Snakes are venomous, not poisonous, a common misconception in our terminology. “Poison” must be inhaled, ingested, or absorbed in the body to become effective, while the “venom” must enter the bloodstream. So we can say there is a difference in how toxins enter our body.
People are always worried about snakes when they see one in their homes as many people are unaware of distinguishing between an evil and an otherwise snake.
In addition, some people are also curious to know which snake species are harmless. The good news is many snake species are inoffensive to humans.
In the United States, almost four species of snakes possess the deadliest venom in the world. If you want to know more about the detection of venomous snakes, please bear with us through the rest of the article.
How to Tell If A Snake Is Poisonous?
If you want to know by looking at the snake whether it is poisonous or not, there are many ways of doing so. Primarily the shape of snake pupils will determine whether it is poisonous.
If a snake is venomous, it may have elliptical pupils, which are its prime indication and resemble that of a cat. However, the snakes which are not venomous have rounded pupils.
How to Tell If A Snake Is Poisonous by Its color?
We can also tell by looking at the color of the snake. Generally, a snake with more patterns and looks colorful is more dangerous and venomous.
However, the snakes in one solid color are not very dangerous. Instead, they are pretty harmless.
But remember that the solid color rule will not always be valid as there are exceptions in every case. So we must look at the snake closely to determine whether it contains poison.
How to Tell If A Snake Is Poisonous by its skin?
Snakeskin is another thing that is helpful for us in deciding whether the snake contains venom or not.
Scales are present in every snake; if the snake contains a double row of scales on its tail side, it is highly venomous. If the pattern of scales is not so thick and they are just following a pattern of a single row, then the snake is not poisonous.
How to Tell If A Snake Is Poisonous by its tail?
Snakes with rattling tails are always dangerous as they are venomous. The snakes that shatter their tails indicate that they want to alert their enemy, their defense symbol.
Moreover, the snakes which are non-venomous also do the tail rattling. However, we must be careful about snakes’ tails as the rattling of tails is done mainly through venomous species. Some people attribute the sound of rattlesnakes to the death eaters in J.K.Rowling’s novels.
How to Tell If A Snake Is Poisonous by its eyes?
By looking closely at the snake’s eyes, we can also determine whether the snake is venomous. If the snake is venomous, it may have eyes that look like cats. The eyes are thick, black, and vertical pupils surrounded by a yellow-green eyeball.
Furthermore, this is a clear-cut method to check whether the snake contains any venom, but experts do not recommend it. As we get closer to the snake, we lure ourselves to danger.
How to Tell If A Snake Is Poisonous by its head?
Venomous snakes have distinct heads which we can see and recognize easily. If a snake is venomous, it has a triangular head, and most snakes have rounded heads, indicating their non-venomous characteristic.
Moreover, the triangular head shape of venomous snakes also scares their potential predators.
Some non-venomous snake species also try to make their heads triangular to look like dangerous snakes ready to spit their toxic poison on their victims. These snakes pretend to be venomous to save themselves from many enemies.
Pit viper snakes come in four broad categories Rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths, and coral snakes. These venomous snakes can also distinguish two small holes in their heads.
Each of these snake species has two pits that are present on its nose. These are very helpful pits for snakes as they can detect infrared radiation from their prey.
We advise our readers to maintain a safe distance when they want to examine the snake head or locate the pits. Moreover, from a distance, we cannot exactly see the pits and thus cannot confirm the nature of the snake.
Always do this type of experiment in the presence of a wildlife expert. Taking preventive measures ensures our safety as we should not touch a dead snake’s head even if it is detached from its body.
After the death of a snake, there is the possibility that it can still inject venom up to some time.
How to Tell If A Snake Is Poisonous by its belly?
It is the number of scales that determine whether a snake is venomous or not. It is a non-poisonous snake if it has tiny scales on its belly and back, the belly scales are not wide enough to extend across it entirely, and it is poisonous or not if broad plates span the entire belly width.
It is poisonous and a viper if the head has tiny scales, and a pit-viper if the head has small scales or shields and a pit between the eye and the nostril.
In addition, the snake is a cobra or a coral snake if the third supra labial scale touches the eye and nostril.
It is a cobra if the neck has a hood and markings. It is a coral snake if the neck lacks a hood and the belly has coral spots. Coral and cobra snakes are both lethal.
How to Tell If A Snake Is Poisonous in the water?
The body’s overall size of the water snake will tell us about its venomous characteristics. The heavy and thicker water snakes are always venomous. In addition, the tails of venomous water snakes are shorter and thick, which is also a distinguishing factor for the poisonous snake species residing in the water.
Moreover, if the snake is venomous, you will find it floating at the water surface, while non-venomous snakes usually glide at the base of the water.
How to Tell If A Snake Is Poisonous by its shed skin?
Even after the shedding of is snake’s skin, experts identify the type of snake by the scales pattern of the shed skin that will remain the same. For experts, the shed skin is the biggest clue, like the fingerprints of humans.
The identifying factors of snakeskin shed include its pattern, length, and diameter. Due to color loss, we cannot identify the exact snake specie. It will be barely a guess.
How to Tell If A Snake Is Poisonous by its rhyme?
The words of rhyme are as under;
- “Red Touch Yellow – Kills a Fellow
- Red Touch Black – Venom Lack
- Yellow Touches Red – Soon You’ll Be Dead
- Red Touches Black – Friend of Jack”
This rhyme helps in the identification of venomous snakes from non-venomous ones. In some countries or regions, the color scheme in the form of rhyme works, while in some regions, it fails, leading to a controversy about whether we can rely on color rhyme.
For Instance, this rhyme is valid for coral snakes in Texas but does not fulfill the criterion for coral snakes living in the southeast Texas area, including Houston. The color patterns of both coral snakes in different regions differ, yet both are venomous.
Conclusion
I hope after reading this guide, you will be able to know whether a snake is poisonous or not. If you found it helpful then, please consider sharing it with your friends and family to aware them.
