Snake! 15 deadliest serpents

Snakes can be very bad for your health. While only a fraction of the thousands of species of snakes are venomous, the World Health Organization estimates that snakebite kills anywhere from 20,000 to 94,000 people around the world each year.

Certain snakes are especially dangerous. Keep clicking to see the 15 deadliest species, according to Dr. George R. Zug, a Smithsonian Institute snake expert...

15. Forest cobra

forest cobra, snakes, venomous — Wikimedia Commons

The forest cobra kicks off the list of deadliest snakes. Members of this species, which grow to eight feet in length, are native to central Africa.

14. Tigersnake

tiger snake, notechis scutatus, poisonous, venomous, dangerous, snakes — Wikimedia Commons

Found in southern and eastern Australia, tiger snakes are quiet and surprisingly calm, say Aussie natives. But they're still super-venomous, coming in fourteenth on the list of deadliest snakes.

13. Common European viper

common european viper, snake, snakes, venomous, poisonous, dangerous, deadly — Wikimedia Commons

Common European vipers are widespread across Europe and Asia. According to the Britannica Encyclopedia, these broad-headed serpents are slow. That's good news, given the lethality of their venom.

12. Common taipan

taipan, snake, venomous, poisonous, deadly — Wikimedia Commons

Another Aussie native, the common taipan is found throughout northern and eastern Australia. About 90 percent of taipan snake bites are potentially deadly, according to experts at the University of Adelaide.

11. Saharan horned viper

cerastes cerastes, snake, viper, venomous, saharan, dangerous, poisonous, deadly — Wikimedia Commons

The Saharan horned viper, also known as the desert horned viper, is the most familiar snake in North Africa and the Middle East, says a University of Oxford researcher.

10. Common Indian krait

common indian krait, snake — Wikimedia Commons

Number 10 on the list of most venomous snakes, the common Indian krait is commonly known as India's most venomous snake.

9. Yellow-bellied sea snake

yellow bellied sea snake, poisonous, venomous, dangerous, deadly — Wikimedia Commons

Found in tropical waters around the world - including those near California - yellow-bellied sea snakes are believed to have no predators, experts say.

8. Boomslang

boomslang, dispholidus typhus, snakes, poisonous, venomous, dangerous, deadly — Wikimedia Commons

Boomslangs dwell in trees throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Their incredible camouflage makes them especially dangerous, experts say.

7. Tiger rattlesnake

tiger rattlesnake, snake, dangerous, poisonous, venomous, deadly — Wikimedia Commons

Tiger rattlesnakes are native to the U.S. They can be found in Arizona and other parts of the Southwest. But don't go looking.

6. Black mamba

black mamba, 4x3, stock — Wikimedia Commons

Black mambas are "fast, nervous, lethally venomous, and when threatened, highly aggressive," according to National Geographic magazine. In June, a New York woman was found dead in her suburban New York home - apparently after having been bitten by her own pet black mamba.

5. Eastern brown snake

brownsnake, snake, deadly, poisonous, venomous — Wikimedia Commons

The eastern brown snake is native to Australia. Its bite kills more Australians than any other snake, according to the Australian Reptile Park in Somersby, New South Wales.

4. Dubois's sea snake

dubois sea snake, venomous, poisonous, snake — 10000 Birds/Clare Morton

See this sea snake? It's found in Australian waters.

3. Inland taipan

inland taipan, snake, deadly, poisonous, venomous, dangerous — Flickr/denn

Inland taipan snakes are native to Australia and can survive extreme desert conditions.

2. Russell's viper

snakes, russell's viper, deadly, poisonous, dangerous, venomous — Wikimedia Commons

Russell's viper is native to Asia - found in places from India to Taiwan to Indonesia, says Britannica Encyclopedia. These snakes exist in open country, often in farmland - which makes contact with humans very likely.

1. Hook-nosed seasnake

hook nosed sea snake, snake — Flickr/Dr. Naina Gosavi

If there's one serpent you should recoil from, it's the highly venomous hook-nosed sea snake, which lives along the coast of South Asia. Thankfully, its preferred prey is fish, not humans. Dr. Zug says it's the deadliest snake in the world.