Can you tell whether a snake is poisonous or not by its appearance?

There are almost 4000 species of snakes in the world. In Turkey, this number is 40. Of course, the main purpose of these creatures is not to disturb or sting us, but even if we know this, Unfortunately, it does not give us peace of mind.

In that case Which snakes should we stay away from when we see them? let’s see.

There is more than one way to tell if a snake is poisonous.

For example, mentality becomes a determining factor at this point. While non-venomous snakes have a round head Poisonous snakes have a more triangular head structure. has.

Rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouth snakes belong to the pit viper class. These, pits just behind their noses that they use to detect prey and they are poisonous snakes that can be distinguished by the holes on their heads.

Another distinguishing feature is their pupils.

Most venomous snakes have eyes like a cat’s eye. black, thin, vertical pupils surrounded by a yellow-green eyeball has. Non-venomous snakes have rounder pupils.

On the other hand, poisonous snakes are generally larger and thicker-bodied. Non-poisonous snakes have slender bodies.

What about colors?

poisonous coral snake

Unfortunately, a snake’s color does not help us tell whether it is poisonous or not. For example, both venomous coral snakes and non-venomous red king snakes There is a striped pattern on its scales consisting of yellow, black and brown.

However, in addition to their external appearance, some of the behaviors of snakes can be dangerous in case of a possible disaster. to make the right move can contribute.

For example, snake species called cottonmouths and water moccasins swim with their entire bodies above the water. But harmless water snakes, They tend to swim with their heads above water.

In summary, these characteristics of snakes can help you decide whether they are poisonous or non-poisonous.

But it should not be forgotten that all of these are general and there may be exceptions. Because with a nonpoisonous snake that mimics the pattern of a poisonous snake You may also encounter this and panic.

On the contrary, a snake that you think is non-poisonous due to its thin structure may also It can poison you with an unexpected move.

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