Kiote9
03-13-2005, 02:51 PM
What Snake Do You Want To Be Bitten By ?
By Whit Gibbons
Originally for Athens Banner- Herald - September 25, 2000
Last week I stood alongside, first, a rattlesnake, next a cottonmouth, then a copperhead. The first two made their standard threat displays, one rattling its tail, the other sitting coiled with a wide-open white mouth. The copperhead, in contrast, struck violently and left venom on my boot. I had not completely lost my senses in doing this. I was participating in a study of the response of snakes to human encounter, and I was wearing snakeproof boots.
The procedure is simple. In our test, we find a venomous snake and record its reactions. I stand for 30 seconds beside the animal in the swamp, field, road, or wherever it is found. Next I place my snakeproof boot lightly in the middle of its back, just enough to restrain it. The reason for conducting the experiment is to assuage the unfounded anxieties people have about snakes by demonstrating that snakebite should be among our least feared accidents. Legitimate snakebites, as they are called when someone gets bitten without intentionally provoking the snake, are usually not life threatening. The majority of serious U.S. snakebites result from someone picking up or trying to kill the snake. The odds of getting a serious snakebite in the Southeast are remarkably in our favor for several reasons. The first is that only 6 of the more than 40 species of southeastern snakes are venomous. The second is that the five species with the most potent venom and greatest potential danger are less likely to bite a person than the sixth one. Copperheads bite more people in most years than any other U.S. species but they also have the mildest venom. Based on the research being conducted, the reason is becoming apparent why copperheads inflict the most bites. All the snake species tested have had the same initial response to our presence. If given the opportunity, they escape--down a hole, under a ledge, or in the case of cottonmouths, into the water. Escape is even the standard behavior of enormous diamondback rattlesnakes, which will immediately disappear if they have enough warning before they think you can reach them. But escape is often not possible, so most snakes hold their ground, ready to defend themselves. A difference between copperheads and the other species appears in the next phase, when they are approached. When feeling threatened by the proximity of a human, most rattlesnakes vibrate their tails and most cottonmouths sit with mouth agape. These displays are merely warnings not to tread on them. They are not aggressive attack measures. The snakes just want us to leave them alone. So far, the dozens of cottonmouths I have stood beside have made threat displays but not bitten the boot. The same has been true for canebrake rattlesnakes although too few have been tested to declare that they are as passive as cottonmouths. My prediction is they will be. The exciting news (at least for the researchers) is that the copperhead is different from the others. Most copperheads tested have struck out immediately when they felt threatened. This behavior explains why more people receive legitimate snakebites from copperheads than from any other species of venomous snake in North America. Still to be investigated is another aspect of copperhead bites: many are not serious enough to require more than minor medical treatment. I think this is so not only because the venom of a copperhead is significantly less potent than that of rattlesnakes or cottonmouths but also because they seldom inject much venom anyway.
The copperhead's initial threat display is to strike. It lashes out at an enemy as a warning. If the enemy is close enough, the fangs may penetrate the skin. However, because this is a threat display, not an attempt to kill, the snake injects little venom. A copperhead has no intention of wasting valuable venom if it can scare away the menace with a minor bite. The approach of a southern autumn brings the prospect of colorful leaves and enjoyable fall weather. Along with these changes come snakes: some mating, some moving to hibernation sites, most giving birth to young. You will see many more leaves than snakes to appreciate this autumn, but if you do find a snake, enjoy it too. Just be careful if it's a copperhead that thinks you are a threat.
By Whit Gibbons
Originally for Athens Banner- Herald - September 25, 2000
Last week I stood alongside, first, a rattlesnake, next a cottonmouth, then a copperhead. The first two made their standard threat displays, one rattling its tail, the other sitting coiled with a wide-open white mouth. The copperhead, in contrast, struck violently and left venom on my boot. I had not completely lost my senses in doing this. I was participating in a study of the response of snakes to human encounter, and I was wearing snakeproof boots.
The procedure is simple. In our test, we find a venomous snake and record its reactions. I stand for 30 seconds beside the animal in the swamp, field, road, or wherever it is found. Next I place my snakeproof boot lightly in the middle of its back, just enough to restrain it. The reason for conducting the experiment is to assuage the unfounded anxieties people have about snakes by demonstrating that snakebite should be among our least feared accidents. Legitimate snakebites, as they are called when someone gets bitten without intentionally provoking the snake, are usually not life threatening. The majority of serious U.S. snakebites result from someone picking up or trying to kill the snake. The odds of getting a serious snakebite in the Southeast are remarkably in our favor for several reasons. The first is that only 6 of the more than 40 species of southeastern snakes are venomous. The second is that the five species with the most potent venom and greatest potential danger are less likely to bite a person than the sixth one. Copperheads bite more people in most years than any other U.S. species but they also have the mildest venom. Based on the research being conducted, the reason is becoming apparent why copperheads inflict the most bites. All the snake species tested have had the same initial response to our presence. If given the opportunity, they escape--down a hole, under a ledge, or in the case of cottonmouths, into the water. Escape is even the standard behavior of enormous diamondback rattlesnakes, which will immediately disappear if they have enough warning before they think you can reach them. But escape is often not possible, so most snakes hold their ground, ready to defend themselves. A difference between copperheads and the other species appears in the next phase, when they are approached. When feeling threatened by the proximity of a human, most rattlesnakes vibrate their tails and most cottonmouths sit with mouth agape. These displays are merely warnings not to tread on them. They are not aggressive attack measures. The snakes just want us to leave them alone. So far, the dozens of cottonmouths I have stood beside have made threat displays but not bitten the boot. The same has been true for canebrake rattlesnakes although too few have been tested to declare that they are as passive as cottonmouths. My prediction is they will be. The exciting news (at least for the researchers) is that the copperhead is different from the others. Most copperheads tested have struck out immediately when they felt threatened. This behavior explains why more people receive legitimate snakebites from copperheads than from any other species of venomous snake in North America. Still to be investigated is another aspect of copperhead bites: many are not serious enough to require more than minor medical treatment. I think this is so not only because the venom of a copperhead is significantly less potent than that of rattlesnakes or cottonmouths but also because they seldom inject much venom anyway.
The copperhead's initial threat display is to strike. It lashes out at an enemy as a warning. If the enemy is close enough, the fangs may penetrate the skin. However, because this is a threat display, not an attempt to kill, the snake injects little venom. A copperhead has no intention of wasting valuable venom if it can scare away the menace with a minor bite. The approach of a southern autumn brings the prospect of colorful leaves and enjoyable fall weather. Along with these changes come snakes: some mating, some moving to hibernation sites, most giving birth to young. You will see many more leaves than snakes to appreciate this autumn, but if you do find a snake, enjoy it too. Just be careful if it's a copperhead that thinks you are a threat.