongs to a distinct genus.

Sochurek's Saw-Scaled Viper

Sochurek's Saw-Scaled Viper

A medically important desert viper closely related to the Common Saw-Scaled Viper, recognized as a distinct species in some taxonomies.

Field's Horned Viper

Field's Horned Viper

A small desert viper of the Middle East recognized by hornlike scales above the eyes, adapted for a burrowing, sand-dwelling lifestyle.

Common Krait

Common Krait

A highly venomous nocturnal elapid of South Asia, glossy blue-black with faint white crossbands, responsible for a significant number of snakebite cases in the region.

Arabian Horned Viper

Arabian Horned Viper

A sand-dwelling desert viper of the Arabian Peninsula, closely resembling the African Horned Viper but occupying a distinct eastern range.

Sind Saw-Scaled Viper

Sind Saw-Scaled Viper

A small, highly defensive desert viper known for producing a distinctive rasping warning sound by rubbing its serrated scales together.

Rosy Boa

Rosy Boa

A small, calm desert boa recognized by three dark longitudinal stripes running down its otherwise pale, sandy body.

Horned Adder

Horned Adder

A small desert adder with a prominent single horn-like scale above each eye, well camouflaged against sandy soils.

Mojave Rattlesnake

Mojave Rattlesnake

A desert rattlesnake notable for producing venom with potent neurotoxic components in many populations, distinguishing it medically from most other rattlesnakes.