Occurrence and trait data of medically important venomous snake species

This dataset provides a standardized compilation of occurrence and biological trait data for 373 medically important venomous snake species based on the World Health Organization (WHO) Category 1 and 2 classification (WHO, 2024). The dataset integrates georeferenced distribution records, venom characteristics, and Red List conservation statuses to support global analyses of venomous snake diversity, medical importance, and biogeography.
There are two files included:
1. snake_data.csv — occurrence records for medically important snake species;
2. snake_info.csv — species-level information including toxicity type and WHO medical importance categories.

File 1: snake_data.csv
Description:
Contains georeferenced occurrence records of venomous snake species from GBIF, iNaturalist, and The Atlas of Living Australia compiled between 1900 and 2025.

Variables:
Variable
Description
source
Data source (GBIF, iNaturalist, ALA)
gbifID
Unique occurrence identifier from the source database
family
Taxonomic family
genus
Genus name
species
Species epithet
decimalLatitude, decimalLongitude
Geographic coordinates (WGS84)
eventDate
Observation or collection date (YYYY/MM/DD)
redlistCategory
IUCN Red List status (e.g., Least Concern, Endangered)

File 2: snake_info.csv
Description:
Provides species-level trait and classification data for all 373 medically important venomous snakes. Includes WHO medical importance category and major venom type (neurotoxic, haemotoxic, or both).

Variables:
Variable
Description
scientific_name
Scientific binomial of the species
category1
WHO Category 1 classification (high medical importance)
category2
WHO Category 2 classification (secondary medical importance)
neurotoxic
Binary indicator (1 = neurotoxic venom; 0 = not)
haemotoxic
Binary indicator (1 = haemotoxic venom; 0 = not)

Acknowledgements
Data compiled from publicly available biodiversity databases (GBIF, iNaturalist, ALA) and the Clinical Toxinology Resources database. WHO medical importance categories were based on WHO (2024) classification.