Scientific Name of Snake

Snakes are carnivorous reptiles that belong to the suborder Serpentes, with close to 520 genera and 3,600 species identified to date. Except for Antarctica, snakes are found on every continent. Moreover, sea snakes are also abundant throughout the Indian and Pacific oceans. Snakes come in various sizes – with the smallest being the Barbados thread snake (Tetracheilostoma carlae), growing no longer than 5 inches and about as wide as a spaghetti noodle. On the other end of the spectrum is the Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus), with a total body length exceeding 17 feet and weighing between 30 to 70kgs. However, even the anaconda dwarfs in comparison to the Titanoboa (Titanoboa cerrejonensis). Titanoboa holds the title for the largest snake ever discovered – weighing over 1,100 kgs and reaching a length of 42 feet. This meant the snake was almost two-thirds as long as a cricket pitch. However, it lived 66 million years ago and became extinct after 10 million years. It was speculated to have died out due to the changes in the earth’s temperature.

Scientific Names of Snakes

Following are the scientific and common names of a few well-known snake species.

Venomous Species

• African Black Mamba – Dendroaspis polylepis
• Coastal Taipan – Oxyuranus scutellatus scutellatus
• Common Death Adder – Acanthophis antarcticus
• Indian cobra – Naja naja
• Inland Taipan – Oxyuranus microlepidotus
• Common Krait – Bungarus caeruleus
• Russell’s Viper – Daboia russelii
• Saw-scaled Viper – Echis carinatus
• King Cobra – Ophiophagus hannah

Non-venomous Species

• Common watersnake – Nerodia sipedon
• Indian python / Rock Python – Python molurus
• Burmese python – Python bivittatus
• Common Wolf Snake – Lycodon capucinus
• Red Sand Boa / John’s Sand Boa – Eryx johnii
• Eastern ratsnake – Pantherophis alleghaniensis,

Also Read:

• Snake Life Cycle : Introduction, Life Cycle of Snake, FAQs
• Reptilia – Characteristics And Classification
• Scientific Names of the Most Common Animals and Plants
• Mammalia – Characteristics and Classification Of Mammals
• Infectious Diseases: Types, Causes, Symptoms And Preventions
• Diseases – Classification, Types and Causes of Diseases

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