info@getridofpests.com

What is the Deadliest Snake in the United States?



There are 4 species of venomous snakes in the USA. These dangerous snakes are coral snake, rattlesnake, copperhead and water moccasin or cottonmouth.

Coral Snake

Coral snakes are the most poisonous of these four venomous species. The coral snake lives in the Southern USA, in an area from Arizona to Florida. A coral snake is small, measuring under 40 inches, with small fangs, so a coral snake (luckily) will not manage to bite a human every time it tries. In a case when this happens, its poison will cause paralysis (primarily of a respiratory system) and overall weakness of the body. You will recognize it by its distinctive yellow, black and red bands. If a yellow band is between red and black, then you have met a coral snake and the best thing to do is to move away swiftly.

Rattlesnakes

Rattlesnakes that reside in the Mojave Desert are supposedly the most venomous of all rattlesnakes in the world. Its poison can kill a person if they don’t get anti-venom soon enough. Rattlesnakes are one of the few snake species that will attack without being provoked. Even though the poison of a rattlesnake isn't as poisonous as the same amount of poison of some other venomous snakes, they inject it so much in a single bite that it really manages to have a strong effect. If bitten by a rattlesnake, a person's blood doesn't clot and tissues start to decay. Rattlesnakes are recognizable for their distinctive rattle at the end of their tail, and they usually don't grow over 50 inches in length. Relatives of the Mojave rattlesnake include the Western and Eastern diamondback, sidewinder, rock rattlesnake, timber rattlesnake and pygmy rattlesnakes.

Copperheads

Copperheads are usually found in the eastern part of USA. Their bite makes up almost 40% of the overall annual number of snake bites, but luckily enough their poison isn't as dangerous as the poison of other mentioned snakes in this text. They are named after their copper-colored head and they have a distinctive hourglass pattern over their body, colored in different shades of brown. They grow up to 3 feet in length.

Water Moccasin/Cottonmouth

The water moccasinor cottonmouth is an aggressive snake with poison that luckily isn't deadly if the person gets to the doctor soon enough. A cottonmouth grows up to 4 feet in length and is named after its whitish, cotton-color mouth it exposes as a warning before attacking. It is a less deadly snake that has earned a reputation as being aggressive. The poison of a cottonmouth is haemotoxic, meaning it will cause decay of tissue. The cottonmouth lives in wetlands.

Go back to the How to Get Rid of Snakes page or email us if you have any other questions about What is the Deadliest Snake in the United States?