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.
Northern Cottonmouth
A stout, semi-aquatic pit viper of southeastern wetlands, named for the white lining of its mouth displayed as a threat.
Plain Mountain Adder
A subtly patterned, rarely seen small viper endemic to high-altitude grasslands of South Africa's Eastern Cape.
Mussurana
A large, snake-eating colubrid famed for its resistance to pit viper venom and its dramatic ontogenetic color change.
Patagonian Lancehead
A small pit viper found further south than any other pitviper in the world, inhabiting the cold steppes of Patagonia.
Southern Copperhead
A common, well-camouflaged pit viper of southern woodlands, responsible for many defensive bites due to its cryptic pattern.
Fer-de-lance
A large, fast-moving, and medically significant pit viper responsible for the majority of snakebite incidents across much of its Central American range.
Jararaca
A widespread South American pit viper important both medically and pharmacologically, as its venom led to the development of ACE inhibitor drugs.
Copperhead Rattlesnake
Despite the informal name, a rattle-less pit viper with a distinctive coppery, hourglass-banded pattern found across the eastern US.
Common Cat Snake
A slender, patterned nocturnal snake found across the Indian subcontinent, often mistaken for a young viper due to its triangular head and vertical pupils.
Island Lancehead
A rare, small island-endemic pit viper found only on Alcatrazes Island off the coast of Brazil, closely related to the Golden Lancehead.
Black Mussurana
A large, glossy black colubrid widespread across Latin America, famed for eating other snakes, including venomous vipers and coral snakes.
Velvety Green Night Adder
A smooth-scaled, bright green night adder found in East and Central African grasslands, distinguished from bush vipers by its rounded head and smooth scalation.
Common Death Adder
A short, thick-bodied ambush-predator elapid that mimics a viper in body shape and hunting style, using a worm-like tail lure to attract prey.
Puff Adder
A widespread, thick-bodied African viper responsible for more snakebite incidents than any other African species, largely due to its abundance and camouflage.
Common Puff Adder
A widespread and heavy-bodied African viper responsible for more snakebite fatalities than any other African species, due to its abundance and cryptic camouflage.
Viperine Sea Snake
One of the largest and most heavily built sea snakes, with a viper-like thick body and disproportionately large head, capable of delivering a substantial venom yield.