It’s no surprise that snakes come in a range of astonishingly beautiful colors and patterns, with over 3,700 species found in a variety of locations across the world. Some snakes use vivid colors and patterns to blend in with the jungle or forest floor, while others use brilliant colors and patterns to warn predators away. In captivity, breeders employ genetics to create distinct and rare color varieties that appeal to private collectors. Take a look at the world’s 12 most beautiful snakes, whether you love or fear them, and marvel at the reptile world’s diversity.
Boelen’s Python
The Boelen’s python, commonly known as the Boeleni python, is a non-venomous python found in the highlands of New Guinea. The snake has a black body with purple or blue accents and a white or pale-yellow underbelly that extends up the body’s sides.
Emerald Tree Boa
The emerald tree boa is an arboreal boa found in the rainforests of South America. The brilliant green hue of wild emerald tree boas is highlighted by white zigzag or “lightning bolt” stripes and a white or yellow belly. Although the emerald tree boa is non-venomous, it has large front teeth that resemble viper fangs.
Green Tree Python
The green tree python is a kind of arboreal python found only in New Guinea’s rainforests, parts of Indonesia, and Australia’s Cape York Peninsula. The green tree python, also known as the emerald tree boa, has a bright green color and a white or yellow belly. It perches in a saddle position on branches. Some specimens feature white, blue, or yellow dorsal patterning.
Blood Python
A large-bodied python endemic to Sumatra’s Malay Peninsula, the blood python is also known as Brongersma’s short-tailed python or the red short-tailed python. The color patterns on blood pythons are rich and diverse, with vibrant red, orange, burgundy, and maroon markings, as well as brown, yellow, or black spots or stripes on certain specimens. Normally, the belly is white with little black markings, while the head is gray.
Brazilian Rainbow Boa
The Brazilian rainbow boa is a semi-arboreal snake that is only found in Central and South America. The name “boa” derives from the iridescent sheen of its scales, which when exposed to light creates a prism and a distinctive rainbow pattern. The snake is brown or reddish-brown in color, with black stripes and rings on its body.
Eyelash Viper
The venomous eyelash viper is a Central and South American arboreal pit viper. The eyes of this pit viper include superciliary scales that resemble eyelashes, and it comes in a range of bright hues. Rather from being appealing, these eyelashes are designed to help in concealment. Pink, green, brown, red, and yellow are some of the colors that eyelash vipers come in.
The Gaboon viper
The Gaboon viper is a large-bodied viper found only in the rainforests and savannas of Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to being the largest viper in the Bitis genus, the Gaboon viper has the longest fangs of any dangerous snake, reaching up to two inches in length, and produces the second most venom of any snake.
Reticulated Python
The reticulated python is the world’s longest snake. The reticulated python, which is native to South and Southeast Asia, is extremely versatile and can swim to small islands, allowing it to expand its natural habitat. In the wild, reticulate pythons exhibit elaborate geometric patterns with a range of colors and markings, which is why the name “reticulate” means “network.”
White-Lipped Python
The white-lipped python is a group of spectacular semi-arboreal pythons native to New Guinea and the surrounding islands. Among them are the Northern, Biak, Bismarck ringed, Karimui, Huon Peninsula, Southern, and Wau species, with the Northern and Southern species being the most common in zoos and private collections.
Woma Python
The lady python is an Australian python also known as Ramsay’s python or the sand python. Woma pythons have a large, flat body coated in smooth scales, as well as narrow heads and small eyes. The pattern on these snakes is unusual, with a brown or olive-green base color with red, pink, or orange tones and black stripes.
