How can you tell the difference between a poisonous snake and a not poisonous snake?

Answer 1

There are no poisonous snakes but there are venomous snakes. One needs to be familiar with the species of each area as there are no general rules concerning shapes of the head or eyes. Vipers usually have a triangular shaped head. However, in many areas of the world there are species of snakes without a triangular head that are highly venomous. When planning a trip into unfamiliar countries it is best to purchase a guide book to the local species.

Answer 2

No snakes are poisonous, they are venomous. The only way you can tell is by researching snake species in your area and finding photographs of the type of snake you saw. Once you are familiar with the animals in your area you will be able to tell. Venomous snakes come in all shapes, colors, and sizes so there is no way to tell unless you know the species. You can easily Google "Snakes in (your area)" and get good results.

The myth that a venomous snake will have a triangular/diamond shaped head is false. There are many venomous snakes with oval heads (such as the Coral Snake and Black Mamba), and there are non-venomous snakes with triangular/diamond shaped heads, (such as many Boa and Python species).

Answer 3

Look at the bottom of the snake, notice the pattern of the lines. Once you get down to the anus, if the lines change pattern, it is not poisonous. But if it stays the same, it IS. Also, if you look at its eyes, if the eyes are slitted like a cat's, it IS poisonous. If they are round like a person, it is not.

EDIT: Sorry Lindsey - There is NO way to tell if a snake is venomous or not just by looking at its physical design ! Many non-venomous species share traits with venomous ones (and vice-versa) - the only sure-fire way is researching which snakes occur naturally in your locality. At least that way you'll have an idea what to look for if you encounter a snake in the wild... Snakester1962 (Supervisor)

Answer 4

black and yellow you're a dead fellow red and black you're ok jackEDIT:This saying only refers to the difference between the coral snake and and scarlet king snake. (could also be said as," red touch's yellow, kills a fellow, red touch's black, friend to jack") Either way though, there is no good way to tell with out knowing what one looks like. Some say, "if it has a triangle head" or "if it has cat eyes".....well both of these traits belong to the viper family. Most venomous snakes in north Americabelong to the viperdae family or are vipers, such as all rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths or water moccasins (same snake) the only one left out is the coral snake which belongs to the elapidae family which includes cobras, kraits, taipans, and mambas. These snake do not have the triangular shaped head, and they have round pupils, much like us! I would not advise anyone to get close enough to a snake to try to see if it has cat eyes or a triangle shaped head because some snakes such as the eastern diamond back have an impressive strike range. I recommend looking up venomous snakes in your area and try to get a picture maybe, but do not mess with them. Venomous bites are excruciating pain, horrible scars, and possible death or loss of a limb.

PS: no such thing as a poisonous snake, they are venomous! Poison is something you can digest and it would harm you. Venomous, refers to something being injected into your bloodstream.

1. The shape of its head. This is the easiest and most obvious indication of whether a snake is venomous or non-venomous. The head of a venomous snake is usually triangular or shaped like an arrow. Exceptions are the non-venomous Eastern hognose snake -which may flatten its head when threatened - and the coral snake.
2. Its eyes. Venomous snakes usually have a vertical, elliptical (cat-like) pupil, whereas the pupil of a non-venomous snake will be round and located in the center of its eyes. But there are some exceptions. Among those exceptions are the night snakes (Hypsiglena). Also look to see if there is a pit, or hole, between the snake's eyes and nostrils or to the sides of the eyes. A venomous snake has a heat-sensitive pit or pits that enable it to locate warm-blooded prey, even in the dark. Non-venomous snakes lack these specialized sensory pits.

Answer 5

First off they are venomous not poisonous.

The way to tell if one is venomous is a venomous snake has a triangular shaped head.

Second another way that involves less danger is to look in a book on reptiles in your area (they have pictures of the snake usually)

Answer 6

A poisonious snake has a triangular shaped head, whereas a non poisonous snake has a more rounded head.

you wait for it to bite you and see if you start feeling like you've been poisoned that'll probably be a dead giveaway :) hope this helped :D

Answer 7

Only one thing is sure. If the snake has a triangular-shaped head, it is a viper of some king and venomous. However, if it does not have a triangular head, it may still be dangerous as there are many very dangerous snakes that have a more rounded head. Be familiar with the snakes in your specific area of the world.

Answer 8

The only way to distinguish between venomous and nonvenomous snakes is to obtain a guide to the snakes of a particular region. There is a myth that a snake with an oval head and round pupils is nonvenomous. If that were true, the snake pictured above of the deadly green mamba is harmless.

Answer 9

Nonvenomous snakes have round pupils; venomous snakes have elongated pupils that look like slits.

Answer 10

By making yourself aware of the local species of venomous snakes. You cannot tell for certain just by looking at a snake whether it's venomous or not !