CLASSIFICATION OF VENOMOUS SNAKES

• Elapidae-
– Cobras
– krait
– mambas
– coral snakes
• Viperidae
– American rattlesnake
– Pit viper
– Russels viper
– Saw scaled viper
• Hydrophidae
– Sea snake
• Colubridae
-- Most non-venomous snakes (grass snakes)
 ELAPIDAE
• Long thin uniformly coloured snakes
• Large smooth symmetrical scales on the
dorsum of head
• Raise the front part of the body off the ground
and forms a hood
 VIPERIDAE
• Short thick body snakes
• Many small rough scales on the dorsum of
head
• Characteristic coloured patterns on dorsum of
the body
• Typical vipers(VIPERINAE)
• Pit vipers (CROTALINAE) – has a special sense
organ to detect warm blooded prey (LOREAL
PIT ORGAN)
• Indian cobra (Naja naja)

• Common krait (Bungarus caerulus)

• Russels viper (Daboia russeli)

• Saw scaled viper (Echis carinatus)

INDIAN COBRA

• PRESENCE OF HOOD
COMMON KRAIT

• PAIRED WHITE BANDS

SAW SCALED VIPER

• KEELED (dry looking)

SCALES
RUSSEL VIPER
• ALMOND SHAPED
SPOTS
 VENOM APPARATUS
The venom duct opens within the sheath at the
base of the fang and the venom is conducted to its
tip through a canal.
Fangs allow the snakes to introduce venom deep
into the tissue subcutaneously or intramuscularly
Elapidae: Fangs are mounted on a relatively fixed
maxilla at the front of the mouth
(PROTEROGLYPH)
Viperidae: Fangs are mounted on a rotatable
maxilla so that they can be folded flat against
roof of the mouth (SOLENOGLYPH)
Colubridae: fangs at posterior end of maxilla
(OPHISTHOGLYPH)
Spitting cobras squeeze the venom out of their
fangs
 VENOM
Complex mixture of proteins
Enzymatic (90%) Non-Enzymatic(10%)

• Phospholipase A2 • Neurotoxin
• Hydrolase alpha bungarotoxin
• Protease Beta bungarotoxin
• Hyaluronidase cobrotoxin
• ATPase • Hemotoxin
• Cobra – 60mg
• Russels viper – 63mg
• Saw scaled viper – 13mg