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.
False Fer-de-lance
A harmless colubrid widely known for mimicking dangerous fer-de-lance pit vipers through dramatic head-flattening displays.
Jamaican Boa
Jamaica's largest native snake, a non-venomous constrictor known locally as the 'yellow snake' for its coloration, and considered vulnerable due to introduced predators.
Striped Skaapsteker
A slender, longitudinally striped snake found across grassland regions of southern and East Africa, closely related to the spotted skaapsteker.
Spotted Skaapsteker
A slender, patterned southern African snake whose name derives from a folk belief linking it to livestock, though it is not dangerous to sheep or people.
Schott's Whipsnake
A slender, fast-moving whipsnake of South Texas brushlands, patterned with pale crossbands on a darker ground color.
Yellow-bellied Liophis
A widespread South American colubrid with a bright yellow belly, often found near wetlands and grasslands.
Olive Keelback
A drab, olive-toned freshwater colubrid common in ponds, ditches, and paddies across South Asia.
Striped Keelback
A common, slender colubrid with pale stripes along the back, frequently found near water and farmland across South Asia.
Salmon-bellied Racer
A slender, fast-moving racer named for its pale salmon or pinkish belly, common in Central American lowlands.
Water Moccasin
A heavy-bodied semi-aquatic pit viper of the southeastern US, named for the white lining of its mouth displayed as a threat.
Inland Taipan
A highly venomous but reclusive Australian elapid of remote arid regions, often cited for its extremely potent venom.
Painted Bronzeback
A brightly patterned, agile tree snake of Southeast Asia, named for the bold black-and-cream striping revealed between its scales when alarmed.
Cape Centipede-Eater
A small, secretive southern African snake that specializes in hunting centipedes, subduing them with a mild rear-fanged venom.
Duberria Lutrix
A small, harmless African colubrid known scientifically as Duberria lutrix, specialized in eating slugs and snails.
Common Slug-eater
A small, docile African colubrid that feeds exclusively on slugs and snails, completely harmless to humans.
Mole Kingsnake
A secretive, burrowing kingsnake subspecies with a faded, blotched pattern that grows more obscure with age.
False Water Cobra
A large, aquatic South American colubrid capable of flattening its neck into a cobra-like hood when threatened.
Western Groundsnake
A small, highly variable desert snake that may be striped, banded, or plain depending on the population.
Highland Copperhead
A cold-adapted Australian elapid found at higher elevations in the southeast, closely related to the lowland copperhead but occupying alpine and subalpine habitats.
Salazar's Pit Viper
A recently described green pit viper from northeastern India, popularly noted for being named after a fictional Harry Potter character.
Desert Cobra
A glossy black, primarily nocturnal elapid found in the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East, considered venomous and potentially dangerous to humans.
Florida Brownsnake
A small, common brown snake of Florida gardens and woodlands, closely related to the widespread De Kay's Brownsnake.
Mole Viper
A small, cylindrical, burrowing snake with unusual side-swiping fangs, found across much of sub-Saharan Africa.
Cuban Dwarf Boa
A small, thick-bodied Cuban endemic known for feigning death and even releasing blood from its eyes as a dramatic defense.