snake

 


A new study reveals a surprise in its attempt to provide an answer to the question "Why do snakes bite humans?" So what is it ?


A new study indicates that most snake bites are not the result of a person encountering a snake. Instead, most victims are unaware of the presence of snakes before they bite them, according to an analysis of snakebite reports in the media between 2011 and 2013.


The researchers investigated the general notion that most "unexplained" snake bites occur as a result of trying to move or kill a snake rather than leaving it alone. A justified bite means being stung by accident as a result of the victim stepping on an invisible snake or placing his hand near a snake while performing activities such as picnicking or cleaning an orchard. And 30% of bites occur as a result of deliberately messing with a snake.


The Journal of Wildlife and Environmental Medicine says that justified stings often occur in the lower half of the body, while unexplained stings occur in the hands or fingers."The common perception is that most bites are unexplained (and I've seen a large number of people do stupid things with snakes that reinforce this idea," said lead author Dennis K. Wasko of the Hillier College of the University of Hartford, Connecticut.


"On the other hand, you have to think about the source: popular media versus clinical reports ... medical records often don't tell you exactly how the sting happened in the first place at all, so there's really no data," Wasco told Reuters Health by email. remember."

The researchers used daily Google searches to assess media reports of snakebites in the United States between 2011 and 2013, which included 332 bites. In most cases the snakes were released into the wild, not in cages. Most of the victims were adult men, and most of the snakes were of the rattlesnake or copperhead snake. Ten bites were fatal, 6 of which were in the wild and 4 in cages, and about 70% of the bites were "justified."


But Wasko notes that media coverage of snakebites depends on the victim's version of the story.


"Media methods have a outstanding deal of potential bias and are very dependent on the narrative the victim tells ... What is more likely to tell the media if you accidentally stepped on a snake or if you intentionally started pricking it with a stick?" He said. He added that the bites caused by deliberate or stupid behavior provide better stories and therefore are more likely to be covered in the reports.

Wasko added that thousands of bites occur annually in the United States and his study indicates that a third of them could have been prevented.


"There is a large number of bites that can be avoided by simply leaving the snakes alone," he said. He added that the men were exposed to the bites that could have been avoided more than the women while trying to catch, kill or play with snakes.