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most snakes are small and harmless. it’s not any worse than seeing a rat or a lizard. in the US the main snake everyone gets warned about is the coral snake, w

most snakes are small and harmless. it’s not any worse than seeing a rat or a lizard. in the US the main snake everyone gets warned about is the coral snake, which has a distinctive pattern and is very poisonous.

vram22 8y ago
How about rattlesnakes? I thought there are plenty of them, especially in the Western US. Kraits can be deadly in India. I've read that sometimes you cannot even feel their bite, but their venom can kill you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_krait https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_krait The article reminded me of Romulus Whitaker: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romulus_Whitaker https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romulus_Whitaker https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai_Snake_Park https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai_Snake_Park https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madras_Crocodile_Bank_Trust https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madras_Crocodile_Bank_Trust
- chowells 8y ago
  There are rattlesnakes everywhere in areas I've lived all my life. I've never seen a live one. They do not seek human interaction. About the only way you'll get bitten by one is if you reach into a hole one is trying to sleep in such that it can't get away and thinks you're threatening it.
  - vram22 8y ago
    Interesting, thought differently earlier. Good to know.
sehugg 8y ago
Copperheads are bad, especially since many other species look like them. They can put you in the hospital. Avoid the triangle head.
- lostapathy 8y ago
  The danger of copperheads is greatly overstated. Yes, they are venomous and will bite, but they are very rarely fatal to humans.
  - dreamcompiler 8y ago
    True. A copperhead bite definitely requires a hospital visit, but as pit vipers go a copperhead bite is generally on the less dangerous side.
  - Pharmakon 8y ago
    I wish that I could remember where I read this, but I recall that a majority of venemous snake bites in the U.S. were on the hand or lower arm, and/or involved alcohol. The implication was that a lot of the time people try to handle the things, especially while drunk. This seems to reference a similar stat: http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Reptile-News/2008/07/07/Venomous/ http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Reptile-News/2008/07/07/Veno...
- dreamcompiler 8y ago
  A triangular head is a poor indicator of a venomous snake. Many nonvenomous snakes can flatten their heads into a somewhat triangular shape.
lostapathy 8y ago
The thing about venomous snakes (at least in the US) is that most people think they are WAY more common and have a greater range than they do, largely because so many harmless snakes look like venomous snakes. I know a lot of people in Kansas/Iowa/Missouri/Nebraska that are sure they've been in cottonmouth/water moccasin-infested areas, but the truth is neither snake actually occurs in those area. Similarly with Copperheads, although those do occur in a sliver of eastern Kansas and most of Missouri. Coral snakes only occur in the extreme south and east reaches of the US, but people worry about them everywhere. Probably because the harmless milk snake occurs in most of the US and people don't know the difference.

vram22 8y ago

How about rattlesnakes? I thought there are plenty of them, especially in the Western US. Kraits can be deadly in India. I've read that sometimes you cannot even feel their bite, but their venom can kill you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_krait https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_krait The article reminded me of Romulus Whitaker: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romulus_Whitaker https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romulus_Whitaker https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai_Snake_Park https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai_Snake_Park https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madras_Crocodile_Bank_Trust https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madras_Crocodile_Bank_Trust

chowells 8y ago
There are rattlesnakes everywhere in areas I've lived all my life. I've never seen a live one. They do not seek human interaction. About the only way you'll get bitten by one is if you reach into a hole one is trying to sleep in such that it can't get away and thinks you're threatening it.
- vram22 8y ago
  Interesting, thought differently earlier. Good to know.

sehugg 8y ago

Copperheads are bad, especially since many other species look like them. They can put you in the hospital. Avoid the triangle head.

lostapathy 8y ago
The danger of copperheads is greatly overstated. Yes, they are venomous and will bite, but they are very rarely fatal to humans.
- dreamcompiler 8y ago
  True. A copperhead bite definitely requires a hospital visit, but as pit vipers go a copperhead bite is generally on the less dangerous side.
- Pharmakon 8y ago
  I wish that I could remember where I read this, but I recall that a majority of venemous snake bites in the U.S. were on the hand or lower arm, and/or involved alcohol. The implication was that a lot of the time people try to handle the things, especially while drunk. This seems to reference a similar stat: http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Reptile-News/2008/07/07/Venomous/ http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Reptile-News/2008/07/07/Veno...
dreamcompiler 8y ago
A triangular head is a poor indicator of a venomous snake. Many nonvenomous snakes can flatten their heads into a somewhat triangular shape.

lostapathy 8y ago

The thing about venomous snakes (at least in the US) is that most people think they are WAY more common and have a greater range than they do, largely because so many harmless snakes look like venomous snakes. I know a lot of people in Kansas/Iowa/Missouri/Nebraska that are sure they've been in cottonmouth/water moccasin-infested areas, but the truth is neither snake actually occurs in those area. Similarly with Copperheads, although those do occur in a sliver of eastern Kansas and most of Missouri. Coral snakes only occur in the extreme south and east reaches of the US, but people worry about them everywhere. Probably because the harmless milk snake occurs in most of the US and people don't know the difference.