Human's instincts are very keen, whenever he sights a wandering snake, the first thought that comes to his mind is - it's going to bite me and inject venom into me. Then, two things are involved; Go for the kill or Get on your heels.
There are different physical characteristics that diffentiate between a venomous and non-venomous snake. They include:
- Fangs
The first thing one would watch out for are the fangs as it is the main feature that determines if a snake is venomous or not and it is absent in non-venomous snakes. Not all snakes bear their fangs when threatened. Some are capable of shooting their venom towards your eye, so it is necessary that you keep a good distance away.
Unfortunately, you might have been bitten already by the snake, but knowing whether it's venomous or not can make you calm and make necessary decisions.
The bite from a venomous snake reveals two close puncture marks on the skin while a ragged bite mark (they have rows of sharp teeth) indicates that the snake is non-venomous. A non-venomous snake bite is not complicated and can be treated at home by disinfecting and applying antibacterial ointment and bandage as transmission of infectious bacteria might occur.
Scale on the underside
The scales on the underside of venomous snakes are in a row while those of non-venomous snakes are in two rows. However, this may not be easy to find out, unless the snake is captured, in captivity (like in zoos) or dead.Shape of the head
Due to the presence of the venom gland, a venomous snake head appears to be broader and triangle-shaped than non-venomous ones.Pits
Only venomous snakes have a small slit known as pit between their eyes and nostril. It is used for heat sensing and used majorly in locating preys at night.
Shape of the pupil
The shape of the pupils have nothing to do with whether a snake is venomous or not , but it does tell the nature of the snake. A snake either venomous or not can fall into any of the categories. Snakes that are nocturnal (_ i.e. hunt during the night_) generally have slitted pupils, while snakes that are diurnal (i.e. hunt during the day) generally have round pupils.
Pythons and Anacondas
Generally, humongous snakes including these two are non-venomous. They rely on brute force by squeezing, crumbling and crippling a subject during attacks.
References:
- https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.wikihow.com/Differentiate-Between-Poisonous-Snakes-and-Non-Poisonous-Snakes%3famp=1
- https://theydiffer.com/difference-between-venomous-and-non-venomous-snakes/
- http://www.walkthroughindia.com/know-the-difference/difference-poisonous-non-poisonous-snakes/
- http://www.snake-removal.com/venomous.html