Deadly Snakes

[ironkladd]

Okay guys & girls....... Two of my friends were arguing about this, so I thought id ask you all.....Give me your top 5 most venomous snakes and maybe a few honorable mentions(LOL)

[JQuarles/VaHerper]

#1 inland tiapan
#2 king brown
#3 western tiger
the rest are up to opinion.

[bpkid]

i thought it went like....

Inland Taipan
King Cobra
Black Mamba?

[BWSmith]

Define "most venomous". That is a fairly loose term.

[JuliusSqueezer]

You have a less chance of surviving any number of seasnake bites if bitten but you are far less likely to be bitten my one of those than any of the land dwellers that you might come in contact with.
I think Inland taipans (aka fierce snake) are the undisputed land dwelling champions but they are so remote that bites are rare anywhere except by handlers/keepers.

Common brownsnakes are the second according to many sources (not the king brown) although the king brown may still be in the top 5 as are one or two of the various tiger species...australian elapids are pretty nasty in general.

Black mambas and russels vipers have to get props for causing the most casualties.

Like BW said though...it's all easily argued either way. Some may have more potent venom but less delivery. Some may have weaker venom but tend to dose it out in copius amounts. Some snakes dwell in 3rd world areas where medical attention is not available for bite victims. So...deadliest means they kill more people? they have a higher LD50 rating? If a cornsnake gets loose on a jumbo jet and wraps around the pilots leg and causes the plane to crash into the middle of time square...then I suppose a cornsnake could take over as the number 1 killer if enough casualties were inflicted.

An interesting fact about lethal snakebites... There were ZERO American casualties recorded due to snakebite despite all the tall tales of the 2step viper whatever that is, during the entire Vietnam war.

[JQuarles/VaHerper]

#1 inland taipan
#2 King brownseudechis australis
#3 Taipan
#4 eastern tiger
#5 mainland tiger

Those are the top 5 on the ld-50 scale which is the most accurate in the world right now. The Common Brown or Western comes in at #10 on that scale. Personally, I would take a hit from any of those over a Black Mamba!!!!!!!!

[JQuarles/VaHerper]

The saw scales viper kills more people world wide than any other at 20,00 annually

[JuliusSqueezer]

All those top killers or most venomous change every time a new animal planet show or new report is written...who do we belive? What is most important is that any of them can kill you...just how dead you want to be is up to you. To me, dead is dead. I don't really care how dead I am. Golden lancehead vipers are probably up there pretty high too but because they are on a remote uninhabited island, they don't get so much press...but they are hot...very hot...estimated between 3-5 times as hot as a fer-de-lance.

[JQuarles/VaHerper]

Well Said Julius.

[JuliusSqueezer]

hmm I forgot all about the sawscaled viper...cute little boogers. What about death adders? aren't they suppost to be in the top 10 too? I try not to play with anything with the word "death" in it's name lol

[MustangRde1]

Define " Most Venomous"

Are we talking fatalities?
Venom Yield?
Toxins?
Dangerous?
Possibility of dieing from complications?
Geographic area?

Most venomous as BW said is very loose.

The most fatalities: world wide is attributed to the cobra family as a whole.

Venom yeild depending on day could easily go to the King cobra.

Toxins: Lody that could go on in debates for years

Dangerous: Black Mamba imo

Complications: More of a country your in situation on that one as to medical care.

Geographic localities: Each country has its own deadly little buddies.