The Most Venomous Snakes in the World
- Nature For You
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
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The toxicity of snake venom is typically assessed by administering a known dose of venom to a test subject to determine the LD₅₀ value—the minimum amount required to cause death in 50% of the subjects. The choice of test organism and the placement of the injection can significantly influence the results. Most studies use mice as test subjects, with venom administered subcutaneously. This is due to most snake fangs only entering the subcutaneous layer, just beneath the skin. Laboratory mice of a specific strain, age, sex, and body weight are used to reduce variability. These mice are in peak condition and housed under controlled conditions before testing begins. The venom is collected, dried or stabilised, and then reconstituted in a measured solution so that precise doses can be administered. Mice are then divided into several groups, each group receiving a different venom dose. The doses are carefully chosen to span a range from non-lethal to fully lethal. After the injection, the mice are monitored for a fixed period (usually the period is 24–48 hours). Researchers will then record the data. The data ranges from survival to respiratory distress, paralysis or time to death. The number of deaths at each dose is analysed using statistical methods (such as probit or logistic regression analysis). The LD₅₀ is calculated as the dose at which 50% mortality occurs, usually expressed as milligrams of venom per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg). Modern LD₅₀ testing is tightly regulated and country dependant, subject to animal ethics approval.
It is important to note that mice are natural prey for some snake species, but not all. As a result, these rodent-eating species may have evolved venoms that are particularly effective against mice. In contrast, avian specialists such as Brown tree snakes, Boiga irregularis, show a much stronger venom toxicity when the test subject is avian in nature. However, high toxicity in mice does not necessarily translate to greater danger to humans, as snake venoms can affect different species in markedly different ways.
Australian venomous snakes are often reported to be the most toxic in the world. This perception largely stems from the misinterpretation of a study on snakebite treatment in Australia, which compared the toxicity of twenty Australian species with only three non-native species used as controls. Since that time, many additional snake venoms have been tested using comparable methods, leading to the data presented in the table below.
Please keep in mind this is the toxicity of the venom only, and the venom yield (the amount of venom injected in a bite) can vary considerably. In reality the toxicity, the yield, how effective the bite is and the fragility of the person all have considerable effect as to how dangerous the bite could be.
As Nature 4 You reside in Australia, and a lot of our audience is Australian, we have highlighted with light red to indicate our native species.
If bitten medical advice should be sought.
Know the emergency number for your country before you need it.
The list provided is the subcutaneously injected list. We have provided the top 126. This list is correct as of January 2026 - more studies are being done all the time.
There are other ways studies have been undertaken and the differences are quite worthy of a read. The other ways include: intramuscular, intravenous and intraperitoneal. They differ greatly with the ranking of the species. We will do separate blogs on these lists down the track to help avoid any confusion.
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For further reading on husbandry and ecology on Australasian Elapids invest in the book Australasian Elapids. https://www.wildlifedemonstrations.com/product-page/australasian-elapids-husbandry-captive-care-and-ecology
For all your identification and field needs with Australian snakes, invest in A Field Guide to the Snakes of Australia
References and recommended reading:
Eipper S.C 2012 A Guide to Australian Snakes in Captivity - Elapids & Colubrids, Reptile Keeper Publications, Burleigh Heads
Eipper S.C & Eipper T 2025 A Naturalist's Guide to the Snakes of Australia- third edition, John Beaufoy Publishing, Oxford
Eipper S.C & Eipper T 2022 Australasian Elapids, Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main
Eipper T & Eipper S.C 2024 A Field Guide to the Snakes of Australia, John Beaufoy Publishing, Oxford
