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.
Find terrestrial venomous snake by morphology (regional)
Selection
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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. |
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| no |
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| 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. |
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| no |
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| Are the dorsal scales (scales on the top and sides of the body) keeled? |
yes | Hemachatus haemachatus |
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| 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. |
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| 30 or more |
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| Count the dorsal scales approximately midway down the body. How many are present? |
13–15 |
Pseudohaje sp. |
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| 15–17 |
Naja multifasciata (former Paranja mulifasciata) |
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| 17 or more |
Naja sp. (incl. former genus Boulengerina) |
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