im noticing...

[mommanessy247]

...alot of boas have arrow shaped heads...i was told all throughout my childhood that if it has the classic arrow shaped head its venomous. but i see that some venomous snakes actually LACK that shape of the head.
what the heck is going on? im confused now!

[ls1goat04]

actually your vipers, eyelash, gaboon ect have very obvious arrow shaped heads...

gaboon-

[mommanessy247]

wow that is one FAT snake!

[BrucenBruce]

Viperids and boids both tend to have "arrow-shaped" heads. In both cases, there are large, powerful jaws involved, and in the vipers, there are big ol' venom glands as well. Elapids, members of the cobra family, do not have the "arrow-shaped" head, but are fairly rare in the new world. In America, if you come across a wedge-headed snake in the wild, it's probably venomous.

~Bruce

[Aeries]

The back corner that 'wedges' out is where the maxillary venom glands are, which is why that area usually look more pronounced than in nonvenmous snakes. One thing you'll learn if you study snakes (or really anything) is that there's always exceptions to the rule. It hard to give anything a broad catigorization. Often a rules that works in one country or geographic region doesn't work in another (take coral snakes for example.)

[mr. s]

Someone probably just told you a very general statement which was not entirely accurate. It happens.
I am guessing that kids are told something like that in places where the only native snakes with arrow shaped heads are rattlers. That way kids know that the corns and kings and whatnot are not as dangerous.

[mommanessy247]

i was raised in california where theres rattlers everywhere! the statement was probably true to that area but i guess i mistook it for thats how it was everywhere else. ok im comforted now but i cant help think venomous when i see that head lol.