| 1 | Red-tailed coral snake |
Maximum length: 140.6cm.
The red-tailed coral snake (Micrurus mipartitus) is common neurotoxic species, which is abundant in Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama. Like all coral snakes, it’s severely neurotoxic, with the ability to disable normal brain signals and cause paralysis. This species inhabits a mixture of forests, woodlands and people’s backgardens, and mostly eats smaller snakes such as thread snakes and Werner’s ground snakes.
Most kids are taught from a young age that vivid, brightly coloured snakes are to be feared above all else, and this definitely applies to Micrurus mipartitus. However, what really makes this species eerie is its extremely black face and eyes.
Most coral snakes have red, yellow and black bodies, yet this species might have the blackest face of all. It’s like they’re wearing a mask, which completely obscures their eyes, casting them in a permanent shadow.
Rather than angry and menacing, the red-tailed coral snake’s face is just a blank sheet of nothingness. Additionally, this species has a relatively inactive personality. Rather than charging down humans, they prefer to lie motionless on the forest floor, and this only adds to the eerie, spooky feel this species likes to create.
| 2 | Clelia clelia |
Maximum length: 275cm.
A widespread species in Central and South America, ranging from southern Mexico to central Brazil. This species has only a mild venom and poses no threat to humans. But they do have one terrifying feature – preying mainly on fellow snakes. The mussurana, AKA Clelia clelia, is the top snake-eating snake of the western hemisphere, and they have a particular taste for venomous pitvipers.
If a human swallowed a fer-de-lance, then the toxin glands would lead to a badly upset stomach and possibly death soon after. Clelia clelia, meanwhile, just swallows pitvipers without thinking. It’s immune to their venom both when consumed and when injected via a bite, as Clelia clelia is often seen grappling with common lanceheads, often with a bored expression on its face.
Clelia clelia moves by night, as well as overcast days. There’s no reason not to have this snake living in your backyard. In fact, you could have 40 mussuranas living in your garden and suffer no ill consequences. Your Costa Rican or Brazilian garden would even become safer from deadly pitvipers, waiting to spring at you.
The one downside would be the sheer fear factor – heading out at night and knowing you could bump into the face above, staring back at you menacingly.
| 3 | Indian cobra |
Maximum length: 2.2 metres.
The Indian cobra (Naja naja) is overwhelmingly the most common cobra in India, covering the entire country except for the high Himalayan peaks and driest deserts. The fear is already intense, as this species has a lethal neurotoxic venom capable of disabling all lung inflation and deflation.
Everyone knows that cobras rear up, spread their hoods, and hiss loudly when they meet an enemy. Their goal is to give people one last chance to back off before they launch a savage attack.
The eerie thing, however, is when Indian cobras are spotted in villages, parks or by roads, rearing up for apparently no reason. They’re sometimes spotted sitting still and looking extremely alert and focussed, despite the lack of any humans. There’s no threat, yet they’re just sitting there waiting.
It’s impossible to tell what these cobras are thinking. Some Indian villagers have had heart attacks at the mere sight of these patient, prepared cobras. It would be more comforting if they were hissing and charging, because at least we would understand them. But no: these Indian cobras have instincts far removed from the human race. Indian cobras are also fast slitherers, which can cover ground rapidly.
| 4 | Amazon tree boa |
Maximum length: 188cm.
The Amazon tree boa is one of the highest climbing snakes in Brazil, reaching a confirmed 25 metres high in the crowns of trees. They’re the second most common boa in South America after the boa constrictor, occupying various forest types. While this is firmly a branch-dwelling snake, Amazon tree boas don’t require pristine, untouched forests to survive.
The Amazon tree boa is a nocturnal species. They combine a variety of eerie features, the first being a complete dislike of light. Not only does the Amazon tree boa avoid oppressive sunlight, they can barely cope with moonlight. A 2014 study found that they moved most commonly on overcast, even rainy nights, where all faint traces of light are snuffed out.
Their diet also has a touch of eeriness. The Amazon tree boa preys heavily on bats, including Jamaican fruit bats and dark fruit-eating bats. They use Machiavellian ambush tactics, waiting by bright flowers which they know that bats will inevitably flock too.
Amazon tree boas can even stash themselves in thatched villages roofs, waiting for bats to return. Reading this from Brazil? There may be an Amazon tree boa over your head right now.
| 5 | Cottonmouth |
Maximum length: 189.2cm.
An infamous species of the southern USA. The cottonmouth is mainly found in dark swamps, or small gloomy lakes rather than fast-flowing rivers. They dislike sunlight, and are much more likely to come out when the light dims and storm clouds blow in, with a steadily strengthening wind.
Cottonmouths are extremely common in the US southeast, ranging from Florida to central Texas in the west. They have vertical slits of pupils, and are commonly spotted resting motionless on shores, possibly asleep, yet possibly awake and waiting patiently. They’re armed with a cytotoxic venom, which is capable of causing massive swelling of the affected limb and possible skin tissue necrosis. If you live in Alabama or Louisiana, every step you walk down the local forest trail may be bringing you closer to the realm of the cottonmouth.
Cottonmouths have brown and black scales, which barely vary across the species, as this would compromise their camouflage. This species blends into muddy shores and swampy murk perfectly. Often, you’ll know for a fact that a cottonmouth is found in one particular swamp, yet be completely unable to see them.
Cottonmouths measure 100-150cm, and primarily eat fish, choosing whatever species lives in their particular swamp. They’re preyed on themselves by snapping turtles and alligators.
| 6 | Oriental ratsnake |
Maximum length: 3.7 metres.
The oriental ratsnake is India and Thailand’s 4th longest snake, often exceeding 3 metres in length. They’re one of the most flexible species of southeast Asia, inhabiting forest, field, and village, and preying on mammals and frogs alike. They’re so uninhibited that they’ve been recorded attempting to swallow tablecloths.
Apparently, terrifying people is another of their skills. The image above shows a pair of oriental ratsnakes wrestling in a swamp. Wrestling has been confirmed in this species before, and the usual purpose is to establish dominance over the rival, in order to win female affections.
The two snakes are thrusting their bodies out of a gooey swamp, perhaps disappearing again seconds later. The image was taken in Kerala state, in the far southwest of India. Which snake won the war was never established – perhaps it was a draw.
When you see images like above, is there any wonder that crazy legends begin of tentacled squid monsters lurking in lakes? If a villager caught this scene in the corner of his eye, then he would be fully convinced that his local swamp was home to something terrible. Imagine seeing this when the light was even dimmer than above. It would provide nightmare fuel for weeks.
| 7 | Reticulated python |
Maximum length: 6.95 metres (wild).
The reticulated python is the longest snake on Earth, capable of swallowing sunbears, wild boar and leopards. One thing they completely lack is a fear of human beings. Consequently, you can find them exploring the Thai or Indonesian countryside in a variety of situations, including crossing roads in dimly lit conditions, looking very spooky indeed.
The eerie thing is that you have no idea what the reticulated python is up to. Is it slithering back to a dark burrow after a hard day of hunting? Is it exploring the countryside, seeking a new area to dominate and control? Is it heading back to reticulated python headquarters for the annual meeting? One thing is for sure – this reticulated python couldn’t care less about the human taking its photo.
Another eerie tendency of reticulated pythons is climbing manmade objects like roofs, archways and even electricity pylons. They have surprisingly good balance for such a large snake, and coil around supports that seem far too fragile for them, bunched up tightly in their coils, like a grotesquely enlarged version of a normal tree snake. See this classic photo for an example.
| 8 | Red-bellied black snake |
Maximum length: 254cm.
We don’t know what’s happening in the image above, and we’re not sure we want to. We know that the image was taken in New South Wales, eastern Australia. The image appears to contain two red-bellied black snakes, one of the east coast’s most abundant species.
An educated guess would be that this is two males wrestling, in order to prove their prowess to a nearby female, an activity that red-bellied black snakes are known to engage in. But given the disturbing material on display, we cannot reach any concrete conclusions.
The image is blurry, and it’s difficult to tell whether the snakes are facing each other, or the photographer. It’s possible that they’ve noticed the photographer, and are about to put their differences aside and charge. It’s possible that they’ve noticed the human in their midst, yet simply don’t care, considering the entire human race to be irrelevant.
Alternatively, this may not be a pair of snakes at all, but two tentacles of a previously undiscovered Australian forest creature. The image was apparently taken on a worksite not far from Sydney. Click here for the full series of 12 images, and make up your own mind about this disturbing photo.
| 9 | Plainbelly water snake |
Maximum length: 163.6cm.
The plain-bellied water snake is a widespread species of the USA, ranging from Texas to southern Maryland. They’re common near many large US cities, including Dallas and Houston.
Compared to the northern watersnake, which inhabits sparkling lakes and fast-flowing rivers, the plain-bellied watersnake is more likely to be found in murky areas. They inhabit lakes as well, yet they’re more adventurous than their cousin, and often spend weeks travelling overland, which causes them to settle down in murky swamps within forests, giving them a spookier feel compared to other watersnakes.
This species is officially the most adventurous of the Nerodia watersnake genus (10 members), and the most land-dwelling. Their patterns include a blue-back back and a far brighter belly. Their diet includes mostly frogs, such as the squirrel treefrog and American bullfrog, versus the fish of the northern watersnake.
Earlier on this list, we covered the cottonmouth. As both can live in swamps, the cottonmouth is actually a confirmed predator of the plain-bellied watersnake, meaning that a doubly eerie photograph may one day be taken. Other predators of this watersnake include the red-shouldered hawks and herons.
Plain-bellied watersnakes also have the eerie ability to poke their head out of a random hole in a riverbank. The reason – crayfish burrows are one of their top hibernation sites. Even worse, the plainbelly watersnake has the ability to deliberately spew blood from its mouth, which is known as autohaemorrhaging.
| 10 | Side-striped palm pitviper |
Maximum length: 95cm.
The side-striped palm pitviper (Bothriechis lateralis) is a common species in Panama and Costa Rica, where they were found to cause 41 bites a year in a 1984 report. This species is nocturnal, and dwells on branches virtually all day and night. They hunt from their branches, by extending their body downwards while gripping with a prehensile tail. They also attack humans from branches, hissing before unloading their entire coiled body like a spring.
Bites from the side-striped palm pitviper tend to strike the chest and arms rather than legs and feet. This species can be tricky to spot, due to their all-consuming green colours. They undergo an ontogenetic colour change, as both males and females are born with completely brown colours, which transform into a uniform green with age.
Side-striped palm pitvipers mercilessly guard the humid rainforests they call home. They prey on rodents, bats, and reptiles such as leaf litter anoles, and they attack any “predator” they deem to be a nuisance, including humans. Their venom is moderately deadly rather than instantly lethal, specialising in haemorrhagins which cause bleeding and swelling.