Snake Encyclopedia
Search and identify 1,000+ snakes from around the world — with family, range, size, habitat, and how to tell similar species apart.
California Lyresnake
A slender, rock-dwelling nocturnal snake with cat-like vertical pupils and a lyre-shaped head marking.
Transcaucasian Ratsnake
A small, secretive ratsnake of the Caucasus and surrounding mountains, closely related to the Aesculapian snake but with a much smaller range and size.
Bockadam
A common brackish-water snake of Asian mangroves and estuaries, feeding mainly on fish and known for its dog-like snout.
Javan Spitting Cobra
A dark, glossy spitting cobra endemic to Java, Bali, and nearby Indonesian islands, closely related to the equatorial spitting cobra.
Forest Cobra
The largest true cobra species, an elapid of Central and West African forests with a glossy dark body and pale lip markings.
False Fer-de-lance
A colubrid widely known for resembling fer-de-lance pit vipers through dramatic head-flattening displays.
Steppe Ratsnake
A widespread, cold-tolerant ratsnake of the Eurasian steppe and taiga edges, ranging farther north than almost any other ratsnake species.
San Luis Potosi Kingsnake
A boldly banded Mexican highland kingsnake with striking red, black, and cream tricolor rings.
Jamaican Boa
Jamaica's largest native snake, a 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.
Schott's Whipsnake
A slender, fast-moving whipsnake of South Texas brushlands, patterned with pale crossbands on a darker ground color.
Gold's Tree Cobra
A large, slender, highly arboreal forest cobra of Central and West Africa, known for its glossy dark coloration and agile climbing ability.
Black Spitting Cobra
A uniformly glossy black spitting cobra found in the arid western regions of southern Africa, once considered a color form of the zebra spitting cobra.
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 reclusive Australian elapid of remote arid regions.
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.
Red-tailed Racer
A slender, bright green arboreal snake from Southeast Asian rainforests, distinguished by the reddish-brown coloration of its tail contrasting with its emerald green body.
Duberria Lutrix
A small African colubrid known scientifically as Duberria lutrix, specialized in eating slugs and snails.