IDENTIFYING DANGEROUS SNAKES IN AMERICA

COMMON LANCE HEAD ( Bothrops atrox )

Location: Found right across Central and South American forests. The Lance head in the picture is the golden lance head found on "Snake Island" of the coast of Mexico. It is the most venomous of all the lance head families and is said to be in high population on the island. 
Identification: Also known  as fer de lance. Common lance heads are found in grey, brown, olive and green. has large, dark, pale, margined triangles with points that meet on the dorsal line. The head is triangular lance-shaped and pointed. It grows to about 6 feet in length.
Characteristics. It is said that this is an aggressive snake. It is commonly found amongst human plantations and are responsible for quite a few bites in a year.

COPPERHEAD

Location: The most common venomous snake in Eastern US.
Identification: Also known as the highland moccasin. Copperheads are very colorful snakes indeed. The head is normally a copper color. The pattern on the back have a pinkish to tan ( light red) color. The color of the pattern is normally darker. The pattern is bands with hour glass shapes of different width. Length is anything between 20 to 40 inches.
Characteristics: This snake is always ready to strike and naturally aggressive. It bites to warn. Is responsible for more snake bites in America than any other snake. Lucky for us it has weak venom that does not lead to fatalities. The bite can be very painful and medical help should be sought as loss of limbs can occur.


 

                                             << PREV           HOME

PLEASE NOTE THAT SNAKE SPECIES IN DIFFERENT AREAS MAY VARY ESPECIALLY IN COLOR. AND PATTERN. TO CATER FOR ALL IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE. THIS SITE CAN THIS NOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HERE OR THE PRECISE ACCURACY THEREOF.