From a total of 2,700 snake species and subspecies, 80% are non-venomous. Different types of snake groups people almost all globe areas located in temperate or warm climate with the exception of several isolated islands, Ireland and New Zealand. Just as the species differentiate from each other, the same thing becomes apparent for the types of snake attacks, with the mention that the nastiest and even deadliest of wounds are caused by poisonous species. The anacondas, the pythons and the boas with the constrictor variety represent the most popular nonvenomous types of snake species as they are also the biggest and most impressive by size.
The most dangerous are the types of snake bites in the pit viper family, and they include those of the copperhead, bushmaster, water moccasin and rattlesnake. The real vipers are the ones to share the most venomous reputation in the Old World, with the cobras and the black mambas being in top. Yet, we should give some credit to sea snakes that also produce some very powerful venom to get food, as the toxins they leave in the body of the prey will paralyze it within seconds. Snakes are also a source of food. Lots of snake dishes are found in Asian restaurants, while in other parts of the globe, snakes are valued for their skin.
The snake is also a mythical representation not just an animal people feel abhorred by. The graphical stylizations of snakes in our arts and cultures go back to the ancient mythical beliefs. On the one hand, serpents are part of ecosystems, with a well-determined function in the evolution of certain species, and secondly they remain figurative spokesmen of deep meanings. Their hunting mice and rats keeps pest under control and prevents rodents from over-breeding. Yet, in the ancient traditions, types of snake worshiping did exist, with the serpent representing deities, or the immutable circle of life and death or wisdom.
All types of snake-related myths have been discovered everywhere in the world: for the old Greeks the snake was the a sign of sexual potency; Mesopotamians and Semites attributed immortal features to this creature because it moulted and it rejuvenated its appearance periodically; Indians, Siamese and Burmese believe the snake to be a demon figure that is not entirely bad. For these South Asian cultures the cobra is the king of all serpents, but the Chinese on the other hand raised the snake at the dragon level, worshiping it as a manifestation of a powerful and protective deity.