|
State/UT |
Major Venomous
Snakes |
Type of Venom |
Antivenom Type |
Available Brands |
||
|
Andhra Pradesh |
Cobra, Krait,
Russell’s Viper, Saw-scaled Viper |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Polyvalent |
VINS, Bharat Serums |
||
|
Arunachal Pradesh |
Cobra, Krait, Pit
Vipers* |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Partial (No Pit
Viper) |
VINS |
||
|
Assam |
Cobra, Krait,
Russell’s Viper, Bamboo Pit Viper* |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Partial (No Pit
Viper) |
VINS |
||
|
Bihar |
Cobra, Krait,
Russell’s Viper |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Polyvalent |
Bharat Serums, VINS |
||
|
Chhattisgarh |
Cobra, Krait,
Russell’s Viper, Saw-scaled Viper |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Polyvalent |
Bharat Serums, VINS |
||
|
Goa |
Cobra, Krait,
Russell’s Viper, Saw-scaled Viper |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Polyvalent |
Bharat Serums |
||
|
Gujarat |
Cobra, Krait,
Russell’s Viper, Saw-scaled Viper |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Polyvalent |
Haffkine, VINS |
||
|
Haryana |
Cobra, Krait,
Russell’s Viper |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Polyvalent |
VINS |
||
|
Himachal Pradesh |
Cobra, Krait, Pit
Vipers* |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Partial (No Pit
Viper) |
VINS |
||
|
Jharkhand |
Cobra, Krait,
Russell’s Viper, Saw-scaled Viper |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Polyvalent |
VINS, Bharat Serums |
||
|
Karnataka |
Cobra, Krait,
Russell’s Viper, Saw-scaled Viper |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Polyvalent |
Bharat Serums,
Premium Serums |
||
|
Kerala |
Cobra, Krait,
Russell’s Viper, Hump-nosed Pit Viper* |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Partial (No Pit
Viper) |
VINS |
||
|
Madhya Pradesh |
Cobra, Krait,
Russell’s Viper, Saw-scaled Viper |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Polyvalent |
VINS, Bharat Serums |
||
|
Maharashtra |
Cobra, Krait,
Russell’s Viper, Saw-scaled Viper |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Polyvalent |
Haffkine, VINS,
Bharat Serums |
||
|
Manipur |
Cobra, Krait, Pit
Vipers* |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Partial (No Pit
Viper) |
VINS |
||
|
Meghalaya |
Cobra, Krait, Pit
Vipers* |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Partial (No Pit
Viper) |
VINS |
||
|
Mizoram |
Pit Vipers* |
Hemotoxic |
❌
No |
None |
||
|
Nagaland |
Cobra, Krait, Pit
Vipers* |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Partial (No Pit
Viper) |
VINS |
||
|
Odisha |
Cobra, Krait,
Russell’s Viper, Saw-scaled Viper |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Polyvalent |
VINS |
||
|
Punjab |
Cobra, Krait |
Neurotoxic |
Polyvalent |
VINS |
||
|
Rajasthan |
Cobra, Krait,
Saw-scaled Viper |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Polyvalent |
VINS, Bharat Serums |
||
|
Sikkim |
Cobra, Krait, Pit
Vipers* |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Partial (No Pit
Viper) |
VINS |
||
|
Tamil Nadu |
Cobra, Krait,
Russell’s Viper, Saw-scaled Viper |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Polyvalent |
Bharat Serums, VINS |
||
|
Telangana |
Cobra, Krait,
Russell’s Viper, Saw-scaled Viper |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Polyvalent |
VINS (HQ in
Hyderabad) |
||
|
Tripura |
Cobra, Krait, Pit
Vipers* |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Partial (No Pit
Viper) |
VINS |
||
|
Uttar Pradesh |
Cobra, Krait,
Russell’s Viper |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Polyvalent |
Bharat Serums, VINS |
||
|
Uttarakhand |
Cobra, Krait, Pit Vipers* Cobra, Krait, Russell’s Viper Cobra, Krait, Himalayan Pit Viper* |
Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic |
Partial (No Pit
Viper) polyvalent
|
VINS Bharat Serums, VINS VINS |
||
|
| ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
India's Deadliest Snakes: Pit Viper, Indian Cobra, and
Antivenom Details
More than 50,000 snakebite deaths occur each year in India,
which is home to some of the world's most deadly snakes. Many snakes in India
are innocuous, however some are quite deadly because of their strong venom and
intimate contact with people. The deadliest snakes in India will be covered in
this book, along with information on how to recognize them, the types of venom
they produce, and whether antivenom is available for each.
1. Naja naja, or Indian Cobra
Type of Venom: Neurotoxic
Look: Brown to black body, hood mark in the shape of a spectacle
Habitat: Farmlands, urban gardens, fields, and woodlands
Bite symptoms include paralysis, breathing difficulties, and ptosis (drooping eyes).
Antivenom: ✅ Indian Polyvalent Antivenom is Used
Level of Risk: Extremely High
One of the most recognizable and dreaded snakes in India is
the Indian Cobra. It may hiss before striking and expands its hood when
attacked.
2. Bungarus caeruleus, or common Krait
Type of Venom: Extremely neurotoxic
Look: lustrous black body with white stripes
Habitat: Rural lands, rice fields, and homes
Bite symptoms include paralysis while sleeping, death within hours, and often no pain
Antivenom: ✅ Indian Polyvalent Antivenom is Used
Level of Risk: 🔥 Very High
Most fatalities are caused by bites that happen while a
person is asleep. It's possible that victims won't even recognize their bite
until it's too late.
3. Daboia russelii, or
Russell's Viper
Hemotoxic (also nephrotoxic) venom type
Look: Big brown body with oval black patches
Habitat: farmland, grasslands, and the edges of towns
Symptoms of a bite include severe agony, internal bleeding, and renal failure.
Antivenom: ✅ Indian Polyvalent Antivenom is Used
Level of Risk: 🔥 Very High
The viper that causes the most snakebite fatalities in India
is referred to as the "silent killer."
4. Echis carinatus, the saw-scaled viper
Types of Venom: Coagulation and Hemotoxicity
Look: Small, rough-scaled, with a body pattern of zigzags
Habitat: stony plains, deserts, and arid areas
Symptoms of a bite include severe edema, problems with blood coagulation, and kidney damage.
Antivenom: ✅ Indian Polyvalent Antivenom is Used
Level of Risk: 🔥 High
Despite its diminutive size, it strikes quickly and with
great aggression. It is frequently the cause of blind bites in hot, dry areas.
5.(Ophiophagus hannah) King Cobra
Type of Venom: Neurotoxic
Look: Up to 18 feet long, the longest poisonous snake in the world
Habitat: Assam, Arunachal, and Odisha forests in the Western Ghats
Bite symptoms include death within 30 minutes, unconsciousness, and rapid paralysis.
Current Indian antivenoms do not cover antivenom.
Level of Risk: Extremely High
It rarely attacks people unless provoked, despite its
reputation for being lethal. There is currently no Indian antivenom for king
cobras.
6. Hypnale hypnale, or the Hump-nosed Pit Viper
Type of Venom: Hemotoxic
A small, triangular head with a high snout is the appearance
Habitat: Western Ghats, Kerala, and Goa
Symptoms of a bite include severe pain, vomiting, and renal failure.
❌ No Indian antivenom is available.
Level of Risk: Moderate to High
This pit viper, which can cause catastrophic kidney damage,
is frequently underdiagnosed and is known for its delayed signs.
7. The Cranpedocephalus gramineus, or Bamboo Pit Viper
Type of Venom: Mildly hemotoxic
Green body with a heat-sensing pit next to the eyes
Habitat: tea gardens, woodlands, and northeast India
Bite symptoms include modest systemic effects, bruising, and swelling.
India does not have access to antivenom.
Although its bite is typically not fatal, therapy may be
made more difficult by a shortage of antivenom and a challenging diagnosis.
