12 most beautiful snakes in the world

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective, does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

Snakes are found in almost all parts of the world with the exception of Antarctica, Ireland, New Zealand and a number of oceanic islands. In total, there are more than three and a half thousand species of snakes, and about a quarter of them are venomous. Most of these reptiles are not particularly pleasant in appearance. But there are also very beautiful species of snakes that attract the eye with their shape, graceful movements and unique coloration.

Rating of the most beautiful snakes in the world

Point collar snake

Rating: 4.0

A miniature snake from the serpentine family lives in the United States, central Mexico and in the southeastern regions of Canada. The average length of the reptile is 30-40 centimeters. Its slender body is bicolor and sometimes tri-colored. A distinctive feature by which it is easy to recognize a point collar snake is a yellow or orange stripe that separates the head from the rest of the body. It is active at night, hunts lizards, snails, frogs and other small prey. In moments of danger, the snake intimidates the enemy by raising a bright tail, usually red in color, coiled into a ring. Thus, she imitates poisonous species, although she herself is not one of them.

Rough tree viper

Rating: 4.0

This species of snake from the genus of African arboreal vipers is found in the central and western regions of Africa. They have a body length from 50 to 75 centimeters, the color can be very diverse, from light yellow to deep blue. Usually live in tropical rainforests, rarely found on the outskirts of savannahs. Protruding ribbed scales give the snake an extremely unusual appearance. This feature of the body allows her to move easily and quickly through the trees. Rough tree vipers spend most of their life above the ground; during the hunt, they hang down and attack rodents and reptiles running by. Sometimes birds also become their victims, inadvertently landing on branches within the reach of a predator. When bitten by a snake, a hemolytic poison is injected that destroys blood cells. The toxin is considered dangerous for humans, although there have been only a few recorded cases of attacks by representatives of the species on humans.

Green python

Rating: 4.1

This python species is found in the tropical rain forests of Papua New Guinea and on the Australian Cape York Peninsula. Despite the name, not all individuals are green in color. In young pythons, the scales are usually yellow or red, and only in the process of growing up do they turn green. Habits and diet also differ depending on age. Juveniles settle on the edge of the forest and eat insects or small lizards. Having reached maturity, they prefer to live in the forest, camouflaging among green plants and hunting rodents. For an ambush, snakes usually choose low-growing tree branches, from where it is convenient to pounce on the victim from above. In terms of size, females are in the lead, an adult female green python reaches two meters in length.

Rainbow boa

Rating: 4.2

The rainbow boa, known in its homeland as aboma, got its name for its unusual scales with a metallic sheen, which effectively shimmer in the sun. It looks especially beautiful during the movement of the reptile. The main color of the color is reddish brown, and light spots are located throughout the body, enclosed in dark rings. Representatives of the species are found in the tropical forests of South America and on several islands in the Caribbean. Most often they can be seen near water bodies, as rainbow boas feel great in the aquatic environment. Young individuals spend a lot of time on tree branches, adults usually move along the ground, hiding in dense grass. They feed on small mammals. The body length ranges from 150 to 200 centimeters. Boas are not poisonous and have a calm temperament, they try to avoid meeting people.

Herbaceous green whip

Rating: 4.3

This snake from the serpentine family is distributed in several countries of Asia: from India and Bangladesh to the Phillippin and southern regions of China. In addition to its bright green color, the whip attracts attention with its thin, long, laterally flattened body, reminiscent of a writhing tropical liana. With a length of up to two meters, the diameter of the reptile's body barely reaches a couple of centimeters. The muzzle is elongated, pointed, but the most unusual thing about it is the large oval eyes with horizontal pupils. Thanks to them, the whip has an extremely rare binocular vision for snakes, which allows it to determine the distance to prey with amazing accuracy. She spends most of the time in the crowns of trees, easily and quickly moving along the branches. The snake hunts in the daytime, and at night it hides in secluded places, such as hollows or cracks in the bark. The diet consists of rodents, tree frogs and other small animals. Pletevidka has a weak poison that is not dangerous to humans.

Texas white snake

Rating: 4.4

The Texas white snake is also known as the white rat snake, so it is called not only because of its diet, but also because of some external similarity of its flattened narrow head with a rat's face. It lives on the North American continent, from the southern states of the United States to southern Canada. Can live in deciduous forests, shrubs, or in ravines and river valleys. In length, the snake reaches 180 centimeters, the color is uniform, milky white, although black and orange individuals are occasionally found. It preys mainly on rodents, frogs and lizards. The snake has no venom glands, but its bites are very painful due to deeply penetrating long teeth.

Horned viper

Rating: 4.5

The horned viper is found throughout the entire northern part of the African continent, except Morocco, and on the Arabian Peninsula. The length of the snake is about 80 centimeters, the color is yellow-sandy with dark brown spots, the massive body ends with a short narrow tail. Above the eyes, sharp scaly growths stick out vertically upward, like horns. The horned viper moves in an unusual way: throwing the back half of the body forward, and then pulling the front half towards it. At the same time, she alternates movement with the right and left side. The sawtooth scales located on the sides allow you to quickly burrow into the sand, which is used both for shelter from other predators and for ambush. The viper hunts mainly at night, feeds on lizards, rodents and birds. Sensing danger, it curls up and begins to rub against each other with side scales, thus making a warning sound. The snake is poisonous, its bite is dangerous to humans, although lethal cases are rare, usually the victims have time to be given an antidote.

Blue Racer

Rating: 4.6

The snake got its unusual name for its bright blue color and fast movement speed. The reptile belongs to the non-venomous subspecies Coluber constrictor, known as the oriental racer. The blue racer's habitat extends across much of North America, from Canada to the southern Mexican states. The snake prefers to settle in the savannah or along the river banks. Adults reach a length of 1.8 meters, they are slender with a long tail, smooth scales and large eyes. They hunt birds, rodents and snakes that are inferior to them in size.

Schlegel's chain-tailed botrops

Rating: 4.7

Schlegel's chain-tailed botrops lives in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. The snake was named after the 19th century German scientist Hermann Schlegel. Representatives of the species can have a wide variety of colors: from green with brown patterned spots to monochromatic golden. The latter are found most often in Costa Rica. The snake is easy to distinguish by its wide, slightly flattened head and special spiny scales that are located above the eyes, like eyelashes. Body length does not exceed 60 centimeters, females are superior in size to males. Schlegel's botrops is active at night; he spends the day mostly motionless on the branches of a tree. It feeds on birds, rodents, small reptiles. Possesses a strong poison with toxins that can destroy the muscle cells of the heart and diaphragm.

California garter snake

Rating: 4.8

The snake is from the narrow-shaped family, has a body length of one and a half to two meters. It inhabits mostly the California Peninsula, sometimes found in other American states and in some regions of Canada. The color of the scales is of different colors, but it is always distinguished by the presence of bright transverse stripes. The species shows sexual dimorphism – males are much smaller than females. Garter snakes live in coastal areas, in swamps or in grassy valleys, they hunt rodents, reptiles, amphibians and fish. They spend a lot of time in the aquatic environment. When the cold season comes, they hibernate for several months. The California garter snake is not poisonous and is very careful, in times of danger it emits a pungent odor that frightens off enemies.

Black Mamba

Rating: 4.9

This beautiful but deadly snake is found in the semi-arid regions of the African continent. The black mamba got its name for the ink color of the mucous membranes of the inner part of the mouth. The color of its shiny scales, as a rule, is gray-brown or dark olive, although sometimes completely black individuals are also found. The length is from one and a half to two meters, the weight is about 1.6 kilograms. It is one of the longest and fastest snakes in the world, and over short distances it can travel at speeds of over 12 kilometers per hour. Black mambas live both on the ground and in trees; cracks, abandoned burrows, crevices of rocks are chosen as shelters. They hunt during the day, waiting for prey in ambush; small warm-blooded animals usually become their victims. The bite of the black mamba is one of the most dangerous among snakes, its venom is saturated with three types of toxic substances, of which dendrotoxin acts most strongly. The amount of venom released in one bite is enough to kill fifteen adult males. Once in the body, toxins cause peripheral paralysis and lead to guaranteed death from respiratory failure in less than an hour. The only way to escape after being bitten by a black mamba is to introduce an antidote, but according to statistics, even after receiving the antidote in a timely manner, more than 10 percent of the victims of this snake attack would still die.

Blue keffiyeh

Rating: 5.0

The blue keffiyeh or Komodo tree viper is a very rare spearhead snake in the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia. They have a clearly defined triangular head resembling a spearhead. The length of the slightly flattened strong body does not exceed one meter. The color of the scales varies from blue-blue to shades of turquoise. Representatives of the species settle in the depths of tropical forests, lead an arboreal lifestyle, only occasionally going down in the process of hunting. During the day, the blue keffiyeh prefers to doze in secluded places, at night it actively searches for prey, adhering to its personal territory. During an attack on a victim, the snake uses poison that kills small animals in a matter of seconds. In humans, her bite can cause severe edema, tissue necrosis and internal bleeding, so local residents try to stay away from the bright beauty.

Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.