This is the reason most snake bites target the hand
Plenty of people get bitten by snakes — both deadly and non-deadly — with a great number of strikes aimed at the hands.
Being bitten by a snake is, let’s be honest, the reason so many people are scared of the legless creatures. Folklore has turned the quiet and solitary animals that hide under rocks and catch mice into huge beasts that can eat an entire crocodile in one bite.
OK, so they can do that as well, but there’s no need to be afraid. There is, however, a need to be respectful, as recent numbers show that Florida snakebites are on the rise, with people seemingly happy to invade their privacy and pick them up, suffering the consequences.
In fact, a recent study from Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene showed that “nearly 63% of people bitten by snakes in Florida were bitten on the hand and/or finger" in the state of Florida.
Their research showed that the vast majority of victims were white males between 18 and 44 years old, who were on the lower end of the poverty scale, and who were bitten while “handling wild snakes.” The snakes most commonly responsible were the pygmy rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius) and cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus), with Oedema (swelling), paraesthesia (tingling) and nausea all “typical” symptoms.
However, some life-threatening symptoms were also present, with the timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) and eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus) two common species recorded.
Snakes don’t just go out and bite people. They are largely solitary creatures who enjoy being left alone in their natural habitat, and will simply move away if they feel threatened and can escape. Only after exhausting their getaway options will a snake feel the need to bite a human, showing it can be entirely avoided if the proper decisions are made by the careless humans who decide to invade their space.
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Their conclusions are simple: don’t handle wild snakes. “Many envenomations were preventable incidents caused by intentional engagement with wild snakes,” the authors write, adding that “education regarding avoidance of venomous snakes and seeking immediate medical care may reduce the prevalence and morbidity of future envenomations.”
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