Snakes in the news

[Pivo]

Someone mailed a live rattlesnake to a California man. He thinks it was attempted murder.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nat ... 808761007/

[Alston_Neal]

@Pivo
Anyone know if Gummo has had a beef with a truck driver?

[big_load]

Someone mailed a live rattlesnake to a California man. He thinks it was attempted murder.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nat ... 808761007/

Attempted murder of the snake.

[Pivo]

Rattlesnake shocks officer and driver during traffic stop

https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/na ... 893719007/

[Pivo]

Snake bites kill tens of thousands of people around the world each year. However, we still use techniques invented in the late 19th century to make antivenom, and each bite needs to be treated with antivenom for that specific type of snake.
https://theconversation.com/breakthroug ... c%2Fhealth

[chumley]

@Pivo Seems like it might be useful in other parts of the world. Here in North America, all venomous snakes are treated with the same "universal" antivenom already (with one notable exception, the coral snake, which of course envenomates no human that isn't literally sticking a finger in its mouth). Of course, the universal antivenom (rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, copperheads) does still need to be harvested in sheep, so a laboratory solution would be a nice advance. But really, what company would invest in that minuscule market when there are five billion fat people that want a magic diet pill or 8 billion who want to improve their sex lives? More importantly, will the snakebite antivenom cause a rash in the skin of the perineum?

[Pivo]

More importantly, will the snakebite antivenom cause a rash in the skin of the perineum?

Would be 'tainted.

[Pivo]

@chumley
Speaking of that sensitive area, I was envenomated in that very area by a centipede while sitting on a rock on Blackett's Ridge. There was guy there that asked if I wanted his son who was a doctor to look at it. I declined the offer.

[Alston_Neal]

Envenomated my perineum......well my day is complete.

[big_load]

Envenomated my perineum......well my day is complete.

Mine wouldn't be until I successfully got to sleep, which would probably be greatly delayed.

[SpiderLegs]

Envenomated my perineum

That was the name of a great 80's heavy metal album.

[Jim]

@SpiderLegs
Only one way that happens, and it is not family friendly.

[Pivo]

Researchers assessed the impacts of climate change on 209 species of venomous snakes from now until 2070, and concluded that while some may disappear from their range, others are likely to expand to new areas.
As a result, snakes from arid climates will see their areas of distribution expand, as shown in the study’s projections for Asian and African countries.
https://news.mongabay.com/2024/08/as-cl ... c%2Fnature

[Pivo]

Snake Bite Deaths in the United States by County.
The relatively high number of captive snake bite deaths in Appalachia is due to the practice of snake handling in religious settings. Almost every time the victim refuses the antivenom as it is prohibited by the church. There's no time frame mentioned.

[Alston_Neal]

Interesting how large Alaska is and with no snake bites. I think I'll apply for a grant and conduct research into this.

[RedRoxx44]

I watched part of a strange video with babies and snakes. they wanted to show babies have no inbred fear of snakes; it was a little uncomfortable watching these babies squeeze and one bit the snake. But they did not cry or show fear. Supposedly these were "trained" snakes. I'm ok with snakes but seeing it like that gave me a little "ick" factor.

[Alston_Neal]

@RedRoxx44
You had me at "trained" snakes.

[Jim]

@RedRoxx44
Someone should have trained those babies! It's not cool to bite.

Seriously, though, how do you know the snakes didn't show fear? I'm always left wondering what they're thinking. I guess it is true about the more you are exposed to something, so the training probably helped the snakes to not fear the babies.

[xsproutx]

@Jim_H
I don’t know… if you’re the snake that got bit by a baby, you’re probably now a well trained baby hunting snake. “I have a particular set of skills…”

[big_load]

The State Senator for my district is recovering from a snakebite incurred while feeding mice to a Northern Massasauga Rattlesnake at his small family-owned zoo. He experienced only minor pain at first and drove himself to the local hospital, 10-15 miles from the zoo. He received 14 vials of antivenom over two days, but the swelling in his hand remained severe enough that he was choppered to a regional snakebit treatment center in Brooklyn and his now back at home.