Among the mixed blessings of the warmer weather - higher electric bills, the departure of the snowbirds - add the opening of snake bite season. From April to October, rattlesnakes, water moccasins and other venomous snakes become more active, raising the risk of unpleasant encounters with human beings. But don't blame the snakes. Human error - or stupidity, foolhardiness or drunkenness - plays a role in the majority of bites, officials say."Kids pick them up and bring them home to mom," said Lt. Scott Mullin, of the Venom Response Team. "I've had two moms get bit in that scenario. People goofing around and picking it up instead of leaving it alone. Or they know what it is and try to kill it and get bitten. They try to kill it with a shovel or machete. Rarely do we have an accidental bite." One 6-year-old boy in Kendall picked up a coral snake and carried it around for three hours without getting bitten, until he finally truly tried the snake's patience. "The only reason it bit him was he got bored and starting playing with it like a toy," Mullin said. "Throwing it back and forth with a friend." Another case, for which the phrase human "error" may seem too polite, involved an 18-year-old man near Tampa who caught a water moccasin. He kept the 4-foot snake in a pillowcase under his bed and expressed his fondness for it with repeated kisses, according to WESH-TV in Tampa. Tired of his attentions, the snake finally "kissed" back, biting him on the face. He was hospitalized, and the state wildlife commission opened an investigation, since he did not have a permit for the snake.
Wendy Blair Stephan, health education coordinator for the Florida Poison Control Center in Miami, said Florida's venomous snakes are not particularly aggressive. "Many of the snakebite cases we see at the poison control center involve someone bitten when the grabbed the snake," she said. "One of our poison specialists noted in his experience, "When the bite is on the hand, alcohol is involved, and when it's on the lower leg, the person stepped on the snake."
Just four species of snake native to Florida are venomous, the water moccasin (also known as the cottonmouth), coral snake, pygmy rattlesnake and eastern diamondback rattlesnake. Although the eastern diamondback rattlesnake may have the most deadly venom, the one responsible for the most bites is the water moccasin, a reddish brown or black snake that typically grows to two to four feet, which can be found in suburban canals and lakes. None of these snakes particularly want to bite people. They are not hiding in tall grass waiting to sink their fangs into a passing ankle. They are going about their business lying in the sun, hunting frogs, lizards and small mammals, and looking for snakes of the opposite sex.
Although a bite from and of these snakes is serious, she said they don't produce the sort of swift death associated with the world's most deadly species, such as the taipan or black mamba. "Many people seem to believe that snakebite equals death," she said. "This is not true. The antivenoms used today are highly effective as long as the person seeks care right away. There are no snakes native to Florida that kill in minutes. There is also no need for heroics like making a tourniquet or sucking out the wound. We are all within reach of emergency medical care."
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| Eastern Diamond Rattlesnake |
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| Coral Snake |
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| Cottonmouth Water Moccasin |
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| Pygmy Rattlesnake |
