Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Putting together a little venomous/nonvenomous guide for my sons and their dens. Obviously this website I looked at is listing this snake incorrectly but I'd like to know what it actually is so that I can put a real name to it. I don't know where the photo was taken because obviously all the information the people on that website put in is wrong, on this particular snake anyway.

This site has it listed as #7:
http://posingfacts.blogspot.com/2010/06/10-of-most-dangerous-and-venomous.html

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Holly
Round Rock, TX

1.0 Florida Kingsnake (Eddie Gein)
0.1 Lavender California Kingsnake (Belle Gunness)
1.0 Vietnamese Golden Gecko (George Chapman)
1.0 Orange Marmalade Cat (Oliver)
1.0 Black Cat (Shadowfax)

2.0 Kids (Justice & Trevor)

If you look at the comments at the bottom of that list, you will see that it has already been identified and reported to the authors. It is an "Australian Copperhead" Genus Austrelaps

This illustrates the problem with using just the common name for an animal. Holly, my site may be of some help to you & your kids. I doubt will will find the glaring errors you have found elsewhere. Enjoy! ~~Greg~~
Venomous Snakes of Florida

I think I might steer away from that website as an authoritative source of knowledge. That has to be one of the stupider lists of "dangerous" snakes I've ever seen.

Burmese Python? If you are going to have a list absurd enough to include a python, it should be P. sebae or P. reticulatus, not a burm. And that is still ridiculous.

Anaconda? First of all, the species listed is a Green Anaconda but they have a photo of Yellow Anaconda (a much smaller species).

The copperhead thing is hilarious. First of all including the north american Copperhead on any list of "most dangerous" is just stupid, then having the wrong copperhead in the photo, priceless.

Why is it that the people who know the least about snakes always feel compelled to put together these lists?
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

I agree, Chris. That's why I wanted to put together a list for my sons to learn the *actual* snakes. Something I can print out and take to their den meetings if I want to. I was teaching the Naturalist activity badge at the Cub Scout day camp two weeks ago and during the part about venomous and nonvenomous snakes I did my best to describe exactly how to differentiate between the two, but the photos that the Council had printed out and included for the discussion were pretty poor. :/
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Holly
Round Rock, TX

1.0 Florida Kingsnake (Eddie Gein)
0.1 Lavender California Kingsnake (Belle Gunness)
1.0 Vietnamese Golden Gecko (George Chapman)
1.0 Orange Marmalade Cat (Oliver)
1.0 Black Cat (Shadowfax)

2.0 Kids (Justice & Trevor)

If you aren't already, one of the most important things to get across is "if you don't know for sure what it is, just leave it alone."

If you stay 10 feet away from the most dangerous snake in the U.S., there's no real danger...
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What goes up must come down...unless it exceeds escape velocity.

Yeah, I would just pretend I never saw that page. Using a picture of the wrong species of "copperhead" is the least of it's problems.
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What goes up must come down...unless it exceeds escape velocity.