| 1 | Brown watersnake |
Maximum length: 177.6cm.
The browner, more southerly relative of the northern watersnake. This species lives in Louisiana, Georgia and Florida and eats a diet of 100% fish, with 60% being catfish.
Brown watersnakes (Nerodia taxispilota) are infamous for resting on branches overhanging lakes, sometimes directly over a fisherman’s head. They’re equally notorious for jumping off those branches when startled. This is said to be to attack people, but it’s actually to flee from danger. The brown watersnake can disappear instantly, as their first move is to dive deep below a lake surface. They have an advanced breathing apparatus, and can stay below for 30 minutes, surfacing occasionally for a breath.
A brown watersnake can disappear in 1-2 seconds after dropping off its branch. If they do land on your head, there’s nothing to fear, as this is a non-venomous species, which also has a calmer personality than their northern relative.
Brown watersnakes are an abundant species in the southern USA, particularly in swamps and lake shores. Their diet is so heavy in catfish that they often get punctured, or are found with spines in their bodies years later.
| 2 | California whipsnake |
Maximum length: 152.4cm.
The California whipsnake (Masticophis lateralis) can not only disappear instantly when threatened, but chooses its habitats specifically so that they can. This is an ultra thin snake measuring 120cm, which is non-venomous, and mainly hunts reptiles such as western fence lizards, alligator lizards, and western skinks.
California whipsnakes are most common in chaparral or coastal scrub, intermingled with rocky areas, with plenty of cracks they can disappear into. Alongside their coachwhip cousin, they’re undoubtedly one of the fastest snakes of the USA, moving at speeds a boa constrictor could never dream of.
The video above shows just how rapidly they can disappear. It starts with a guy picking up a California whipsnake near some dry vegetation. The snake appears completely unfazed, as it doesn’t bite or thrash, but stares blankly ahead.
Eventually, the guy places the snake back on the dirt track. Suddenly, the California whipsnake blasts off at incredible speeds, disappearing into the undergrowth within milliseconds. These speeds are also useful for escaping their various bird predators. The California whipsnake is a species where “blink and you’ll miss it” could actually apply.
| 3 | Orange-bellied swamp snake |
Maximum length: 88cm.
A swamp-dwelling species of Central America. Orange-bellied swamp snakes (Tretanorhinus nigroluteus) typically measure 60cm, and spend most of the day in their swamps. Their default position is a submerged body with a brown head raised up, scanning the shores for any sign of movement.
With the orange-bellied swamp snake, it’s debatable whether you’d even notice them in the first place, they’re so well concealed in swampside vegetation. But if you do, then a glimpse is all you’ll get, as this snake’s first response is to instantly duck below the water. They only have to duck their head down 15cm, and then they’re gone, leaving you questioning your sanity once again. The orange-bellied swamp snake probably won’t reappear until it senses that you’ve left the vicinity, so your only choice is to return the next day for round 2.
Disappearing quickly is essential for this snake’s survival, as herons and egrets are always searching for them, looking for a quick snack. Orange-bellied swamps snakes are found in 3 countries: Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica. They’re harmless to humans, with no confirmed venom.
| 4 | Zebra spitting cobra |
Maximum length: 193cm.
This spitting cobra has a small, tidy range, inhabiting Namibia and Angola. It was originally part of the black spitting cobra, but separated into a full species in 2007 because of its vivid black-white stripes. The zebra spitting cobra (Naja nigricinctus) prowls dry plains, yet can vanish in an instant. One blink and they could be gone, leaving you wondering whether you’ve seen a desert-induced mirage.
Zebra spitting cobras have excellent instincts for finding mammal burrows and dark rock cracks to hide in. They particularly love the latter, and can disappear into them for hours when the day’s hunting is complete.
Poking your head into a dark rock crack is very dangerous in Namibia; you could easily receive an eyeful of venom, followed by 3 days of temporary blindness. Coupled with a fast, agile nature, zebra spitting cobras are experts at rapidly disappearing.
It’s hard to predict a zebra spitting cobra’s next move. They can sometimes be extremely aggressive, rearing up into their classic warning hood. In other cases, they flee instantly. Never stray to within 5 metres, as their flying venom globules are exceptionally accurate.
| 5 | Common bronzeback |
Maximum length: 169cm.
This species is found in Sri Lanka and most of India, plus Nepal and Myanmar. The common bronzeback (Dendrelaphis tristis) is one of India’s harmless snakes, posing no threat to farmer nor postman. The problem is that they’re also no threat to predators, so instead, the common bronzeback relies on a rapid escape.
The common bronzeback is a fast and agile snake which likes forests, but also sparser woodlands and town gardens. There’s always undergrowth for them to flee into, and that’s what they do, disappearing instantly, perhaps never to be seen again. Their camouflage is also excellent, meaning that once they’ve disappeared, it’s almost impossible to find them again, until they choose to reappear.
Common bronzebacks prey on lizards and frogs, with one confirmed meal being the oriental garden lizard. Like most of our list, this is a thin snake, despite a relatively long length of up to 169cm.
Bronzeback species are manifold in southeast Asia, but this version is separated by a light spot on its head, just above the neck. In Thailand, painted bronzebacks (Dendrelaphis pictus) are most common, but Dendrelaphis tristis is in complete control of India. Electric blue scales on the flanks are also a way to identify them.
| 6 | Forest flame snake |
Maximum length: 132.7cm.
A snake of Central and South American forests, which is always skirting over bushes, annoying agricultural workers. When confronted, this snake vanishes into the bushes instantly, until the next day when it reappears as though nothing happened. This is referenced in the forest flame snake’s Latin name: Oxyrhopus petolarius. Oxys means “quick” in Greek, while “rhops” translates to bush, their favourite place to flee into.
Forest flame snakes range from Mexico to southeast Brazil, and are no threat to human beings at all. Their venom is not only mild, but specialised against reptiles like yellow-tongued anoles, with less effect on mammals.
Forest flame snakes aren’t difficult to find, inhabiting rainforests and cloud forests. They’re difficult to maintain though – photographing one is a nightmare when they flee the very second they notice you.
Forest flame snakes measure 50-100cm, and would always flee rather than confront a predator. Their thick forest habitats make this very easy. They might still be a few metres away, waiting until the coast is clear, yet completely invisible and out of sight. The forest flame snake is no fool: given how many predators the rainforests of Costa Rica have, disappearing instantly is just as wise as having a horrifying venom, if not wiser.
| 7 | Short-snouted grass snake |
Maximum length: 1.2 metres.
A harmless species of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The short-snouted grass snake (Psammophis brevirostris) is very common, appearing in villages and grasslands alike. Southern Africa is full of cunning predators, including fellow snakes, and the short-snouted grass snake’s first response is a piercing hiss.
They stand their ground, inhale a large gulp of air (which visibly swells their chest) and expel it with all the intimidating menace they can muster. But some predators are so hungry that they don’t care, and the short-snouted grass snake then activates its second strategy: disappearing instantly.
Like all Psammophis members, this species is extremely fast, and can vanish into tall grass clumps in a flash. Being very thin, they can vanish into undergrowth that a hyena is too bulky to access. The snake is gone, and seconds later, it finally dawns on the hyena: its prey has escaped.
Short-snouted grass snakes measure 40-60cm, occasionally growing to a far longer 1.2 metres. They prey on skink lizards, and move exclusively during the daytime. Short-snouted grass snakes are small enough that they can vanish at will (unlike a giraffe), and they use these powers to their fullest.
| 8 | Steppe ratsnake |
Maximum length: 160cm.
An incredibly widespread species, ranging from southern Ukraine to China. The steppe ratsnake (Elaphe dione) is a species of open territories like grassland, where they’re highly vulnerable to birds. To compensate, they’ve developed the skill of disappearing like a ghost.
In 2022, this was the focus of a study, in China’s Red-Crowned Crane Park. This reserve is a bird-watching paradise, with an abundance of its namesake crane species. Steppe ratsnakes are also common here, and the study found that they deliberately basked in the sun in close proximity to cracks in concrete wall or bricks.
The steppe ratsnakes were quick to notice birds approaching, and equally quick to vanish into their hideyholes. According to the scientists: “When E. dione noticed a predator approaching, they rapidly move in these hiding sites“.
The study followed 20 steppe ratsnakes in total. They actually preferred this tourist heavy area to an adjacent natural landscape (Xianghai natural reserve), because there were so many opportunities to vanish. In an untouched wilderness, steppe ratsnakes vanish into mammal burrows or gaps in tree trunks instead. This species mainly eats mammals, and is completely non-venomous.
| 9 | Werner’s sipo |
Maximum length: 205.4cm.
Also known as the yellow-spotted whipsnake, this species lives in Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador. Werner’s sipos inhabit lowland forests, particularly evergreen forests at 0-650 metres above sea level. They prey entirely on frogs, including Smilisca tree frogs.
Though only distantly related, Werner’s sipos (Chironius flavopictus) have a similarly thin body to the California whipsnake, and they disappear just as rapidly. They can vanish into forest undergrowth in milliseconds, as though they were never there.
Werner’s sipos normally move at a steady pace, investigating tree trunks, shoving aside leaves with their heads. When spooked, their default is to vanish, and they do it well. Werner’s sipos can exceed 2 metres, and their body is exceedingly thin. Their tail just keeps going until it gradually becomes so thin that it no longer exists.
Chironius snake species (sipos) are plentiful in South America, but this version is identifiable by light spots (normally yellow) against a black background. If you stand next to this snake as it blasts off, you’ll probably receive a painful lash to your leg.
| 10 | Radiated ratsnake |
Maximum length: 230cm.
Though dubbed a ratsnake, this species is only a distant cousin of the steppe ratsnake (Elaphe genus). Radiated ratsnakes (Coelognathus radiatus) are a staple of Indian farmland, and are most closely related to trinket snakes. They’re non-venomous, but tolerate no human incursion whatsoever. Pick them up, and they’ll bite savagely with their pupils spinning wildly. Drop them in pain, and they’ll speed away into the undergrowth.
The radiated ratsnake more than outstrips a dog or scurrying rat for sheer speed. They normally prowl around at a steady pace, instead of being twitchy and caffeinated like a golden tree snake. Yet they always keep a dose of explosive speed in reserve for whenever they need to flee.
Scientific surveys are a struggle with the radiated ratsnake. This is a hard snake to control at the best of times, and if you drop them just once, they’ll zoom off into the bushes like lightning, never to be seen again.
Radiated ratsnakes are very abundant, and range from India to Thailand and Malaysia. Their ability to disappear as long as vegetation is around has allowed them to survive and keep on spreading. This species can reach 230cm, and regularly strays to farms and villages.