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RE: Head shape?
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by Charper on November 12, 2000
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It really depends on where you live. In the U.S. there are more vipers than elapids. In Australia all venomous snakes are elapids. In Africa there is a combination of the two.
Vipers and Pitvipers tend to have a more triangular shaped heads. Their venom glands are located in their cheeks and tend to make them bulge out. ( see the photo album section of this site )
However, many non-venomous snakes in the U.S. also have heads whose jaws are wider than their noses - that makes a triangle! A good example would be a rat snake.
Elapids ( a snake family that includes cobras ) tend to have rounded heads. This is because their venom is much more potent and it requires far less of it to kill their prey. Therefore they have less liquid volume than vipers and smaller venom glands. In the U.S., the only naturally occurring elapid is the Coral snake.
There is an example of nearly every venomous snake in the U.S. in our photo album and rattlesnake section. - Copperheads, cottonmouths, rattlesnakes and coral snakes.
Look closely at the photo album on this site.
Chris Harper
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