The Most Dangerous Animals In South Asia

The Indian or Spectacled Cobra is also called the Asian Cobra, or Binocellate Cobra. This snake is identified by the two eyes on the back of its hood; it is scientifically known as Naja naja.

The Indian Cobra is also known as “Nag” because “nagá” means “cobra” in Sanskrit. The venom itself is fatal only if not treated. The venom of an Indian cobra attacks the nervous system and causes paralysis and cardiac and respiratory failure.

With proper treatment in time, however, the chances of survival are good. The Indian cobra is famous around the world for use in snake charming.

The Indian Cobra is worshiped in festivals like Nag Panchami, which takes place in the summer. The Indian or spectacled cobra is protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection legislation.

The Russell’s Viper is one of the “Big Four” snakes of India, to include the Common Krait, the Indian Cobra, and the Saw-Scaled Viper. Native to the border region, this viper has a deep yellow or tan body covered with dark brown spots.

They are also found in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan. It will sometimes strike without provocation and deliver a potentially fatal amount of venom if left untreated. Extensive tissue damage is also quite common.

A Russell’s Viper delivers a considerable amount of venom upon biting. There are a plethora of symptoms once bitten, to include pain, bleeding in the urine, saliva, and gums, blistering, falling heart rate and necrosis. A bite can also cause kidney failure, vomiting, and facial swelling.

The Saw-Scaled Viper is possibly the most dangerous snake in the world. Known scientifically as Echis carinatus, this viper is a venomous snake of India that causes a significant number of deaths. This snake probably bites and kills more people than any other species of snake. Saw-scaled vipers are a smaller species, but their aggressiveness, irritability, and potent venom make them extremely deadly.

A saw-scaled viper bite causes swelling and affects the bloodstream. It also causes blistering and bleeding and even necrosis of the tissue. They are found in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

The Indian Krait, also known as the Common Krait, is one of the most venomous snakes in India. Kraits are a prodigious size, they can reach up to almost six feet long. The scientific name of the krait is Bungarus caerulus.

Indian kraits are also known for eating other younger kraits. It possesses a powerful venom that causes muscle paralysis and suffocation. The neurotoxin they produce can also induce abdominal cramps.

The cause of death is usually respiratory failure. If you are bitten by a common krait, apply pressure to the bitten area and immobilize it; go to the hospital immediately, even if it doesn’t hurt. More than 50% of snake bite deaths in Bangladesh were from Indian Kraits.

This exotic yellow-colored scorpion lives up to its name. It is also called the Yellow Palestine scorpion and is a member of the Buthidae family.

It is one of the most deadly scorpions in existence.

Victims of a sting will experience extreme pain at the site and immediate swelling. There may also be headaches with nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea.

The elderly, the sick, and children are most vulnerable to the sting of the Deathstalker Scorpion.

Also known as the Northeastern Hill Krait (Bungarus bungaroides). They are typically found in Nepal, Bhutan, and India.

They are so named because they live high up in the Himalayas.

There are few photos of this species, as not many people live at that elevation, and THOSE BITTEN TEND TO HAVE TROUBLE MAKING IT TO LIFE SAVING CARE IN TIME.

The Marsh Mugger Crocodile is found in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan (as well as Iran), living in freshwater lakes, marshes, and rivers. It prefers shallow, slow moving water.

Mugger crocodiles eat fish, turtles, and birds, as well as mammals including monkeys, squirrels, otters, and rodents.

Marsh Muggers attacked 110 people between 2008 and 2013. Approximately one-third of those attacks resulted in the death of the victims, so they are quite deadly.

The Bengal Tiger is native to India and is a beautiful, powerful, and combative animal. They are also infamous as man-eaters. I’m obsessed with big cats, so this is no exaggeration.

Adult male Bengal tigers almost always reach at least 500 pounds; multiple tigers have been known to weigh 575 pounds and 600 pounds. Females range from 220-350 pounds.

Tigers are extremely aggressive, especially if you venture near cubs or they mistake you for prey. One of the most deadly tigers to ever live was the Champawat Tiger.

She was a man-eating tigress who supposedly killed some 200 men and women before being chased out of Nepal. She moved to the Champawat district in North India, and continued to ravage humans, bringing her kills to an estimated 436 victims.

She was shot in 1907 by the famous hunter Jim Corbett, after he followed blood the tigress left behind after killing her last victim, a 16-year-old girl. Coincidentally, Corbett killed several man eaters during his life time and there is a national park named after him, Jim Corbett National Park.

Examination of the corpse showed the upper and lower canine teeth on the right side of her mouth were broken, the upper one in half, the lower one right down to the bone. It’s believed this injury prevented her from killing natural prey, and was the cause of her becoming a man-eater.