List Of Venomous Snakes In Trinidad & Tobago

[LadyDeath]

For safety reasons i have decided to post some very helpful information here about venomous snakes in T&T.

CORALSNAKE ? Red, black, and pale, whitish rings encircle the body. The black rings are either single (bordered by pale, whitish rings) or in triads. Similar non-venomous species (false corals) have black rings in pairs. IF YOU ENCOUNTER A SNAKE WITH RED, BLACK, AND PALE, WHITISH RINGS, ASSUME IT IS VENOMOUS.


MAPEPIRE (PIT VIPER) SPECIES ? Pupils elliptical and sensory pit present between nostril and eye. HEAD NORMALLY TRIANGULAR, BUT BEST NOT TO RELY SOLELY ON THAT CHARACTERISTIC.


MILDLY VENOMOUS SPECIES ? There are a few species of snakes in Trinidad & Tobago that are not considered potentially deadly, but are capable of injecting mild venom. Different people have differing reactions, so it is advisable to seek medical advice for any snakebite. Even in the absence of venom, snakebites result in puncture wounds that may become infected and need medical attention.

The easiest way to recognize the four venomous species is to learn their patterns and coloration, much as you do common birds.

---

[h=3]Mapepire[/h][h=3]balsain[/h][h=3](Fer-de-lance)[/h] Bothrops asper
Up to about 2 meters
Photo by John C. Murphy
[h=3][/h]

---

[h=3]Mapepire[/h][h=3]zanana[/h][h=3](Bushmaster)[/h] Lachesis muta muta
Up to about 3.5 meters
Photo by William B. Montgomery
[h=3][/h]

---

[h=3]Large[/h][h=3]coralsnake[/h] Micrurus lemniscaus diutius
Up to about 1 meter
Photo by John C. Murphy
[h=3][/h]

---

[h=3]Common[/h][h=3]coralsnake[/h] Micrurus circinalis
Up to about .5 meters
Photo by John C. Murphy
[h=3][/h]
All rights are to Asa Wright Nature Center

 

[Lorenzo]

"Red next to yellow, kill a fellow. Red next to black, friend to Jack."

If I see one of those snakes now I running straight out the house! I don't want to kill it but if there is no other choice I will. Then carry it by a cantonese restaurant to cook, can't waste good meat..

 

[grimreaper009]

good post........always wondered about this alot

 

[Shadowhunter]

Awesome post! I've come across snakes a few times but was never 100% sure which were poisonous. I also learned the red&black/red&yellow as "If red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow. If red touches black, you're okay Jack." Sometimes hard to tell when you actually see one though lol

 

[nirtime]

Wow, good info! Never knew the combo of black and red rings meant its venomous. Love how detailed this post was, really helpful.

 

[LadyDeath]

Thank you . I posted this because i was having a convo with a friend and he told me that alot of people in Trini are not aware at how many species of snakes there are in Trinidad, small little islands included as well.

Any snake i see i am fleeing for my life. I also heard that there is also a shortage of anti-venom for scorpions and snakes in Trinidad so that's something to be mindful about as well when venturing into bushy areas.

 

[Shadowhunter]

Thankfully I've never faced a scorpion, but I freeze up almost every time I came across a snake lol Luckily there's usually someone around to get me out of there or grab the snake, and other times the snakes just went about their business like I wasn't there.

 

[LadyDeath]

Lucky you..A deadly coral snake nearly bit my cousin many years aback. Ever since , i don't put my foot in no bush nuh and i not going anywhere that looking snake infested. A lady recently died as she was bit by one and taken to the hospital but they had no anti-venom.
Sad fact that this is not priority for our country !

 

[Shadowhunter]

That's very sad indeed. As a country known to have these creatures, we should have regular stocks of anti-venom in every hospital and health center around at the very least! When I was younger I remember some students boasting about holding poisonous snakes and even saw a very young relative do it as well. I remember being told as a child that someone cut off the bottom of a toddler's swollen foot with a cutlass before taking them to the hospital to treat a scorpion bite because they knew the hospital would not be able to do anything (and the hospital in fact had no treatment and told them it was good they cut off the flesh because the child would have died by the time they made it to the hospital).