# What venomous creatures live around you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 5, 2016, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951 "2016-05-05T00:03:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Brodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Brodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brodi)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2016, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/61 "2016-05-08T14:10:17Z")
In South West Texas we have: Rattlesnakes Copperheads Fire Ants Carpenter Ants Centipedes Bark Scorpions Wasps ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2016, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/62 "2016-05-08T18:28:17Z")
South Georgian here. Yes, we have the usual vipers, hymenopterans, and arachnids. We also have a beautiful but very painful vespid not mentioned so far: Cow Killers. Those bitches hurt! ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2016, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/63 "2016-05-08T19:50:14Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > Small terriers are not venomous. Don’t let the doggies tell you any different! In the pub garden this afternoon I was brutally attacked by a small terrier. I think it was trying to beat me to death with its tail. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2016, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/64 "2016-05-08T22:02:59Z")
Well, there are only four poisonous snake species in the USA, and all can be found in Austin. The only type I actually SEE regularly is the water moccasin- there are all kinds of water snakes around here, most of them harmless, but there are plenty of moccasins too. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2016, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/65 "2016-05-08T22:10:22Z")
Another Australian here. Everything will try to kill you. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2016, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/66 "2016-05-08T22:32:18Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Well, there are only four poisonous snake species in the USA, and all can be found in Austin. > > The only type I actually SEE regularly is the water moccasin- there are all kinds of water snakes around here, most of them harmless, but there are plenty of moccasins too. There are more than four species of venomous snakes in the US, but only the four main species are harmful to humans. For example, there is a species of snake in the southwest US called the night snake. It produces very limited amounts of a mildly toxic venom and does not have an effective venom delivery system. It only affects the very small prey that it hunts. The garter snake has also recently been discovered to produce venom. Like the night snake, its venom is also produced in small amounts and is non toxic to humans. [Night snake.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_snake) [Garter snake.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garter_snake) ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/67 "2016-05-09T01:25:47Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Another Australian here. Everything will try to kill you. Some of the sheep aren’t venomous. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/68 "2016-05-09T03:11:31Z")
According to Wiki: This [list is incomplete. _You can help by expanding it_.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_snake_bites_in_the_United_States):eek: ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/69 "2016-05-09T03:13:57Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Well, there are only four poisonous snake species in the USA, and all can be found in Austin. Don’t mistake _kind_ for _species_ - I see this over and over on websites, but it is an error. The classic “four” - rattlesnake, water moccasin, copperhead and coral snake are actually **~22** species of significantly venemous snake in the United States and its waters: 16 different full species of viperids in the genus _Crotalus_ ( the rattlesnakes ). 2 different species of viperids in the genus _Agkistrodon_ ( the copperhead and water moccasin ). 2 species of elapid in the genus _Micrurus_ - the eastern and Texas coral snakes, recently separated. 1 species of elapid in the genus _Micruroides_ - the Arizona coral snake. 1 elapid in the genus _Pelamis_ - the yellow-bellied sea snake, occasionally found in southern California waters in warm water years. So rattlesnakes get counted once despite there being 16 of them, coral snakes once despite there being 3 ( or maybe 2 ), the copperhead and water moccasin luck out and get the right count and our lone sea snake gets ignored because it is hardly ever encountered. ETA: And of course as **cochrane** points out that ignores the rear-fanged snakes like the lyre snake or black-headed snakes that aren’t typically considered a threat to humans. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/70 "2016-05-09T03:23:58Z")
Too late to edit - And dang it, I forgot two more 😉 : 2 species of viperid in the genus _Sistrurus_ ( the pygmy rattlesnakes ). Poor rattlesnakes really get the shaft in this country. They’re a fairly diverse lot, even if they all do look kinda generically “pit vipery.” ---
**Author:** ![CannyDan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cannydan/32/548_2.png) [@CannyDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CannyDan)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/71 "2016-05-09T05:43:48Z")
**Tamerlane** has expertly (as usual) dealt with the snakes of the USA. Allow me to add one more that is also “around” me, although not quite in the USA. Once upon a time I landed on a small island in the Bahamas’ Berry Islands chain. I was looking for anything of botanical or zoological interest and, lucky me, I saw a dark colored, very busy snake near the shoreline. The two-plus footer was actively hunting lizards in the driftwood washed onto the beach. I carefully approached and was able to place my foot onto the snake’s body, pinning it briefly and harmlessly to the soft sand. As I leaned over to pick it up, the snake turned and bit me rather vigorously on my bare ankle. The bite was surprisingly extremely painful and began to bleed copiously. It was at that moment I remembered an at the time unconfirmed characteristic attributed to a certain Bahamian snake. This was indeed a Bahamian Racer (Alsophis vudii), a rear fanged and mildly venomous colubrid found on many Bahamian islands. Within minutes my ankle began to swell. It took me more than an hour to run my skiff back to my trawler docked at Chub Key and my foot was the size of a football by then. But the pain was already lessening and I had no systemic symptoms, so I didn’t think I needed further treatment. Good thing, because the closest hospital was across Tongue of the Ocean in Nassau. I continued to have discomfort and some swelling for a week. Most of the pain was to my ego though. I was pleased to have added this species to my ‘life list’. But as an experienced handler of venomous snakes I was chastened and embarrassed by my first encounter with this one. I made a foolish assumption that this was a harmless snake, then violated the cardinal rule of snake handling – _Don’t Get Bitten!_ Never again! ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/72 "2016-05-09T07:15:25Z")
I’m in New Zealand. The short answer is probably nothing. Maybe some Aussie illegal immigrants (Redback spiders), but that is about it for venomous creatures. Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/73 "2016-05-09T12:04:22Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > There are more than four species of venomous snakes in the US, but only the four main species are harmful to humans. For example, there is a species of snake in the southwest US called the night snake. It produces very limited amounts of a mildly toxic venom and does not have an effective venom delivery system. It only affects the very small prey that it hunts. The garter snake has also recently been discovered to produce venom. Like the night snake, its venom is also produced in small amounts and is non toxic to humans. > > [Night snake.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_snake) > > [Garter snake.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garter_snake) Okay, technically true. A lot of “harmless” snakes are now known to have SOME venom. But there are only four with venom powerful enough to kill or seriously injure a human: the rattler, the moccasin, the copperhead and trhe coral snake. All four can be found in an around Austin. As I said, I SEE moccasins often when kayaking with my son. To be sure, there are LOTS of harmless water snakes swimming around us too, but I’ve definitely seen moccasins. They have a reputation for being super aggressive, but in my experience, they just swim their own merry way without paying much attention to canoes or kayaks. Some years back, my son’s school had a panic because a few coral snakes were spotted around a huge patch of ivy. Coral snakes are generally shy and reclusive, but these guys had been washed out of their hiding spots by heavy rains. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/74 "2016-05-09T16:10:53Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > Some of the sheep aren’t venomous. We have a particularly venomous breed of sheep in the US. The bleating sounds like “Trump! Trump! Trump!” ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/75 "2016-05-09T16:33:02Z")
Couple-three species of rattlesnake. Some copperheads. That’s about all if we are talking stuff that can possibly kill you without you being allergic. If we take allergic reaction fatalities into account, there are bees and wasps and such in plenty. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951.md?page=3)