Marty’s photo of the day #3651: What makes a snake the “most deadly”? This is a fer-de-lance—a snake many consider the deadliest snake in the Western Hemisphere. Some snakes, such as a bushmaster, have more potent venom, but fer-de-lances are difficult to see in the rainforest and are easily stepped on. When that happens, their only defense is to bite. Statistically, fer-de-lances kill more people than any other species of snake in the Western Hemisphere. So based on that, they earn the most-deadly crown. I photographed this one on a rainy night in the Costa Rican rainforest.