| 1 | Copperhead |
Maximum length: 134.6cm.
In the leafy woodlands of the eastern US, there’s no snake you’re more likely to step on than a copperhead. This species has incredible camouflage, blending with dry fallen leaves with ease. The copperhead is a stationary ambush predator, which lurks on the forest floor, and coupled with a tendency to appear in woodlands near towns, this makes stepping on them very easy indeed.
Many townsfolks are well aware that their local woods host copperheads, yet they still make mistakes and place their boot on them. Copperheads bite high numbers of people in the eastern US, with 1809 bites recorded in 2014 alone. They’re less aggressive than believed, but stepping on them is one reliable way to stoke their ire.
In 2020, scientists decided to examine the copperhead’s personality in detail, to finally dispel the old myths. They found that when humans walked past, even if just inches away, the copperheads virtually never struck. In fact, many fled at high speeds into the undergrowth.
Next, the scientists tied a boot to the end of a scientific instrument, and pressed down on the copperheads’ bodies, to mimic a human stepping on them. They also tied a glove to a pair of tongs, and picked them up. This time, some of the copperheads bit aggressively, reacting strongly to the surprise touch. Copperheads range from Florida to Texas to Virginia, and any woodland within these parts could be a potential minefield.
| 2 | Central American jumping viper |
Maximum length: 97.9cm.
The Central American jumping viper (Metlapilcoatlus mexicanus) ranges from Panama to southern Mexico, with particularly high concentrations in Honduras and Guatemala. It doesn’t actually have the ability to jump, nor is its regular lunge anything special. However, compared to other venomous snakes, the average hiking tourist has a particularly high chance of stepping on this snake.
Central American jumping vipers are most common in moist, dense forests. They almost exclusively dwell on the ground, particularly at the bases of thick trees, where they wait in dark hollows for mammal prey to walk past, which they ambush. Central American jumping vipers not only have exceptional camouflage, with disguising brown-black shades, but a lazy personality, never zooming around in a hurry.
Because of these features, Central American jumping vipers can be very difficult to notice. It’s easy to completely miss them while exploring a Costa Rican forest trail, before accidentally placing your hiking boot right on top of them. Metlapilcoatlus mexicanus measures just 50-70cm, versus 3 metres for a Central American bushmaster. You truly need an eagle eye to spot them, as it’s very rare to find them in open grassland.
Thankfully, this species has caused few deaths. Their venom is believed to contain a mixture of anticoagulants and cytotoxins, with no major neurotoxins.
| 3 | Painted lancehead |
Maximum length: 110cm.
Many people dream of meeting a venomous snake at least once in their life. Many reptile enthusiasts would love to watch a cold-blooded viper from a distance, knowing that it could fully wipe them out. But if you’re not careful, your first venomous snake encounter could be your last, beginning with you stepping on a lurking painted lancehead (Bothrops diporus).
This species is Argentina’s main venomous snake, and is common in inhabited areas such as villages and woodlands. Painted lanceheads have a particularly hemorrhagic venom, triggering copious spontaneous bleeding, while being slightly milder for swelling.
Painted lanceheads have a cryptic colour scheme, with beige-black tones adorned with glowing trapezoid markings. They gravitate towards overgrown, bushy vegetation, and it’s this preference for partial disguise which makes people step on them so much. Farmers, dog-walkers and exploring teenagers have all encountered painted lanceheads after failing to spot their lurking places.
When stepped on, painted lanceheads react angrily (not surprisingly). They deliver lunging bites to the legs, ankles, and possibly torso. Some people are lucky to be wearing thick boots; others not so much. This deadly species is also found in Paraguay and extreme southern Brazil.
| 4 | Rubber boa |
Maximum length: 83.8cm.
One of the slowest, steadiest boas in the western hemisphere, as well as most harmless. Rubber boas inhabit Oregon and California, and can live for over 50 years. They spend days in the same position, resting patiently on grassy hilltops and scenic woodland edges. Rubber boas are relatively dull in appearance, with chocolatey brown scales which are smooth like a worm.
Rubber boas rarely rear up and scan the horizon inquisitively. Nor do they hiss when hikers draw to a close. They never live in towns, but are commonly found near popular hill trails and hiking routes. They can even lurk near popular viewing points and picnic benches.
Consequently, this species is very easy to accidentally step on, perhaps on a sunny weekend day out with your family. As a stationary ambush predator, which tends to lurk in sparse undergrowth, and a relatively thick species, there’s plenty of space for your boot to land.
Rubber boas are completely harmless, and unlike an emerald tree boa, their front fangs are no threat. You can pick up a rubber boa with no worries, although we always recommend showing them respect, as they could easily be twice your own age.
| 5 | Russell’s viper |
Maximum length: 185cm.
Perhaps the worst snake on Earth, not for raw venom potency, but for deaths, life-changing injuries and overall bite statistics. The Russell’s viper inhabits almost all of India and Sri Lanka, and is an ambush predator which preys on rodents and Indian palm squirrels. Symptoms include redness and blistering after 10 minutes, and plummeting blood pressure after 20 minutes.
The real danger of Russell’s viper is its strong tendency to lurk on farmland, which makes them exceedingly easy to step on. Every year, thousands of farmers busying themselves with rice harvesting fail to notice the Russell’s viper lurking menacingly in the brush. The situation is worsened by the species’ excellent camouflage.
Insecticides may exist, but serpenticides currently don’t. Most Indian farmers are well aware that their fields are full of killer snakes, but they have a job to do, and can’t complain. Only recently have Indian farmers begun wearing thick protective boots en masse, despite it sounding like a simple idea.
There’s one saving grace though. In 2019, scientists implanted radio chips into 18 Russell’s vipers, and tracked their progress. They found that the snakes often dozed just feet from farmers without attacking. Being stepped on usually caused an eruption of rage, but a few didn’t even react when stepped on. Somehow, they didn’t feel enough pain for their defensive instincts to be activated. The Russell’s viper is always lazy, but if you get lucky, the one you step on might be severely lazy.
| 6 | Cape house snake |
Maximum length: 150cm.
A harmless snake of southern Africa, which is common in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Swaziland. Cape house snakes (Boaedon capensis) are one of the most flexible species in the local area, as their diet can include black-necked agamas, house sparrows and South African hedgehogs alike.
It’s the same story with their habitats, as when humans converted the untouched African wilderness into a mosaic of villages, farmland and tree clumps, the cape house snake adapted well, while other snakes disappeared. This species is common in gardens, streets and courtyards, particularly under piles of rubbish, perhaps right outside your front door.
But all this comes with a downside – a tendency to get stepped on. Cape house snakes lurk so close to dwellings that people don’t notice them, and squash them under a heavy boot. They’re not the easiest snake to notice, with dull brown tones and no patterns, which are great for staying hidden, but not great for avoiding a footprint on their back.
Cape house snakes are relatively slow, and unable to flee rapidly like the neighbouring cape cobra. Fortunately, there are no consequences to stepping on one, other than crushing guilt which haunts you forever (perhaps their ghost will haunt you too). Cape house snakes are completely harmless, with no venom, or especially sharp fangs.
| 7 | Central American lyre snake |
Maximum length: 190cm.
This snake is easy to step on both because of its relatively large size, and its love of human environments. Central American lyre snakes (Trimorphodon quadruplex) are most common in Nicaragua, Honduras and northwest Costa Rica. They can reach almost 2 metres, and have a mild venom with haemorrhagins and myotoxins, which target blood vessels and muscle tissue respectively.
Trimorphodon quadruplex is common in gardens, lurking under tiles, piles of cuttings and patio furniture. They can also break into houses and hide in dark corners, even below TVs. They’re one of the most infamous home invaders of all Costa Rican snakes. It’s this tendency which makes an encounter with your boot highly likely.
Because of the lyre snake, it’s possible for an ordinary Nicaraguan to wake up, start preparing breakfast, and step on a random serpent within 5 minutes of leaving their bed. Central American lyre snakes are further disguised by their viper-mimicking patterns, which are a complex mixture of beige and black, allowing them to blend in far better than if they were bright green.
This is a troublesome snake which could be anywhere in a small Nicaraguan town. If stepped on, a lyre snake may flee rapidly, or sink its fangs into your ankle. If so, you’ll be fine as long as you detach their mouth instantly. This is a rear-fanged snake which must chew over many seconds, or even minutes, to actually inject dangerous quantities of venom.
| 8 | Elegant sea snake |
Maximum length: 2.6 metres.
This common Australian aquatic serpent is one you’re highly likely to step on, but for a very different reason. It isn’t a patient woodland lurker that buries itself in leaves and stays still for days on end. No, the elegant sea snake is the single sea snake most likely to wash up on Australian beaches. A study found that from 1995 to 2015, elegant sea snakes made up 122/451 of beach strandings, just ahead of the greater sea snake.
This is partly due to their habitats, which are shallow sea grass beds rather than coral reefs, or the far flung high seas. Either way, it means that while running through shallow waters with waves lapping against your legs, enjoying a day in the sun, there’s a decent chance that your foot will unfortunately strike an elegant sea snake.
It helps as well that this is one of the world’s largest sea snakes, with a maximum length of 2.6 metres. Out of well over 40 species, this ranks among the top 5 sea snakes for length.
What will happen when your foot makes contact? Fortunately, elegant sea snakes aren’t especially aggressive. However, they do have a lethal neurotoxic venom, so your simple solution is to not touch the snake, and stand back as far as you can. Resist all urges to poke the snake you’ve just stepped on. Never pick up any snake you find lurking in the shallow tidal waters of a beach, as virtually all sea snakes are dangerously neurotoxic.
| 9 | Plainbelly watersnake |
Maximum length: 163.6cm.
This species is easy to step on because among the 10 US watersnakes, they spend the most time on land. Plainbelly watersnakes (Nerodia erythrogaster) typically measure 75-120cm and range from Texas to Ohio. They’re recognisable by a bright yellow belly, which has no patterns.
In 2003, a study found that plainbelly watersnakes were far more adventurous than their northern watersnake relative. They regularly moved to upland areas, and could shift between over a dozen water bodies over one active season, travelling nonstop. Northern watersnakes, meanwhile, preferred to stay in their main river base. Plainbelly watersnakes have a particular love for small pools in forests, which they spend just a couple of days in each, before impatiently moving on.
All this means that the risk of stepping on a plainbelly watersnake is far higher than their cousins. They’re always on the move, whether in forests, grassy fields or riverside vegetation. They’re common in the exact places that dog walkers, fishermen and teenagers regularly walk through.
You might spot the plainbelly watersnake below your boot, but be too late to arrest the momentum. Only their belly is brightly coloured; their back is a dull brown which easily blends with the earthy forest floor.
| 10 | Carpet python |
Maximum length: 4.2 metres.
The carpet python is a thick Australian constrictor which lives on the east coast, and is easily the most common python in Australia to find in urban areas. This species is found in Sydney and Brisbane, and has a particular liking for long overgrown grasses and dry bush. Its patterns are subtle beige rather than neon orange, and all this makes them a prime candidate for average Australians to accidentally step on.
Carpet pythons can appear all over the place in towns and cities. You could meet one on the way to work, school, or the grocery store while picking up milk. Taking a shortcut? A carpet python could easily be hanging out in an alleyway or poorly maintained park. A teenager sneaking around the back of a bus stop for a quick cigarette could easily put their foot on a surprise giant constrictor.
Gardeners are also at high risk of stepping on this thick-bodied ambush snake. What will the consequences be? You’ll live, but you may collapse in shock as a huge carpet python deploys its sharp fangs against your leg. Being so large (3-4 metres) makes it easier to step on this species, not harder. If they rested in open spaces, then the opposite would be true.
| 11 | Four-lined snake |
Maximum length: 250cm.
Probably the most likely snake in Italy for a person to accidentally step on. The four-lined snake is a patient, deliberate snake, which mainly preys on mammals like woodmice, but is also adept at slithering up tree trunks and pinching bird eggs from nests. They tend to avoid thick forests, appearing in villages with tree clumps, clearings adjacent to forests, brambled slopes, bushy fields, and vegetation bordering agricultural fields.
It’s these preferences which make them easy to step on, as these areas tend to have many walking trails open to the public. Four-lined snakes are difficult to notice when slithering through long grass, and they also like roadside areas, perhaps somewhere you’d stop for a desperate toilet break.
The four-lined snake is the largest snake in Europe, often exceeding 2 metres. Consequently, they have plenty of room for your foot to land. They rarely flee at high speeds either, as when spooked, their default is to stay completely still, letting their subtle camouflage take charge, even if a boot is about to land on their head.
Exploring kids could also step on the four-lined snake, as they have a particular liking for old ruins. Four-lined snakes have been found in crumbling house foundations, old farm buildings and even ancient Roman temples.