As far as venom potency is concerned, apparently the black mamba ranks as 6th in the world.

Here is some details which might entertain you a little.

LD50 - a measure of the lethality of snake venom, means that 50% of mice die if given this amount.

1. Hook-nosed seasnake - LD 0.02mg, length is up to 1.5 meters, and lives in South Asia waters.

2. Russel's viper - LD 0.03 mg, up to 1.7 meters and lives in Asia.

3. Inland taipan - LD 0.03mg, up to 2.5 meters and lives in Australia.

4.Duboi's reef snake - LD 0.04mg, up to 1.5 meters and lives in Australian waters.

5. Eastern brownsnake - LD 0.05mg, up to 2.4 meters and lives in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

6. Black mamba - LD 0.05mg, and lives in Africa.

7. Tiger rattle snake - 0.06mg, up to 0.9 meters and lives in Southwestern United States.

8.Boomslang - LD 0.07, up to 2.0 meters and lives in Africa.

9. Yellow-bellied seasnake - 0.07mg, up to 1.1 meters and lives in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

10. Common Indian krait - 0.09mg, up to 2.1 meters and lives in India.

Well, with all the above details, my suggestion is don't get bit by any of them if you wish to continue hunting.

Thanks Saeed. As to the tiger rattlesnake, I had not heard of that one. Sounds like it is similar to the Mojave Green Rattlesnake, as both of them carry the Mojave toxin of venom(neurotoxin). The Mojave Green is also a very bad ombre! We have them here just south of Las Vegas near the Arizona/Nevada border.

Wiki on the Tiger Rattler: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crotalus_tigris

Not the same as the Mojave Green.

Although it has a comparatively low venom yield,[24] its toxicity is considered to be the highest of all rattlesnake venoms, and the highest of all snakes in the Western Hemisphere. It has a high neurotoxic fraction that is antigenically related to Mojave toxin (see Crotalus scutulatus, venom A), and includes another component immunologically identical to crotamine, which is a myotoxin also found in tropical rattlesnakes (see Crotalus durissus). A low but significant protease activity is in the venom, although there does not seem to be any hemolytic activity.[25]

Brown (1973) lists an average venom yield of 11 mg (dried venom) and an LD50 value of 0.6 mg/kg IP for toxicity.[26] Other studies give LD50 values of 0.07 mg/kg IP, 0.056 mg/kg IV, and 0.21 mg/kg SC.[17] Minton and Weinstein (1984) list an average venom yield of 6.4 mg (based on two specimens). Weinstein and Smith (1990) list a venom yield of 10 mg.[27]

There is very little information available for bite symptoms. Human bites by the tiger rattlesnake are infrequent, and literature available on bites by this snake is scarce. The several recorded human envenomations by tiger rattlesnakes produced little local pain, swelling, or other reaction following the bite, and despite the toxicity of its venom no significant systemic symptoms. The comparatively low venom yield (6.4–11 mg dried venom) and short 4.0 mm (0.40 cm) to 4.6 mm (0.46 cm) fangs of the tiger rattlesnake possibly prevent severe envenoming in adult humans. However, the clinical picture could be much more serious if the person bitten was a child or a slight build individual. The early therapeutic use of antivenom is important if significant envenomation is suspected. Despite the low venom yield, a bite by this rattlesnake should be considered a life-threatening medical emergency. Untreated mortality rate is unknown but this snake has a very high venom toxicity and its bites are capable of producing major envenomation.[25][27]



Personal Note: I still hate snakes.

Saw a boomslang and a mamba in zim. but no issues at all with them. I was hunting a high desert area outside of Antelope Valley California. It was INFESTED with Mojave green rattlers. Absolutely terrifying and I left after the first day. Driving out that night I must have seen 50 just laying in the 2 miles of dirt road leading to the highway. Happily NO venomous snakes up here where I live now.

Both are bad snakes. It appears that the Tiger carries not only the Mojave neurotoxin like the Mojave Green, but the additional myotoxin that results in necrosis to the muscles as well. JCS271: Spooky thought on being with all of those Mojaves! rnovi: I'm not a fan of snakes either! Here's some Mojaves for you all to look at:

That top 10 list is a bit misleading.

The sea snakes are known to be very toxic but they are not commonly encountered. Most of them also have more primitive poison glands / fangs / venom injection apparatus & this reduces actual danger to humans.

Of the land based snakes, Australia has some thing like 4 or 5 of the top 10 in toxicity & lethality (not the same - see below). Papua New Guinea has some of the same snakes.

The Inland Taipan is the most toxic but there are few if any recorded human fatalities! On the other hand the coastal Taipan is no 2 in toxicity but no 1 for lethality!

In India the Russel's viper is the most common cause of death - something like 50% to 60% of all snake bite deaths. But the Saw scale viper is more aggressive and dangerous - it is just not as common around village houses. I have seen one only about 10 inches long and it was so aggressive. I have seen videos of this snake & it is scarey - I guess it is more aggressive than the mamba. But is is a very small snake. See this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I4jLMUXQWo. Rom Whittaker is the real guru of reptiles in India.

But the Krait is the deadliest - antivenom is a very new development for this snake and it is not always effective. It is nocturnal and so it is not so common. I have seen krait on the road or the track while hunting at night for hares.

The Indian spectacled cobra is a beautiful snake and very shy. I have caught a couple and almost stepped on a couple while working in a Tea Plantation in the 1980s. I stood inches from them while supervising field workers. The snake just moved away. the gentle rustling of the dried leaves alerted me to the snake!

The king cobra is not as toxic BUT it injects a HUGE quantity of venom and this makes it fatal very often. But again it is extremely rare & avoids human contact.

JCS271,

Are you sure? I have killed prairie rattlers in Montana as high as 7500 feet in elevation down by Whitehall and up by Augusta.

The northwest corner might be the only place that doesn't have them. I've been most everywhere else in the state and damned if I couldn't find rattlers.

As for the list above, I leave in two weeks for Namibia, so thanks for reminding me of the snake world. Hopefully, they are too cold to come out and scare the hell out of me.

Jeremy

and if these aren't bad enuf - just thing what would happen if you get bitten by an obama or hilary snake

Don't know about MT.
But, believing I knew enough about rattlers to claim they didn't live higher than about 7500'.
Going elk hunting one yr when it was very dry. I found a dead one laying in the road at about 9500'. Near LaJara Reservoir, just a couple miles to the east of there. Thinking it looked like a rattler I got out and looked it over to make sure. Damned sure had rattles on it. I'm not too sure it wasn't a timber rattler due to the dark coloration.

I'd never heard of the tiger rattler before this either. Good info, and obviously well named.

That bunch in the nest sure looks a lot like our prairie rattlers here in S Central Colorado. Color can vary from quite green, tan, gray, browns, somewhat yellow at times. It must depend a lot of what color of ground they're on.

Another very good educational thread.
Thanks to everyone for posting what they know.
George

What I think makes some of these snakes more deadly than others is the amount of venom they release when they bite you. So even if they not as toxic if they pumping in 5 times the venom as another snake it will do more damage quicker

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
and if these aren't bad enuf - just thing what would happen if you get bitten by an obama or hilary snake

Already have - April 15.

The real snake is the Bill Clinton-Lewinsky fanged sucker snake!

quote:

Originally posted by farbedo:
JCS271,

Are you sure? I have killed prairie rattlers in Montana as high as 7500 feet in elevation down by Whitehall and up by Augusta.
The northwest corner might be the only place that doesn't have them. I've been most everywhere else in the state and damned if I couldn't find rattlers.
Jeremy

And as luck would have it, I do live in that upper North West corner and we are rattler FREE!

Currently live @ 5000 feet in the mtns north of Prescott, Az. Timber rattlers and Mojave Greens are common and easily found almost anywhere a guy wants to go poking around.

I lived in the mtns north of Durango,Colorado for the previous 11 years. We lived at 8000 feet on a mountain with northern and eastern exposures and I never saw a snake. However, timber rattlesnakes were quite common to well above 9500 feet on the south and west facing exposures of the same mountain.

Interesting fact about the boomslang, it's a rear fang snake.