When I was a kid, 25 years ago, the topic of discussion about venomous snakes was "which is the deadliest?" (how ironic it still is). I found the answer in a Guinness world records book. Of course it was a sea snake. For years I believed that and I guess everyone else did too because if you take a survey at least 15 out of 20 people asked will tell you it's some sea snake with a name about 50 letters long. Somewhere in time someone came up with an idea to test the venoms toxicity on laboratory mice and rats. They came up with the LD50 (Lethal Dose of 50% of test subjects) scale. The number representing how many mg. of venom per g. of body weight. Smaller number means less venom proving more toxic. Their tests proved the Oxyuranus microlepidotus (Inland Taipan)was in fact the most toxic at 0.025 LD50. They also proved Aipysurus duboisii (Dubois's sea snake) was the most toxic sea snake with a 0.044 LD50. That proving that the land snake Taipan was more toxic having a smaller number (I'd like to know what proof was submitted to Mr. Guinness to convince him the sea snake is the most toxic?) It's been proven cut and dry with the LD50 tests now we know.

Wait a minute, they did the tests on mice and rats. That only proves the snakes toxicity on them not humans. "A rodents body will react to the venom differently then a humans" (people say). So it still must be the sea snake that Guinness claimed was. Who can argue with Guinness, he knows everything right? I understand that the tests can't be all inclusive, but if it's all the proof we have USE IT until it can be proven somehow with humans. Lets clean out our prisons then we'd know . Recently Dr. Jamie Seymour of Australia has started testing venom toxicity on live human heart cell cultures and from his tests he claims that the Oxyuranus microlepidotus (Inland Taipan) having destroyed over 60% of all heart cells within ten minutes proves it to be most toxic in humans. I can understand how this proves the toxicity of the cytotoxic or myotoxic venoms beings their effect is to destroy tissue and muscle. I can't for the life of me figure out how this assessment proves toxicity levels or comparison to neurotoxic venoms and their effects on the human body as a whole.

I still find myself arguing about this subject with very educated herpers that still claim the sea snakes reign of supremacy. If we are going to just guess which should win this contest so to speak just from assumptions what happened to the others? Ophiophagus hanna (king cobra) LD50 1.7, this snake can look a 6 foot man in the eye, and is one of the four with the highest venom yield (which by the way is most important when considering what's most venomous), has to be the most deadly. Dendroaspis polylepsis (Black Mamba) LD50 0.32, this is the fastest and known as the most aggressive snake in the world, it has to be the most deadly snake in the world. Daboia russelli (Russels viper) LD50 0.75-1.37, is responsible for more deaths then any other snake world wide, how could that not be the most toxic in the world? I could go on with many other possibilities (without any tests or proof). I realize this thread is about the most venomous but to ask the actual question of what is the most deadly? Lets just sway away from toxins all together for a moment. Eunectes murinus (Green Anaconda) LD50 0.00, with a crushing strength of up to 90 psi 18 feet long with a contact area of about 6 inches by about 10 feet. You do the math that’s a lot of pressure. After as little as 45 seconds and no more then 2 minutes you have 0.0% chance of survival give or take ohhhh about 0.0%. Death is imminent sending its victim into cardiac arrest by restricting the heart from beating. No amount of medical treatment moments after an attack will save you. In my opinion that's the snake that deserves the crown as potentially the most deadly snake in the world. Hah!!! Even though the number of recorded deaths by the massive snake are nil. Just for the record I used the Anaconda as an example, I could include all/any of the worlds huge snakes.

The long dispute about what’s the most deadly. It’s not difficult to determine if you specify exactly what you mean by “most deadly”. According to Bryan Grieg Fry one of the worlds leading venom researchers "The most deadly is the one that just bit you. The debate of what are the most venomous snakes is one that occupies a disproportionate amount of time, it is of course purely academic... dead is dead." , seems most logical to me. What is your opinion? What other snakes would you submit as the most deadly without proof? Tell me what you say when someone tells you, or asks you (the most deadly snake)?

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