Venomous vs. Non-venomous

Venomous vs. Harmless Snakes

      There are many look-alikes in the snake world. Mostly between a venomous and non-venomous snake. The rest of this article will tell you how to tell the difference between them. 

      The look-alike I will talk about is the brown water snake. He looks a lot like his venomous cousin, the cottonmouth. The brown water snake is not venomous. You can use the guide above to compare any snake to, and can use it through out reading this to better understand what I'm talking about. 

      Both snakes have triangular heads, but venomous snakes have a broader base. Non-venomous snakes have a gradually skinnier neck coming from their head, while venomous snakes' necks are immediately skinny. The eyes of the snakes are very different. Venomous snakes' eyes have a cat eye pupil. Non-venomous snakes have round pupils. Non-venomous snakes have a round nose, while venomous snakes have a pointed snout. 

      Now it's time for the harder to see differences. Venomous snakes have heat sensing pits next to their nostril, but non-venomous snakes don't. That can be easy to see, but this next one is very difficult. Under the tail of a venomous snake, you will find one row of scales after their vent. Non-venomous snakes have two rows of scales after their vent. 

      Can you tell if the snake at the top of this page is venomous or non-venomous? comment down below.