• Question: DO SNAKES KILL PEOPLE

    Asked by harrison123 to Daniela, Hannah, Ian, Jono, Mark on 19 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Jono Bone

      Jono Bone answered on 19 Jun 2013:

      Hi harrison123,

      Yes some snakes certainly do kill people but Snakes do not ordinarily attack humans unless they are startled or injured. With the exception of large constrictors which kill their prey by crushing them to death, nonvenomous snakes are not a threat to humans.

      Of the roughly 725 species of venomous snakes worldwide, only 250 are able to kill a human with one bite. Australia averages only one fatal snake bite per year. In India, 250,000 snakebites are recorded in a single year, with as many as 50,000 recorded deaths, it all depends on being able to get treated quickly enough with anti-venom.

      Here in the UK unless your bitten by someones dangerous pet snake you have nothing really to worry about. The only wild venomous snake in the UK is the Adder and although very painful deaths are very very rare.

    • Photo: Mark Hodson

      Mark Hodson answered on 19 Jun 2013:

      Hi harrison 123

      not all snakes are poisonous and those that are will generally only kill humans in defence if they are scared and think that they are being attacked. Generally animals run away given half a chance.

      cheers

      m

    • Photo: Hannah Brotherton

      Hannah Brotherton answered on 20 Jun 2013:

      Hi Harrison123,
      Yes they most definitely can. But here is a cool thing to remember (QI taught me this). A poisonous snake can only kill you or make you sick if you eat it, but a venomous snake can kill or hurt you with a bite. And a constrictor snake doesn’t even have to bite or be eaten by you. It just wraps itself around its prey. But this snake has never hurt a human, but it has been known to have eaten a crocodile.

      The most dangerous snake to humans is the black mamba, found in eastern Africa (hope your not going here on school holidays lol). If someone gets bitten, there is 100% they will die, but even if they are bitten and then given medicine (anti venom) there is only a 50% chance they will survive……So don’t get bitten by a black mamba!

    • Photo: Daniela Plana

      Daniela Plana answered on 20 Jun 2013:

      Hi harrison123!

      As the other have already said, yes snakes can kill people, although in countries like the UK it’s not very usual. Snakes mostly attack humans when they feel threatened themselves… so as long as you try to avoid scaring them, you are usually safe! Not all snakes kill the same way, some snakes can hurt or kill with their poison when they bite, but others are really strong, like the boas or anacondas and they actually crush their prey and it eat it whole. In some cases, even if a person is bitten by a venomous snake, an antidote can be provided which will save the persons life.

      I myself have always have a bit of a fear of snakes, in my home country (Venezuela) snakes are quite common and so we learn to know which ones are venomous and which ones are not. Usually, the prettier and more colourful they are, the worst their bite is! The most venomous one we have in Venezuela is called a coral snake, which has rings of black, red and either white or yellow. Boas are quite common, but as they only kill to eat, they are pretty safe as long as they are fed!!!

      Do ask again if you want to know more…
      Daniela

    • Photo: Ian Wilson

      Ian Wilson answered on 20 Jun 2013:

      Hi harrison123,

      Absolutely, some of them can do. But not all of them.

      Most snakes will only attack humans to defend themselves. We’re not their natural prey so they tend to avoid us. If you go too close to some snakes though, they will see you as a threat and attack you to make you back off.

      Now, a snake bite on its own would be painful, sure. But it won’t kill you. What does kill is the venom that some snakes have. When these snakes bite prey (or predators) they inject a poison into it. This kills or weakens the animal so the snake can nom on it more easily. I actually wrote a blog article on snake venom a while back:

      http://sciencegremlin.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/why-is-snake-venom-so-variable/

      Ooh also, some snakes are ‘constrictors’ – they wrap themselves around prey and suffocate it. Humans are rarely attacked by these snakes, though someone I know was feeding his pet constrictor and it missed the chicken he was trying to feed it and bit his hand! It then wrapped itself around his arm, because that’s what it would normally do with prey. He had to prise it off him and get to hospital quickly!

      So, in short, some snakes can kill us but, if we leave them alone, they tend to leave us alone 🙂

      Cheers,

      Ian

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