Big Four (Indian snakes)


The four venomous snake species responsible for causing the greatest number of medically significant human snake bite cases on the Indian Subcontinent are sometimes collectively referred to as the Big Four. They are as follows:
  1. Common krait, Bungarus caeruleus
  2. Russell's viper, Daboia russelii
  3. Indian saw-scaled viper, Echis carinatus
  4. Indian cobra, Naja naja
Of the Big Four, the common krait is responsible for the most snake bites, followed by the Russell's viper, the saw-scaled viper, and the Indian cobra.

Treatment

A polyvalent serum that effectively neutralizes the venom of all of the Big Four snakes is widely available in India, and is frequently administered to save lives.