Six snakes face off against the Death-O-Meter to determine which will be crowned the deadliest of the species.

Meet the deadliest snakes on Earth.

Whose bite is the most lethal? Is it the dancing spectacled cobra? The fearsome black mamba? The chilling rattlesnake? Or someone else?

The host of this stiff competition, Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice, teaches the rules for poisonous snake interactions (Do not touch! Do not stomp!) and introduces the contestants.

This tale of fangs and venom invites readers into the world of snakes: where they live, what they eat—and what could happen if you ever encounter one. It also encourages readers to appreciate them, showing how they survive, why they’re important to the places they live—and why we should protect them. With humor, accessible science, and a colorful graphic format by best-selling artist Max Temescu, The Deadliest: Snake shows that even the deadliest creatures may not be as scary as we think.

About the Author: Eleanor Spicer Rice, PhD, is an entomologist, science writer, and regular expert on Discovery’s What on Earth? She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Max Temescu is a designer and New York Times best-selling illustrator currently based in Washington, DC.