Snake Identifier

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.

Transcaucasian Ratsnake

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.

Red-Headed Krait

Red-Headed Krait

A large, vividly colored krait of Southeast Asian rainforests, notable for its glossy black body, bright red or orange head and tail, and thin blue vertebral stripe.

Mexican Burrowing Python

Mexican Burrowing Python

A rare, primitive burrowing snake from Mexico and Central America, the sole member of its own family and a close relative of true pythons.

Buff Striped Keelback

Buff Striped Keelback

A slender, boldly striped freshwater colubrid common around paddies and ponds across South Asia.

False Fer-de-lance

False Fer-de-lance

A harmless colubrid widely known for mimicking dangerous fer-de-lance pit vipers through dramatic head-flattening displays.

Hooded Malpolon

Hooded Malpolon

A large, fast rear-fanged snake of the western Mediterranean known for its hood-like defensive display, closely related to the Eastern Montpellier snake.

Yellow-bellied Liophis

Yellow-bellied Liophis

A widespread South American colubrid with a bright yellow belly, often found near wetlands and grasslands.

Himalayan Keelback

Himalayan Keelback

A small mountain-dwelling colubrid found along streams and moist habitats in the Himalayan foothills.

Cape Centipede-Eater

Cape Centipede-Eater

A small, secretive southern African snake that specializes in hunting centipedes, subduing them with a mild rear-fanged venom.

Cuban Dwarf Boa

Cuban Dwarf Boa

A small, thick-bodied Cuban endemic known for feigning death and even releasing blood from its eyes as a dramatic defense.

Red-tailed Racer

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.

Desert Cobra

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

Florida Brownsnake

A small, common brown snake of Florida gardens and woodlands, closely related to the widespread De Kay's Brownsnake.

Olive Keelback

Olive Keelback

A drab, olive-toned freshwater colubrid common in ponds, ditches, and paddies across South Asia.

Bockadam

Bockadam

A common brackish-water snake of Asian mangroves and estuaries, feeding mainly on fish and known for its dog-like snout.

Schott's Whipsnake

Schott's Whipsnake

A slender, fast-moving whipsnake of South Texas brushlands, patterned with pale crossbands on a darker ground color.

Striped Keelback

Striped Keelback

A common, slender colubrid with pale stripes along the back, frequently found near water and farmland across South Asia.

Inland Taipan

Inland Taipan

A highly venomous but reclusive Australian elapid of remote arid regions, often cited for its extremely potent venom.

Blossom Krait

Blossom Krait

A small, harmless, krait-like colubrid whose banded pattern often causes it to be mistaken for a venomous krait.

Painted Bronzeback

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.

Mole Kingsnake

Mole Kingsnake

A secretive, burrowing kingsnake subspecies with a faded, blotched pattern that grows more obscure with age.

Green Keelback

Green Keelback

A small, bright green rear-fanged colubrid found in hilly forests of the Indian subcontinent.

Elliot's Shieldtail

Elliot's Shieldtail

A small, burrowing shieldtail snake endemic to the Western Ghats, named for its distinctive hardened tail tip used for burrowing.

False Water Cobra

False Water Cobra

A large, aquatic South American colubrid capable of flattening its neck into a cobra-like hood when threatened.