The four
venomous snake species responsible for causing the greatest number of medically significant human
snake bite cases on the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
(majorly in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
) are sometimes collectively referred to as the Big Four. They cause 46,000–60,000 deaths each year. The snakes are:
[Whitaker Z. 1990. Snakeman. Penguin Books Ltd. 192 pp. .]
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Russell's viper
Russell's viper (''Daboia russelii)'' is a species of highly venomous snake in the Family (biology), family Viperidae. The species is native to South Asia. It was Species description, described in 1797 by George Shaw (biologist), George Shaw and ...
, ''Daboia russelii''
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Common krait, ''Bungarus caeruleus''
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Indian cobra, ''Naja naja''
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Indian saw-scaled viper, ''Echis carinatus''
File:Daboia russelii A Chawla01.jpg, '' Daboia russelii'', Russell's viper
File:Bungarus caerulus.jpg, '' Bungarus caeruleus'', the common krait
File:Cobra.jpg, '' Naja naja'', the Indian cobra
File:Saw-scaled Viper (Echis carinatus) Photographed By Shantanu Kuveskar.jpg, '' Echis carinatus'', the saw-scaled viper
File:Snakebites by species in India (2020 study).jpg, Snakebites by species in India
According to a 2020 study that did a comprehensive analysis of snake bites in India, Russell's viper accounted for 43% of the snakebites in India, followed by kraits (18%), cobras (12%), hump nose viper (4%), saw-scaled viper (1.7%), and water snake (0.3%). The rest (21%) were of unidentified species.
Treatment
A
polyvalent serum that effectively neutralizes the venom of the Big Four is widely available in India, and is frequently administered to save lives.
References
{{reflist
Snakes
Venomous snakes
Reptiles of India
Animal attacks in India