Snake Encyclopedia
Search and identify 1,000+ snakes from around the world — with family, range, size, habitat, and how to tell similar species apart.
Fer-de-lance
A large, fast-moving pit viper found across much of Central America.
False Fer-de-lance
A colubrid widely known for resembling fer-de-lance pit vipers through dramatic head-flattening displays.
Amazon False Fer-de-lance
A viper-mimicking colubrid of the Amazon that flattens its head into a triangular shape, resembling a pit viper.
Terciopelo
A large pit viper found across Central America.
Mexican Lance-headed Rattlesnake
A small rattlesnake of the central Mexican plateau notable for its distinctly narrow, lance-shaped head compared to most rattlesnakes.
De Vis' Banded Snake
A small, secretive elapid of inland eastern Australia's floodplains, closely related to the Ornamental Snake.
Kaulback's Lance-Headed Pit Viper
A lance-headed pit viper of remote montane forests along the Myanmar-China-Vietnam border region, named after naturalist Ronald Kaulback.
Ladder Snake
A large, robust Iberian colubrid named for the ladder-like pattern seen in juveniles, which fades into two dark dorsal stripes in adults.
Cuban Boa
The largest native snake in Cuba, a powerful constrictor known for hunting bats at cave entrances and adapting to a range of habitats across the island.
Florida Brownsnake
A small, common brown snake of Florida gardens and woodlands, closely related to the widespread De Kay's Brownsnake.
Flat-Nosed Pit Viper
A little-known montane pit viper of northern Myanmar and adjacent regions, noted for its flattened snout profile.
Ornamental Snake
A small, patterned nocturnal elapid restricted to the Brigalow Belt of central Queensland, listed as vulnerable due to habitat loss.
Semi-ornate Sand Snake
A fast, slender, striped sand snake found across dry savanna and semi-desert regions of Africa.
Desert Mountain Adder
A little-known rocky-terrain adder confined to arid mountain slopes along the Orange River region of southern Africa.
Jararaca
A widespread South American pit viper important pharmacologically, as compounds isolated from it led to the development of ACE inhibitor drugs.
Arunachal Pit Viper
A green pit viper endemic to Arunachal Pradesh, part of a wave of newly described pit viper species from the eastern Himalayan foothills.
Western Groundsnake
A small, highly variable desert snake that may be striped, banded, or plain depending on the population.
Yellow Rat Snake
A striking striped rat snake variant found in the Deep South, typically yellow or olive with four dark longitudinal stripes.
Gray-banded Kingsnake
A desert kingsnake famed for its highly variable banding of gray, orange, and black, native to the Chihuahuan Desert.
Black-Headed Snake
A tiny, secretive desert colubrid distinguished by a solid black or dark cap over the head, contrasting with its plain lighter body.
Black Swampsnake
A small, glossy black wetland snake with a bright red-orange belly, found in dense marsh vegetation of the southeastern coastal plain.
Trans-Pecos Rat Snake
A slender desert rat snake with a distinctive H-shaped or blotched pattern, found in rocky canyons and limestone hills of the Chihuahuan Desert.
Milos Viper
A rare, island-endemic viper found only on Milos and a few nearby Cycladic islands in Greece, notable for its restricted range and conservation concern.
Cyclades Blunt-Nosed Viper
A critically endangered island viper found only on Milos and a few neighboring Cycladic islands in the Aegean Sea.