Distinction Between Poisonous and Non-poisonous Snakes

Hello my dear readers.

I am really thankful for your support and suggestions, as they are valuable to me in
making this blog more useful. Today I am going to write an article on how to
distinguish between a poisonous and non-poisonous snake. This is a must know fact
for everyone.
It is necessary for all of us to know the fine differences between the two. Snakes are
friends of agriculture system as they eat up the rodents and help in their natural
control. They in turn are being fed up by eagle, peacock etc. and thus maintaining the
food-cycle. By destroying all snakes we will be just disturbing the nature. You will be
amazed that not all snakes are poisonous. Many of them are non-poisonous in nature.
However it does not mean that there will be no any reaction by their bite. There may
be local inflammation by their bite due to allergic reactions shown by our body.

First we should know that a poisonous snake has poison apparatus- poison glands,
poison ducts and poison teeth called fangs. The poison glands are present behind the
eyes from where the poison ducts run to the base of the fangs. At the tip of the fangs
are groove from which venom is poured into the victim. The snake poison is
popularly known as VENOM.

There are some parameters for their distinctions which are being discussed below.

1. BITE

a. Two large holes surrounded by lateral rows of small holes at the site of bite a
poisonous snake
b. Only small lateral holes (no large holes) non-poisonous snake.

1. 2. EXTERNAL FEATURES

a. TAIL
A flat tail and head covered by large shields points to a sea-snake which is non-
 poisonous. Exception being Distira cyanocincta whose head is covered by small
scales.
In case the tail is cylindrical it is terrestrial snake which may be poisonous or non-
poisonous, then we have to examine the belly.

b. BELLY
Belly with small scales non- poisonous snake.

The small scales are laterally in position and the median ventral scales do not reach
the lateral
sides non- poisonous snake (Python).

But if the belly is completely covered by large transvers scales then we have to
examine the head.

c. HEAD
Dorsal surface is covered by small scales poisonous snake (Viper).
 If there are large scales then examine the following characteristics:

i) A pit between eye and nostril and head partially covered by small scales poisonous
snake (pit-viper, Angkistrodon).

ii) The third supra-labial scale is largest and touches eye and nasal poisonous snake
(Cobra, Naja or king-cobra).

iii) The fourth infra-labial is largest, back with mid-dorsal row of large hexagonal scales
or vertebral and one row of sub-caudals on ventral surface of tail poisonous snake
(Krait, Bungarus).
 If the head is covered by large scales but the three characteristics ( i), ii), iii))
mentioned above are absent then it is a non-poisonous snake such as rat snake or
water snake etc.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VENOMOUS AND NON-

VENOMOUS SNAKES
Most of the snakes are non-poisonous. Identification of poisonous or non-poisonous snakes is
important because sometimes the bite of a non-poisonous snake may lead to death out of fear. The
poisonous snakes possess certain characteristics by which it is possible to distinguish them from non-
poisonous snakes.
The poisonous snakes are identified by a careful examination of the following points.

1.Nature Of The Tail,

2.Natureof The Ventrals,
3.Nature Of The Scales On The Head,
4.Nature Of The Sub-Caudal Scales,
5.Nature Of Vertebrals.
1.From The Nature Of The Tail
The tail of a snake should be observed first.
If the tail of a snake is flat, laterally compressed and oar-shaped (adaptation to swimming in water), it
is a sea snake. All sea snakes are poisonous. The body is covered by small scales dorsally.Eg:
Hydrophis, Enhydrina.

If the tail ends bluntly, it is non poisonous.

If the tail is round orcylindrical and pointed, it may be poisonous or non-poisonous. It may be
terrestrial or fresh water.

2. From The Nature Of The Ventrals

If the tail is round and not compressed, then examine the ventrals (scales on the ventral side of the
trunk).

a.If the ventrals are small and narrow, it is a non-poisonous snake.

b.Insome non-poisonous snakes like Python, the ventrals are fairly broaa, but do not extend compieiely
across the belly. On either side of ventrais, small scales are present.

If the ventrals are broad extending completely across the belly, it may be poisonous or a non-poisonous
snake.
3.From The Nature Of The Scales Or Shields On The Head
If the tail is round and the ventrals are broad, then examine the head of the snake.

If the head is triangular and covered with small scales and not with shields, it is a viper. All vipers are
poisonous. Vipers are of two L types. 1. Pit vipers, 2. Pitless vipers.
If there is a loreal pit between the eye and nostril, the snake is a pit viper (pit organ is
athermoreceptor)
Eg: Trimeresurus (lachesis)
Some pit vipers possess shields on their heads. Eg : Ancistrodon
If there is no loreal pit between the eye and the nostril, it is a pitless viper.

If the head is covered with small scales and there is no loreal pit, then the sub-caudals are to be
examined.

If sub-caudals are in two rows and there is no loreal pit, then the snake is Russels viper.
It is a pitiess viper with a iarge body and bears 3 rows of large diamond-shaped spots on the dorsal side
of the body.
If the sub caudals are in a single row and there is no ioreai pit, then the snake is Echis carinata (the
little Indian viper). The head bears arrow shaped mark on the head. It is phoorsa

4, From the Nature of the Vertebrate

If the head is covered with shields, not with small scales it may be poisonous or non poisonous. Then
examine the vertebrals (scales present along the mid-dorsal line on the back).
If the vertebrals are large and hexagonal, it is a krait and it is highly poisonous. In addition to the
enlarged vertebrals, the krait is characterised by the presence of only 4 infra-labials of which the
fourth one is the largest (infra-labials are the shields forming the margin of the lower jaw). The sub-
caudals are present in a single row in krait. Eg ; Bungarus.
If the vertebrals are not large, then examine the supra-labial shields (the shields forming the margin of
the upper jaw). If the third supra-labial shield touches the nasal shield and the eye, it is either a cobra
or a coral snake. Both cobras and coral snakes are poisonous.

Cobras {Naja naja, Naja hanna) are identified by a hood and the coral snakes (Callophis,
Hemibungarus) are identified by the presence of brilliantly coloured peculiar spots on the belly and by
the absence of hood.
5 From the Nature of Snake Bite
Depending on the nature of bite, it can be judged whether it is a poisonous or non-poisonous snake.

When a poisonous snake bites, there will be 1 or 2 punctures on the skin of the victim (the punctures
are made by fangs). If a non-poisonous snake bites, many punctures are usually made on the skin by
the maxillary teeth of upper jaw.