10 Most Venomous Snakes

 What are Venomous Snakes?
Venomous snakes are snakes typically characterized by the presence of venom glands - wherein they store their venom, and fangs i.e. a set of teeth specially adapted, which they use to inject this venom in their prey. These snakes use this venom either to immobilize their prey when hunting or to take on predators when it comes to self-defense. Many a times, these snakes are referred to as 'poisonous snakes' which is technically incorrect as venom and poison are two different things. While venom is injected into the tissues or the blood stream, poison is absorbed though the digestive system or the skin. The process wherein a snake injects venom into the body of its prey through its fangs is referred to as envenomation. Of the 600 odd venomous species of snakes, the most venomous snakes in the world is the Inland Taipan, which is found in Australia. The median lethal dose (which is often used to determine the toxicity of venom) for the venom of this species is 0.025 mg/kg. Even though there do exist some sources which suggest that the most venomous snake in the world is Belcher's sea snake (Hydrophis belcheri), there in not much of evidence to support this claim.

Ten Most Venomous Snakes of the World
King cobra, Western diamondback rattlesnake, Black mamba..... these are the first few names that are likely to come to your mind when we talk about the most venomous snakes. Sadly however, none of them figure in our list of the most venomous. There is no doubt about the fact that these species are quite ferocious or that a significant percent of snake bite deaths in the world are attributed to this species, but in terms of venom toxicity they are overshadowed by the top 10 deadliest snakes in the world enlisted below. (The methodology used to determine this list is provided later in this writeup.)

Rank	Species
1	Name of the species: Inland Taipan Scientific name: Oxyuranus microlepidotus Other names: Small Scaled Snake and Fierce Snake Geographical range: Arid regions of Central Australia LD50: 0.025 Note: Even though it is also referred to as Fierce snake, the Inland Taipan is quite reclusive in nature; the 'fierce' in its name refers to its toxic venom.
2	Name of the species: Eastern brown snake Scientific name: Pseudonaja textilis Other names: Common brown snake Geographical range: Native to Australia LD50: 0.036 Note: Even though the Eastern brown snake has the smallest fangs of all the venomous snakes of Australia, its potent venom makes it the second deadliest after Inland Taipan.
3	Name of the species: Dubois' seasnake Scientific name: Aipysurus duboisii Geographical range: the Coral Sea, Arafura Sea, Timor Sea and Indian Ocean LD50: 0.044 Note: Even the Dubois' seasnake is the third most venomous snake in the world, it holds the numero uno position when it comes to sea snakes.
4	Name of the species: Yellow-bellied sea snake Scientific name: Pelamis platurus Other names: Pelagic Sea Snake Geographical range: Tropical oceanic waters LD50: 0.067 Note: Even though the quantity of venom delivered by the Yellow-bellied sea snake is very low, it is considered to be 10 times more venomous than the Egyptian cobra.
5	Name of the species: Horned sea snake Scientific name: Acalyptophis peronii Other names: Spiny-headed seasnake Geographical range: Off coast Southeast Asia and Australia LD50: 0.079 Note: The fact that this species prefers coral reefs alongside sandy beds makes them a threat for deep-sea divers in this region.
6	Name of the species: Many-banded krait Scientific name: Bungarus multicinctus Other names: Taiwanese banded krait Geographical range: Taiwan, parts of China, Myanmar and Vietnam LD50: 0.108 Note: Renowned American herpetologist Joseph Bruno "Joe" Slowinski died when he was bit by a juvenile Many-banded krait in an isolated region of Myanmar.
7	Name of the species: Black banded sea snake Scientific name: Hydrophis melanosoma Other names: Robust seasnake Geographical range: Off coast Southeast Asia and Australia LD50: 0.111 Note: Yet another member of the Hydrophis genus of sea snakes, it is widely known for its highly toxic venom.
8	Name of the species: Beaked sea snake Scientific name: Enhydrina schistosa Other names: Hook-nosed sea snake and Common sea snake Geographical range: Off coast South Asia, Southeast Asia and Australia LD50: 0.112 Note: A Beaked sea snake seldom bites humans, but when it does, a mere 1.5 milligrams of its venom is enough to kill one.
9	Name of the species: Congo water cobra Scientific name: Boulengerina christyi Other names: Christy's Water Cobra Geographical range: Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo LD50: 0.12 Note: Even though the Congo water cobra - along with the Ringed water cobra, is a terrestrial species, their semi-aquatic nature has earned them the name 'water cobras'.
10	Name of the species: Peninsula tiger snake Scientific name: Notechis ater niger Geographical range: Eyre Peninsula and the islands of South Australia LD50: 0.131 Note: This is yet another species which is more of a threat for its highly toxic venom, as compared to the number of snake bites attributed to it.

Most Venomous Snakes: Methodology
In your quest to find out which of the snakes are the most venomous, you are likely to come across several lists - each of which will differ from the other to some extent, and that doesn’t really come as a surprise as it is very difficult to come to a consensus on this issue.  Many people argue that the LD₅₀ (mg/kg) count - the dose essential to kill half of the tested population, is not accurate as the results differ in the same species depending on whether the envenomation is subcutaneous, intravenous or intramuscular, and one cannot ignore the fact that it is by far the best method that we have at our disposal today.

Even though the King Cobra and Black Mamba cause larger number of deaths as compared to the Inland Taipan, the latter has far more venom as compared to these two species. The high mortality rate attributed to these species can be traced to their widespread habitat, which increases their chances of encountering humans. The same rule applies when it comes to sea snakes. Though they have an edge over their terrestrial counterparts when it comes to venom toxicity, the fatalities attributed to them are less as they stay in oceans; wherein the chances of their encounter with humans are minimal. At the same time, one also needs to take into consideration that the most aggressive snake in the world does not necessarily have to be the most venomous.

Why Natural Pet Care is a Growing Trend

A "holistic approach" simply means that natural pet care uses wholly natural and neurotic means to care for pets as part of an intention to bring the world back to its roots as being in tune with the universe. However, this is not always the mindset that natural pet care users must execute. It is more the principal and nutrition of natural pet care than it is the actual psychological mind set. The key purpose of this holistic natural pet care regiment is to help inform and learn the truth about veterinarian sciences and reasoning behind certain recommendations from "commercial" or "progressionist" veterinarians, as some holistic pet care users refer to them as.

This is done through a series of seminars as well as over the counter literature that can be purchased by prospective holistic pet care users. There are also many products being produced now that specializes in the natural and holistic healing of ailments that might befall animals during their natural life. There are vitamins and foods that are said to help expand the lives of some animals, making this practice all the more popular among animal and pet lovers.

Another key feature of this approach is that, because the products are natural and processed so cheaply, it is possible to attain these holistic vitamins, treats, and foods at a very low cost in comparison to modern animal foods, treats, and vitamins.

The benefits to natural and holistic health care for animals is, of course, the effectiveness. Not only is pet care from natural supplements and products good for the pet in question, but it is also good for the environment. Because natural ingredients and products are forged directly from natural settings, they are cheaper and safer for the environment because they use little to no harmful producing methods.

Holistic means are safe and easy to do on animals because the natural ingredients used on the animals are nothing that the pet would not be exposed to anyways. Years before the domestication of animals, all of them were able to survive and thrive on their own just by being one with nature. Natural pet care is a desire to get back to that ideology by making products that are healthy and good for the pet, but also good for the earth’s preservation. Without the earth, there would be no pets, and without pets and animals, the earth would be bare. In this respect, the two need each other. Not to mention that pets are fantastic companions for us humans. The love and compassion they give us earns them nothing less than the best. And the best in the respect of animal health should be what is best for everything, animal and earth alike.