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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
 
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Central and Southern Africa
 
The Far East
 
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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

 
Elapids Vipers Pit Vipers

Morphological identification key

Viperinae        
         
Are there several enlarged shields on the top of the head (generally 9) and round pupils?

yes   How many ventral scales (on the belly, from the neck to the anal plate A, which covers the cloaca) are present?

more than 170
 
  Atractaspis sp.
 
        
fewer than 160
  Causus rhombeatus
no
               
           
Horn-like protuberance above the eyes, consisting of several small scales from the base to the tip?

yes   
  Pseudocerastes persicus

 

 
no
               
           
Are all the subcaudal scales (underneath the tail, from behind the anal plate A, which covers the cloaca) undivided?

yes   
  Echis sp.

 
 
 
no 
               
           
Do the ventral scales (on the belly) have lateral keels?
    yes
  Where did the accident take place? Southeastern Iran, Afghanistan or Pakistan?
yes
  Eristicophis macmahoni
        
no 
  Cerastes sp.
 
no 
               
           

What is the appearance of the region between the nasal scale (scale on which the nostril is located, N) and the rostral scale (forwardmost scale on the tip of the snout, R)?

 

a) Nasal scale in contact with the rostral scale or separated by a single scale?

 

 

 

 

 

 

b) 1 or more rows of scales separate the nasal and rostral scales?


  
 

-Vipera sp. ("European Vipers"),

-Vipera sp.

("Asiatic Vipers")

-Macrovipera sp.

      
b   
  Bitis arietans