Can You Name These 40 Venomous Snakes in 5 Minutes?

By: Ian Fortey
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Can You Name These 40 Venomous Snakes in 5 Minutes?
Image: Mark Kostich / E+ / Getty Images

About This Quiz

People have long been afraid of snakes; it's one of the most common animal fears in the world, alongside dogs and spiders. The reason is pretty simple to understand, of course. Venomous snakes can badly injure or even kill with a single bite. That's scary no matter who you are. Of course, most snakes also have no interest in humans and tend to only strike when confronted or surprised. But if you do get bitten, the reason it happens won't matter too much.  

Some snake species have a bite that will only be mildly painful, while others are so dangerous that death could be a very real possibility if medical help isn't found immediately. Worse, it's often hard to know what bit you in the moment to figure out just how much trouble you're truly in. It's safe to say you probably don't want to be bitten by any of these snakes. That said, they're still fascinating animals, and their venom can sometimes also be used for good; many medications have actually been derived from snake venom. If you think you have a good grasp on the venomous snakes of the world, then we have a challenge for you. Take 5 minutes and see if you can run through this list of 40 of the world's most venomous. Will you get them all? Tell us in 5 minutes!

Inland Taipan
Jack Reynolds / Moment Open / Getty Images
This Aussie snake is the most venomous in the entire world. What is it?
Black mamba
Inland taipan
Spitting cobra
Jameson's mamba
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Inland taipan is also known as the fierce snake, and it is not to be trifled with. With the most potent venom among all snakes, a bite from the inland taipan contains enough toxin to kill over 100 fully grown men. So maybe avoid these guys.

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Dubois' Sea Snake
Youngbloods via YouTube
You can go to Papua New Guinea if you want to meet this dangerous serpent. Name it!
Dubois' sea snake
Monocled cobra
Copperhead
Blue krait
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Dubois' sea snake eats fish and moray eels as deep as 260 feet below the surface. They tend to hole up in coral reefs or hide around seaweed, and their venom is extremely toxic.

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Forest Cobra
Wiki Commons by Chhe
This beastly snake can grow up to 10 feet in length. Do you know what it's called?
Cottonmouth
Elegant sea snake
Forest cobra
Pit viper
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Forest cobras are native to Africa and are generally found in forested areas, hence the clever name. They also take well to water. In fact, they swim so well that they can be considered semiaquatic, so don't count yourself safe in a river.

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Black Mamba
suebg1 photography / Moment / Getty Images
Despite its name, this snake is actually grey in color. Do you know what it is?
Black mamba
Green mamba
Coral snake
Copperhead
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The black mamba gets its name not from the color of its scale but the color of its mouth. If it opens wide, you'll see that the inside of its mouth is actually a deep, inky black in color. And if you see that you're also in trouble, because the black mamba is incredibly venomous.

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Mojave Green Rattlesnake
R. Andrew Odum / Photodisc / Getty Images
This snake is found in the United States and parts of Mexico. Do you know what it's called?
Spitting cobra
Rinkhals
Collett's snake
Mojave green rattlesnake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Mojave green rattlesnake is usually just called the Mojave rattlesnake or the Mojave green. It's also often known as the Mohave, since the spelling with the "h" is directly related to the original Native American spelling of the name.

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Olive Brown Sea Snake
Brandi Mueller / Moment Open / Getty Images
This dangerous snake swims with the help of its paddle-like tail. Do you know its name?
Cottonmouth
Olive-brown sea snake
Puff adder
Wagler's pit viper
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The olive-brown sea snake, or the golden sea snake as it's sometimes known, is found throughout the Great Barrier Reef, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Its tail has photoreceptors that help it detect light.

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Death Adder
Wiki Commons by Petra Karstedt
This snake has an extremely metal name. What is it?
Eyelash viper
Mamushi
Green mamba
Death adder
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Death adders are found throughout Australia and Indonesia. There are several different species of death adder, and all of them are the kinds of snakes you don't want to try to snuggle with, thanks to their highly potent venom.

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Blue Krait
Wiki Commons by Wibowo Djatmiko
This snake looks a bit like the giant ones from the movie "Beetlejuice." Do you know it?
Malayan pit viper
Blue krait
Coastal taipan
Saw scaled viper
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The blue krait, also known as the Malayan krait, is a snake native to Southeast Asia. It's banded in black and white, but the black does have a bit of a blue hue to it, which is where this snake gets its name from.

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Lowlands Copperhead
Wiki Commons by Matt from Melbourne, Australia
This Aussie snake shares a name with an American snake, even though they're not very closely related. What's it called?
Lowlands copperhead
Yellow-bellied sea snake
Inland taipan
Mulga snake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Lowland copperhead is not to be confused with the copperhead that's native to North America. The Australian lowland copperhead ironically doesn't always have a copper-colored head, but it does have a potent neurotoxin that can be lethal.

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Green Mamba
A.Töfke Cologne Germay / Moment Open / Getty Images
These snakes can be found in both East Africa and West Africa. What are they?
Jameson's mamba
Congo water cobra
Red-Bellied black snake
Green mamba
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There are two species of green mamba: the western green mamba, and the eastern green mamba. Both species are very vibrantly colored green, and both are highly venomous as well.

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Fea's Viper
Wiki Commons by TimVickers
This snake also goes by the name Azemiops. Do you know it?
Pit viper
Monocled cobra
Fea's viper
Puff adder
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Fea's viper was named for Italian explorer Leonardo Fea and is found in Southeast Asia. They tend to have orange or yellow heads but much darker bodies. This venomous snake hibernates during the cold months, unlike most vipers.

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Dugite
Wiki Commons by Bradford G. Jones
This dangerous snake is very common in Perth, Australia and feeds on mice. What do they call it?
Dugite
King cobra
Horned viper
Coastal taipan
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Another of Australia's many venomous residents, dugites have adapted well to humans encroaching on their habitats. The result is that the dugite is able to comfortably live in urban areas around buildings where it will hunt mice and, sometimes, bite people.

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Russell's Viper
Siddhartha De Photography / Moment Open / Getty Images
What do you call this highly aggressive snake that can be found in many places throughout Asia?
Cottonmouth
Inland taipan
Forest cobra
Russell's viper
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Russell's viper is also called a chain viper because of the markings on its body that look a bit like chain links. They can be extremely aggressive thanks to the fact they tend to like to hunt near human habitation because of all the rodents, and they have one of the loudest hisses of any snake.

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Rinkhals
Wiki Commons by Hectonichus
Another name for this snake is the ring-necked spitting cobra. What is it?
Puff adder
Rinkhals
Cottonmouth
Green mamba
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Rinkhals snake looks a heck of a lot like a cobra with its hood and ability to spit venom, but oddly enough, it is not actually a cobra. That said, when it's spitting venom in your eyes -- as it's known to do -- you probably won't care if it's classified as a true cobra or not.

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King Cobra
Tom Brakefield / Photodisc / Getty Images
This intimidating creature can grow up to 13 feet in length. What is it called?
King cobra
Mulga snake
Horned viper
Mojave snake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

King cobras have a bad reputation owing to their size and scary appearance. They're a threatened species though, thanks to habitat loss, and it's really other snakes that should be afraid of them, because snakes are their chief prey.

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Eastern Coral Snake
Mark Kostich / E+ / Getty Images
This snake with a striking appearance calls the United States its home. Do you know what its name is?
Timber rattlesnake
Jameson's mamba
Eastern coral snake
Copperhead
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Eastern coral snakes live in the Southeast United States and are technically easy to identify thanks to their bold coloring, with bands of vibrant red or orange. We say technically, though, because there are actually a couple of other mimic species that look similar but are harmless.

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Stephens' Banded Snake
Wiki Commons by Bernard DUPONT
Name this snake you might find in the trees of Australia.
Stephens' banded snake
Night adder
Eyelash viper
Bue-bellied black snake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Stephens' banded snake lives in the eastern part of Australia and can often be found in tree stumps or branches, or even disguising itself among the vines sometimes. Since it's nocturnal, you should probably avoid climbing Aussie trees at night.

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Mulga Snake
Kristian Bell / Moment / Getty Images
This snake is also known as the king brown snake. What is it?
Collett's snake
Mulga snake
Sharp-nosed viper
Dubois' sea snake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Mulga snake from Australia is significantly larger than your average venomous snake. In fact, some specimens can grow to be close to 10 feet long. Factor in a potent venom and this is one snake you probably never want to encounter in the wild.

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Red-Bellied Black Snake
Kristian Bell / Moment Open / Getty Images
This Aussie snake is venomous but rarely bites humans. Name it!
Inland taipan
Spectacled cobra
Blue krait
Red-bellied black snake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The red-bellied black snake is yet another of the many venomous serpents you'll find in Australia -- but in a fun twist, they're actually not THAT venomous. You still don't want to be bitten by one, but the upside is they're not lethal.

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Collett's Snake
Wiki Commons by Taipan198
Another name for this snake is Down's tiger snake. What is it?
Timber rattlesnake
Puff adder
Collett's snake
Forest cobra
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Collett's snake lives in Australia and was named in honor of a Norwegian zoologist named Robert Collett. Its venom can cause a lot of damage, including renal failure and potentially death; but despite that, some people do like to keep them as pets.

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Horned Viper
Wiki Commons by © Patrick JEAN / muséum d'histoire naturelle de Nantes
The Latin name of this snake is "Cerastes cerastes." Do you know the common name?
Horned viper
King cobra
Red diamond rattlesnake
Banded krait
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The horned viper lives in North African deserts and is most notable for its namesake horns. Those little horns are really just modified scales and they don't have much of a function, but they do make it look intimidating and kind of awesome.

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Jararaca
M Moraes / Moment Open / Getty Images
This South American snake is a member of the viper family. Do you know it?
Jararaca
Mulga snake
Urutu
Boomslang
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The jararaca can be found in Brazil and Argentina and is actually a bit of a famous snake in the medical world. The group of medications known as ACE inhibitors, which can treat hypertension and heart failure, was developed with the venom of this snake.

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Puff Adder
Michele D'Amico supersky77 / Moment / Getty Images
This snake is alleged to cause the most snakebite fatalities in all of Africa. What is it?
Cottonmouth
Inland taipan
Puff adder
Yellow-bellied sea snake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The puff adder can be found throughout the grasslands and savannas of Africa. When they're threatened, they will hiss loudly and inflate their bodies to look like they're bigger than they are, which is where the "puff" in their name comes from.

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Gaboon Viper
R. Andrew Odum / Photodisc / Getty Images
This African snake has long, hinged fangs. Do you know its name?
Clarence river snake
Gaboon viper
Mamushi
Copperhead
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Gaboon vipers are notable for having the longest fangs of all the viper species, measuring in at an incredible 2 inches. They are hinged inside the snake's head so it can actually close its mouth, and they'll pop down when the snake is ready to strike.

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Sidewinder
Rex Lisman / Moment / Getty Images
This species is found most often in desert climates. Name it!
Spectacled cobra
Saw scaled viper
Lancehead
Sidewinder
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sidewinder rattlesnakes are an unusual member of the snake world thanks to how they move about. The sidewinder name refers to the curious way they move, which involves curling their body up as their head sits in one place, almost like a foot, and moving sideways, over and over again.

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Diamondback Rattlesnake
Kristian Bell / Moment / Getty Images
This snake is responsible for the greatest number of bites in the United States. What name does it go by?
Diamondback rattlesnake
Horned viper
Green mamba
Caspian cobra
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The western diamondback rattlesnake is probably the snake most people imagine when they hear the actual word "rattlesnake." They can go a ridiculously long time between meals, with some studies finding they can survive two years.

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Boomslang
Michele D'Amico supersky77 / Moment / Getty Images
This snake's name is Afrikaans for "tree snake." What is it?
Mamushi
Boomslang
Rinkhals
Jararaca
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Boomslangs arguably have the best name of all snakes in the world. They're a vibrant green color, which helps them blend into their treetop homes. They also have unusually large eyes compared to the size of their head.

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White-Lipped Pit Viper
Wiki Commons by Rushenb
This incredibly vibrant snake is found in Southeast Asia. Name it!
Tiger snake
Sidewinder
White-lipped pit viper
Urutu
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

White-lipped pit vipers are an incredibly striking green color, but the feature from which they get their name is the thin, white stripe that runs down the sides of their bodies from near their mouths.

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Night Adder
Wiki Commons by Paul venter
This dangerous sub-Saharan snake has round pupils. What is it called?
Night adder
Chinese cobra
Diamondback rattlesnake
Red-bellied black snake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Night adders are short by snake standards, rarely growing much over 3 feet in length. If you're hoping to avoid them by only traveling during the day, you'll be disappointed to learn that night adders are just as active during daylight hours.

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Mamushi
Wiki Commons by Alpsdake
This is one of the most venomous snakes in Japan. Do you know what it's called?
Fea's viper
Beaked sea snake
Mamushi
Coastal taipan
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The mamushi is sometimes called the Japanese pit viper or the Japanese moccasin. Despite the name, you can also find the snakes in parts of Korea as well as China -- though, in fairness, it's probably best to not stumble upon these snakes anywhere, thanks to their nasty bite.

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Cottonmouth
Rex Lisman / Moment / Getty Images
There are over 30 other names for this dangerous North American snake. What's the one most people know?
Puff adder
King cobra
Blue krait
Cottonmouth
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The cottonmouth is a pit viper from North America that is apparently so popular people couldn't stop naming it. You may also know it as a water moccasin, black snake, trap jaw, water pilot, swamp rattler, water mamba and water pit viper, amongst many others.

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Copperhead
Jupiterimages / PHOTOS.com>> / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images
This American snake is sometimes called a Chunk Head or a Dry-Land Moccasin. What is it usually called?
Inland Taipan
Copperhead
Gaboon Viper
Clarence River Snake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Copperhead snakes are a kind of pit viper that live in the Eastern United States. They grow to about 3 feet in length and spends most of their time curled up waiting for prey to stumble by unawares so they can leap out and strike all sneaky-like.

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Eyelash Viper
Tom Applegate / Moment / Getty Images
This snake has some distinctive features that make it stand out in a crowd. Name it!
Eyelash viper
Dugite
Boomslang
Black mamba
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The eyelash viper gets its name for very obvious reasons. The little protrusions above its eyes look like some remarkably well-styled lashes. It's thought that the eyelashes are just a camouflage tool that helps break up the snake's profile so it blends in more easily with foliage.

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Yellow-Bellied Sea Snake
Wiki Commons by Aloaiza
This cowardly sounding snake has made it all the way to Hawaii. What is it?
Eastern brown snake
Yellow-bellied sea snake
Tiger snake
Spectacled cobra
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The yellow-bellied sea snake is quite the adventurous little beast. It's been found in the waters around Peru, Costa Rica, California, Tasmania and even Hawaii. That's significant because Hawaii is not a place sea snakes usually show up.

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Tiger Snake
Wiki Commons by Matt from Melbourne, Australia
This Aussie snake comes in a number of colors and usually has stripes. Do you know it?
Collett's snake
Black mamba
Monocled cobra
Tiger snake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tiger snakes get their name from their bands of color, which look like tiger stripes. Unlike some species of snake, the tiger snake doesn't lay eggs. Instead, it will give birth to live young, usually about 30 of the little slitherers.

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Saw Scaled Viper
Wiki Commons by Uajith
Tell us the name of this snake that, even though it isn't a rattler, produces a warning noise when confronted.
Saw-scaled viper
Forest cobra
Fea's viper
Olive brown sea snake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The saw-scaled viper is an extremely interesting snake owing to the curious way it will warn you from getting too close. While a rattlesnake shakes its tail rattle, this viper will rub sections of its own body together to producing a sizzling, sawing sound to let you know it's time to back off.

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Spitting Cobra
Digital Vision / DigitalVision / Getty Images
This snake is not just dangerous up close -- it can also get you at a distance. What is it called?
Blue krait
Spitting cobra
Mamushi
Tiger snake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A spitting cobra is often what comes to people's minds when they think of a cobra, even though most species don't spit. This one, however, is able to fire a jet of venom over 6 feet, and it's capable of blinding whatever it hits. Don't forget your goggles!

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Elegant Sea Snake
matthew zaranski via YouTube
You can find this fancy snake all along the coast of Northern Australia. Name it!
Boomslang
Jararaca
Saw-scaled viper
Elegant sea snake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The elegant sea snake lives in coastal waters in Northern Australia from the west to the east. Though they breathe air like any other reptile, they're well adapted to life in the sea and can stay under the water for up to 2 hours if necessary.

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Caspian Cobra
Wiki Commons by TimVickers
Can you name this Asian species that requires a heavy dose of antivenom if you get bit?
Diamondback rattlesnake
Caspian cobra
Death adder
Coastal taipan
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Caspain cobra, like many cobras, has that iconic intimidating hood it can bust out when it wants to show off. It won't spit venom, but it seems to be a very ill-tempered snake, and its venom can kill within about an hour if antivenom isn't administered.

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Jameson's Mamba
Wiki Commons by Greg Hume
What man's name does this arboreal snake from Africa go by?
Clarence river snake
King cobra
Jameson's mamba
Mulga snake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jameson's mamba is a highly venomous snake that can be found throughout Central and Western Africa. You'd think it was named by someone named Jameson, but you'd be wrong; it was first identified by Thomas Traill. Who's Jameson? No one knows for sure.

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Mark Kostich / E+ / Getty Images