How we source facts

Snake Wiki is a calm, sourced guide to the world’s snakes, starting with the species people most need to recognise. Here is how we make it trustworthy.

Every fact has a source
Each paragraph cites numbered references: The Reptile Database for names and taxonomy, the IUCN Red List for conservation status, WHO for venom and snakebite, and peer-reviewed research for the rest.
Plain words, no drama
We write for someone who has just seen a snake and needs to know what to do. Calm, specific, and short. No sensational claims about speed or “deadliest ever”.
Honest about review
Pages are written as drafts and say so until a qualified herpetologist or, for first aid, a medical professional has reviewed them. We never show a reviewer who hasn’t signed off.
Only licensed photos
We use photos released under CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA, credit the photographer on every use, and never use non-commercial or scraped images.

Credits

Photo credits and licences

Thank you to the photographers who share their work openly.

Banded krait Bungarus fasciatusRushen (Thai National Parks) · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source
Black mamba Dendroaspis polylepisRyanvanhuyssteen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Black-necked spitting cobra Naja nigricollisMarius Burger · CC0 · Source
Boomslang Dispholidus typusRyan van Huyssteen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Cape cobra Naja niveaBernard Dupont · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source
Coastal taipan Oxyuranus scutellatusJohn Wombey, CSIRO · CC BY 3.0 · Source
Common death adder Acanthophis antarcticusJohn Wombey, CSIRO · CC BY 3.0 · Source
Common krait Bungarus caeruleusDavidvraju · CC0 · Source
Copperhead Agkistrodon contortrixRiley Stanton · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Cottonmouth Agkistrodon piscivorusPeter Paplanus · CC BY 2.0 · Source
Eastern brown snake Pseudonaja textilisDonald Hobern · CC BY 2.0 · Source
Eastern coral snake Micrurus fulviusDaniel Estabrooks · CC0 · Source
Gaboon viper Bitis gabonicaMarius Burger · CC0 · Source
Hump-nosed viper Hypnale hypnaleDavidvraju · CC0 · Source
Indian cobra Naja najaDavidvraju · CC0 · Source
Inland taipan Oxyuranus microlepidotusRamit Singal · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Jararaca Bothrops jararacaRenato Augusto Martins · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Javan spitting cobra Naja sputatrixMax Tibby · CC0 · Source
King cobra Ophiophagus hannahTisha Mukherjee · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Malayan pit viper Calloselasma rhodostomaRushen (Thai National Parks) · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source
Mexican west coast rattlesnake Crotalus basiliscusDaderot · CC0 · Source
Monocled cobra Naja kaouthiaCharles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Mozambique spitting cobra Naja mossambicaMarius Burger · CC0 · Source
North Philippine temple pit viper Tropidolaemus subannulatusJames Jolokia · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Painted coral snake Micrurus corallinusJonathan Lorencetti Ehlert · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Philippine cobra Naja philippinensisVideo13 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Puff adder Bitis arietansMarius Burger · CC0 · Source
Red-bellied black snake Pseudechis porphyriacusGeoff Derrin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Russell's viper Daboia russeliiDavidvraju · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Saw-scaled viper Echis carinatusMarathekedar93 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissusRenato Augusto Martins · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Terciopelo Bothrops asperBrian Gratwicke · CC BY 2.0 · Source
Texas coral snake Micrurus tenerRogelio Reyna-Hernández · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Tiger snake Notechis scutatusMax Tibby · CC0 · Source
West African carpet viper Echis ocellatusPeter Alfrey · CC0 · Source
Western diamondback rattlesnake Crotalus atroxPatrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM · CC0 · Source
White-lipped pit viper Trimeresurus albolabrisZinogre · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Green vine snake Ahaetulla nasutaVsevolod Rudyi · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Western hognose snake Heterodon nasicusPeter Paplanus · CC BY 2.0 · Source
Ball python Python regiusBrian Gratwicke · CC BY 2.0 · Source
Boa constrictor Boa constrictorArnaud Aury · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Brown house snake Boaedon capensissuncana · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Burmese python Python bivittatusRushen · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source
California kingsnake Lampropeltis californiaeConnor Long · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Carpet python Morelia spilotaSanx · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Central African rock python Python sebaeTigerpython · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalisPeter Paplanus · CC BY 2.0 · Source
Common tree snake Dendrelaphis punctulatusCharles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Common wolf snake Lycodon aulicusDavidvraju · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Corn snake Pantherophis guttatusPeter Paplanus · CC BY 2.0 · Source
Eastern milksnake Lampropeltis triangulumShaun Pogacnik · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Eastern rat snake Pantherophis alleghaniensisJasper Shide · CC0 · Source
Green anaconda Eunectes murinusDave Lonsdale · CC BY 2.0 · Source
Indian rat snake Ptyas mucosaTisha Mukherjee · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Indian rock python Python molurusAkhil.jain1912 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Reticulated python Malayopython reticulatusRushen · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source
Scarlet kingsnake Lampropeltis elapsoidesPeter Paplanus · CC BY 2.0 · Source

Photos in “Venomous or harmless?”

Indian rat snake Ptyas mucosaVivek Sharma · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Indian rat snake Ptyas mucosaAfsar Nayakkan · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Indian rat snake Ptyas mucosaRushen · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source
Indian rat snake Ptyas mucosaJoin2manish · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Common wolf snake Lycodon aulicusChayant Gonsalves · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Common wolf snake Lycodon aulicusDr. Raju Kasambe · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Common wolf snake Lycodon aulicusViral joshi · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Common wolf snake Lycodon aulicusChayant Gonsalves · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Indian rock python Python molurusniiicedave · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source
Indian rock python Python molurusPraveenp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Indian rock python Python molurusRamesh Shenai Jr. · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Indian rock python Python molurusPratik Jain · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Indian cobra Naja najaPavan Kumar N · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Indian cobra Naja najaDrishtant Bidari · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Common krait Bungarus caeruleusBuddhika.jm · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Common krait Bungarus caeruleusAshwin Viswanathan · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Russell's viper Daboia russeliiMike Prince from Bangalore, India · CC BY 2.0 · Source
Russell's viper Daboia russeliiJayendra Chiplunkar · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Saw-scaled viper Echis carinatussanthoshk · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Saw-scaled viper Echis carinatusTanmay Haldar · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
King cobra Ophiophagus hannahDrishtant Bidari · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
King cobra Ophiophagus hannahChristoph Moning · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Black mamba Dendroaspis polylepisRolf Dietrich Brecher from Germany · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source
Black mamba Dendroaspis polylepisBjoertvedt · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Inland taipan Oxyuranus microlepidotusSheba_Also 43,000 photos · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source
Inland taipan Oxyuranus microlepidotusRamit Singal · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Western diamondback rattlesnake Crotalus atroxPeter Paplanus from St. Louis, Missouri · CC BY 2.0 · Source
Western diamondback rattlesnake Crotalus atroxhighsinger · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Green vine snake Ahaetulla nasutaNireshaJAththa · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Green vine snake Ahaetulla nasutaSteve Garvie from Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source

Spotted a mistake?

Every species page has a “Report an error” link. Corrections go to corrections@snakewiki.com.

Species checklist

The list of all 4,249 species, with their names, family and range, comes from The Reptile Database (Uetz et al., version 2026-06, doi:10.48580/d37s) via the Catalogue of Life (COL26.9), both under CC BY 4.0. Ranges are quoted as published, and each species links to its source page.

Type and icons

Set in Hanken Grotesk (SIL Open Font License). Icons from Lucide (ISC licence). Game sounds are synthesized in your browser.

Browse all species

Every fact has a source

Plain words, no drama

Honest about review

Only licensed photos

Photo credits and licences

Photos in “Venomous or harmless?”

Spotted a mistake?

Species checklist

Type and icons