Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes are native to the Southeastern Coastal Plains. They can be found in Southern North Carolina, Eastern South Carolina, Southern Georgia, Florida, Southern Alabama, Southern Mississippi, and Eastern Louisiana.

These rattlesnakes inhabit low elevation sandy areas, long-leaf pine forests, pine flatwoods, sand hill communities, turkey oak forests, live oak hammocks, pine ridges or coastal areas. Favorite haunts include saw palmetto scrub, Gopher Tortoise burrows, and stump holes.

Eastern Diamondbacks are often found on Georgia's barrier islands, the Florida Keys, and Islands in the Gulf of Mexico. They are well known to be excellent swimmers and have often been spotted crossing stretches of water between barrier islands and the mainland off the Georgia coast, in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Florida Keys, sometimes miles from land.

These snakes can often be found on agricultural land. Farms provide a steady food supply in the form of rodents. Tin, plywood, and other debris provide shelter to the snakes. The snakes may spend the first three years of their life underground in stump holes and root systems.

Individual disposition varies, with some allowing close approach while remaining silent, and others starting to rattle at a distance of 20 to 30 feet (6-9 m). When threatened they raise the anterior half of the body off the ground in an S-shaped coil and strike to a distance of at least a third of their body length. Many will stand their ground and may strike repeatedly.
One popular myth is that these snakes must rattle before striking. They are, of course, quite capable of striking while remaining completely silent.

The Eastern Diamondback is a large, impressive, and potentially dangerous snake. It can strike up to 2/3 its body length; a 6-foot specimen may strike 4 feet. The venom of the diamondback is potent. When severely bitten, the mortality rate for humans is nearly 40 percent. Symptoms include, but are not limited to pain, severe swelling, bruising, blistering, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dizziness, collapse or convulsions, Yellow vision; paraesthesia/numbness of digits, metallic taste in mouth, fasciculations, and/or death.

Southern Pacific Rattlesnake

One of the nine subspecies of the western rattlesnake, the southern pacific is relatively dark in coloration. They are native to the southern coasts of California and Baja. They occupy valley grasslands, woodlands and shrub communities.

This is the most common species in San Diego and may be found near housing developments, parks, and even the beach. Its range is from coastal Southern California to northwestern Baja California, Mexico, and they are commonly found on prairies or sage scrub/grassland areas, especially near rocky outcroppings

Like most rattlesnakes, the Southern Pacific produces a powerful hemotoxin that attacks the blood and tissue of its prey. Recently, in some areas of southern California the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake has developed neurotoxins in it's venom, as well. A bite from this snake can cause localized tissue damage in humans, and if left untreated may result in death from hemorrhaging, blood clotting or a drop in blood pressure. In addition if neurotoxins are present in the snakes venom, there may be other neurological issues as well, including paralysis, respiratory failure and cardiac arrhythmia.

It is not clear how some Southern Pacific rattlesnakes have developed neurotoxic venom, although it may be due to cross breeding with the Mojave rattlesnake. In any case this makes for a potentially more dangerous envenomation and snake. The Southern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus Helleri) is responsible for most of the snake bites in the coastal area of California from Los Angeles to San Diego

This particular snake is highly venomous and even though the Southern Pacific rattler is nonaggressive, it accounts for more venomous bites in the United States than any other snake because we are building new homes and communities on top of their habitat.

Mojave rattlesnake

The Mojave rattlesnake is a venomous species found in the deserts of the southwestern United States and central Mexico. It is perhaps best known for its potent venom. The Mojave rattlesnake, Crotalus scutulatus, is the most dangerous snake in the United States. Unlike most other rattlesnakes species, California specimens possess highly neurotoxic venom in addition to hemotoxins. This deadly cocktail of toxins attack both nerve endings, leading to paralysis and respiratory failure, as well as massive destruction of tissue and blood cells.

This rattlesnake species averages between 3.25' (100 cm) and 4.5' (137 cm) in length. Their color varies with the terrain, ranging from shades of brown to pale green. Their frequent green hue, has led to their being called "Mojave greens" in some areas of the U.S. This snake is not considered endangered and is found in a fairly wide distribution throughout the southwestern U.S. in good numbers.

The Mojave rattlesnake is often found in close proximity to large and growing population centers in southern California and therefore may be encountered more frequently by humans then other species. They have a reputation for being fairly aggressive, although this is based largely on anecdotal information, rather than scientific evidence. Like most rattlesnakes they will defend themselves rigorously, against perceived threats such as handling, or when disturbed.

The Mojave rattlesnake is widely considered one of the most dangerous and venomous snakes of the Western Hemisphere. The bite from a Mojave rattlesnake is a serious medical emergency and is potentially life threatening. A snake to leave alone and avoid, the Mojave earns first place on my list of the U.S. most dangerous snakes.

Bushmaster

The Bushmaster, lachesis muta muta is the largest Pit Viper in the world with a nasty reputation as a "cruel dude". The Bushmaster is a huge, thick-bodied and highly venomous snake with a triangularly shaped head, one of nature's warning signs that a snake is poisonous and potentially deadly. Bushmasters live in remote, heavily forested tropical jungle terrain. Isolated in their jungle environment, envenomation by a Bushmaster is very serious, sometimes fatal and particularly dangerous to humans.

Bushmaster is the largest venomous snake in the New World, often reaching lengths in excess of 6 feet with a maximum recorded length reaching an amazing 14 feet!

The Bushmaster has earned this fierce reputation, known to aggressively attack man but only few human attacks have been recorded due primarily to the Bushmaster's nocturnal nature. Even if they do attack only occasionally, the Bushmaster is greatly feared by people indigenous to their jungle habitat. Appropriately named in English, the name Bushmaster when translated from Latin means "Brings Silent Death". One of the largest and most dangerous snakes in South America, the Bushmaster is capable of multiple bite strikes, injecting large amount of venom and even the bite of a juvenile Bushmaster can be fatal. In the case

The Bushmaster has extremely long fangs

Snake venom delivered by the Bushmaster has powerful Hemotoxic properties affecting the circulatory system destroying red blood cells causing organ degeneration and generalized tissue damage which can be fatal if left untreated

The Bushmaster is the largest Pit Viper in the world. This snake has a triangular shaped head with rough scales.

Known to aggressively attack, particularly when agitated or startled.

Tropical forested areas throughout Central and South America

Boomslang

The Boomslang is a tree dweller that is found throughout southern and sub-Saharan Africa. It inhabits wooded grasslands and the adult snake averages between 4 to 6 feet in length. Their diet consists mainly of small lizards and birds. If agitated, the Boomslang moves quickly and will inflate its neck to double its normal size right before striking its victim. Equipped with stereoscopic vision, the Boomslang hunts during the day in its arboreal territory.

The Boomslang excretes a powerful venom through rear fangs located beneath the eye area. This snake is deadly because of its preference for aerial positioning in tree top and shrub cover. Hard to see in the thick forested cover of the savanna, the Boomslang Snake is well camouflaged and strikes without giving any warning signal.

The Boomslang delivers a potent hemotoxic venom to its victim through large, deeply grooved folded fangs positioned in the rear of its mouth The hemotoxic venom delivered by the Boomslang, affects the circulatory system destroying red blood cells, causing organ degeneration and generalized tissue damage. Bites cause intense pain, swelling and necrosis even when delivered in small amounts. In addition, the bite causes severe bleeding, continuing for extended periods, even 24-48 hours after the bite, making the Boomslang very dangerous to man. The bite can be fatal if left untreated quickly with antivenin.

Inland Taipan (aka Fierce Snake) of Australia

Found only in Australia, the Inland Taipan is the most toxic snake on Earth. Just a single bite from this snake contains enough venom to kill 100 human adults. Luckily, antivenin is now available, prior to its development, few people survived a bite from this snake. Its venom is 200-400 times more toxic than most rattlesnakes and 50 times as toxic as a cobra. The Inland Taipan's extremely neurotoxic venom can kill an adult human in as little as 45 minutes, without treatment.

The Inland Taipan consumes mostly rodents, birds and rats. They kill with quick, multiple strikes, injecting venom into their victim. The venom clots the victim's blood, blocking arteries or veins and using up clotting factors. It is also highly neurotoxic, leading to symptoms of paralysis, respiratory failure and cardiac arrythmia. There are no known survivors of a Taipan bite before an antivenin was developed and, even then, victims often require extended periods of intensive care.

Fortunately this snake is very shy and inhabits arid and unpopulated areas of the "outback". The Inland Taipan is native to the arid regions of central Australia, extending from the southeast part of the Northern Territory, and into west Queensland. The Inland Taipan can also be found north of Lake Eyre and to the west of the split of the Murray River, Darling River and Murrumbidgee River.

The Inland Taipan is dark tan, ranging from a rich, dark hue to a brownish olive-green, depending on the season. Its back, sides and tail may be different shades of brown and grey, with many scales having a wide blackish edge. It adapts to the environment by changing the color of the skin during seasonal changes. This snake tends to be lighter in summer and darker in winter. The seasonal color change serves in regulating the snake's temperature, allowing the snake to absorb more light (thence converted to heat) in the colder months. Inland Taipans average between 6½ to 12 feet long (2 to 3.6 meters)