Fearsome foursome
India has more than 200 species of snakes, of which only 13 are venomous. Of this latter category, the cobra is perhaps the most well-known and recognised. But, along with the cobra, are three others that make up the fearsome foursome of the most venomous snakes in India. Here they are:
Spectacled Cobra
The Indian Spectacled Cobra (Naja naja), a member of the Elapidae family, can grow upto 1.5m in length. When annoyed, it rears up and flares its hood, showing off the famous spectacle mark. The venom glands are located below the eye. When the snake bites, the muscles squeeze the glands and the venom drips through two hollow fangs in the upper jaw. When injected, it causes paralysis of muscles, breathing failure and heart failure. Found almost everywhere in India and in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal, it lives in rural and urban areas. Its home is usually holes, hollows and mounds.
Common Krait
Bungarus caeruleus, also known as the Blue Krait, has light yellow bands across its dark blue or black body. It grows to around one metre in length and usually can be found in marshes and wetlands. Found from Sindh (Pakistan) to West Bengal and in South India, its habitats range from fields to scrub jungles and even urban areas. It can be found near water, in marshes and wetlands too. This snake is very active at night and, since its bite is mostly painless, few people realise they have been bitten. Its venom causes paralysis of the muscles and death due to suffocation.
Russell’s Viper
Also called Chain viper, it is named after Scottish herpetologist Patrick Russel, who wrote about it in 1796. Its body is yellowish brown in colour with dark spots all through its body. It can grow upto 1.6m in length. In India, it is found in Punjab, along the western coast and in southern India. It lives mostly on land and comes out at night to hunt. In cool weather, it can be seen during the day as well. Its venom comprises multiple toxins and causes cells in the tissues and organs to die. This leads to profuse bleeding, which causes death. In fact, this one produces the maximum amount of venom of the Big Four.
Saw-scaled Viper
Taking its name from the ridged scales along its sides, this snake curls itself into an S shape when threatened. This causes a rubbing motion among the scales and the resultant sound is like that of a saw machine at work. This is the smallest of the Big Four; just about 0.6m in length. The skin is brown, grey or olive in colour overlaid by a dark pattern. Found across the Indian subcontinent, except in the mountainous regions of the northeast and the Himalayan foothills, it is usually active through the evenings and night. Because it is not easily spotted and is very aggressive, this is a dangerous snake. Also its venom has a double whammy: it stops the blood from coagulating and also damages cells in tissues and organs.