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Poisonous animals
 
Cnidarians (Jellyfish, Corals and Anemones)
 
Venomous fish
 
Scorpions
 
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Hymenopterans (Bees, Wasps and Ants)
 
Sea snakes
 
Terrestrial snakes
 
Miscellaneous animals
 
North America
 
Mexico and Central America
 
South America and the West Indies
 
Europe
 
North Africa, Near and Middle East
 
Central and Southern Africa
 
The Far East
 
Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia
 
Australia and the Pacific Islands
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Find terrestrial venomous snake by morphology (regional)

Select the snake family or subfamily and your current world region. If you don't know the family/subfamily, go to the "Find terrestrial snake by morphology (general)" page and follow the instructions.

Selection

 
Colubrids Elapids Vipers

Morphological identification key

Elapidae     
         
Is there a conspicuously enlarged rostral scale on the tip of the snout that projects beyond the other scales laterally (concave underneath)?

yes   Aspidelaps sp.
 
   
   
no
       
         
Is the preocular scale P (directly in front of and in contact with the eye) clearly separated by other scales from the nasal scale N (scale on which the nostril is located)?
yes   Dendroaspis sp.
   
   
 no        
         
Is the anal plate A (under which the cloaca is located) divided?

yes   Homoroselaps sp.
   
   
no 
       
         
Are the dorsal scales (scales on the top and sides of the body) keeled?

yes   Hemachatus haemachatus
   
   
 no        
         
How many subcaudal scales (underneath the tail, from behind the anal plate A, which covers the cloaca, to the tip of the tail) are present? Scales divided down the middle count as a single scale!

fewer than 20
  Elapsoidea sp.
   

30 or more
       
         
Count the dorsal scales approximately midway down the body. How many are present?

13–15
  Pseudohaje sp.

 
15–17
  Naja multifasciata (former Paranja mulifasciata)
   
   
   
17 or more
  Naja sp. (incl. former genus Boulengerina)