9 Gorgeous Snake Species Around the World

Sri Lankan Pit Viper (Trimeresurus trigonocephalus) The Sri Lankan pit viper, endemic to wetlands and grasslands, is known for its green and black coloration and triangular-shaped head. Its camouflage technique involves its hue and hemotoxins, which destroy red blood cells, damage the circulatory system, and cause swelling, hemorrhage, and necrosis.

Asian Vine Snake (Ahaetulla prasina) Vine snakes, an arboreal species, have a unique geometric pattern and slender, fluorescent green bodies. They inhabit various Southeast Asian habitats, including forests, plantations, and urban gardens. They have venom, but it doesn't harm humans. Populations are threatened by development and traditional medicinal practices.

Green Tree Python (Morelia viridis) The green tree python, a nonvenomous tree snake, is known for its vivid green coloration, which blends well with its tropical rainforest habitat in New Guinea, Indonesia, and Australia's Cape York Peninsula. It prefers dense vegetation and high humidity, spending most of its time in trees during the day and returning to the ground at night. Juvenile green pythons can be bright yellow, red, or dark brown.

San Francisco Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) The San Francisco garter snake, known for its stunning color pattern, is endangered in California. Despite being harmless to humans, it can grow up to three feet. The snake's red tongue lures fish and the California red-legged frog. The Center for Biological Diversity is challenging the use of toxic pesticides in the Bay Area.

Eyelash Viper (Bothriechis schlegelii) Eyelash pit vipers, known for their "supraciliary" scales, are venomous and beautiful snakes with wide, triangular-shaped heads. They are small, chunky snakes, 20-30 inches long, and found in banana trees. They live in wet, humid forests in the Americas, hunting for small mammals, bats, birds, frogs, and lizards. Females are larger than males.

Banded Sea Krait (Laticauda colubrina) The banded sea krait, also known as the yellow-lipped sea krait, is an amphibious species found in tropical waters around the eastern Indian and western Pacific oceans. It has valved nostrils and a paddlelike tail, allowing it to swim and hunt for prey in water. It is found on coral reefs and rocky shores and rarely interacts with humans, often dying from being trapped for too long.

Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Epicrates cenchria) Brazilian rainbow boas, brown or reddish-brown, have iridescent shimmering scales and black stripes on their heads and rings down their backs. They live in lower Central America, inhabiting rainforests, humid woodlands, and savannas. Females grow larger than males. Nonvenomous, they use constriction to kill prey.

Formosa Odd-Scaled Snake (Achalinus formosanus) The Formosa odd-scaled snake, found in Taiwan and Japan, is a nocturnal, nonvenomous, and docile species with a small head and black eyes. It is known for its rainbow iridescence and is nocturnal, hunting for earthworms, slugs, and frogs.

Scaleless Corn Snake (Pantherophis guttatus) Corn snakes, a docile and gentle species, come in various colors and have alternating black and white markings. A unique variation is the scaleless corn snake, which lacks scales due to a natural genetic mutation. They have larger eyes and shed their skin in a single tube-shape piece. Despite their docility, they are popular as pets due to their nonvenomous nature.