Saw-scaled Viper
Echis carinatus · Viperidae
Also called: Carpet Viper, Little Indian Viper
Small but among the deadliest snakes on earth, thought to cause more human deaths than any other. It rasps a warning by rubbing its serrated scales together.
What the Saw-scaled Viper looks like
How to identify it
- 1Small body with a row of light, wavy-edged blotches
- 2Rubs its coils together to make a hissing, sizzling sound
- 3Pear-shaped head with vertical pupils
- 4Often forms moving sideways loops on sand
Snakes it's confused with
The saw-scaled viper's rasping scale sound and aggressive defense set it apart.
Behavior & danger to humans
Highly defensive; quick to strike with a potent, bleeding-inducing venom.
⚠️ Danger: Potentially lethal; a leading cause of snakebite deaths worldwide.
Related snakes
VenomousEastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
Crotalus adamanteus
The largest venomous snake in North America and arguably the most dangerous. Its hemotoxic venom destroys tissue and blood cells, and a defensive bite is a medical emergency.
VenomousCopperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix
Responsible for more venomous snakebites than any other US species, but its bite is rarely fatal. Excellent camouflage in leaf litter leads to surprise encounters.
VenomousCottonmouth (Water Moccasin)
Agkistrodon piscivorus
A semi-aquatic pit viper named for the white interior of its mouth, which it gapes as a warning. The only venomous water snake in North America.
VenomousEastern Coral Snake
Micrurus fulvius
A relative of cobras with potent neurotoxic venom. Famous for the rhyme 'red touches yellow, kill a fellow' that separates it from harmless mimics.