life threatning?

[kovu]

I was wondering if every venomous snake bite was fatal? Does the potency of the venom increase and decrease between families or between each snake? What do some of the not as potent bites bring, and of course potent bites kill quickly right?

Sorry about my ignroance im still learning. :)

[shaggybill]

Do you mean fatal as in the end result if not treated? Not all venomous snakes will kill you if you are bitten, even if its not a dry bite. One that I am thinking of in particular is the copperhead. Now for a little old lady or man or a small child they might cause death if they get a decent dose of venom, but as far as I know, there have hardly been any deaths due to the copperheads bite.

All venomous snakes are different, and I think its safe to say that the potency of the venom would change between each snake, rather than each family. For instance, the venom of the Mojave Rattler is much more potent than that of the Pygmy. Also the amount of venom released plays a major role. I think I just read that the venom of the Massasagua rattler is about the same as the Western Diamondback, but the WDB is much more deadly because of the amount of venom it releases. I may be wrong on the exact species of snakes in those examples, but you get my point.

Everybody else here will be able to answer your question better, seeing that I am not a veteran in snakes yet, so I'll let them explain in more detail.

[Nightflight99]

I was wondering if every venomous snake bite was fatal?

No, not every venomous snakebite not fatal. As a matter of fact, the vast majority of snakebites are not fatal or even acutely life-threatening, even without proper antivenin treatment. Only a small percentage of all snakebites prove fatal.

Consider this: Out of approximately 12,000 snakebites that occur in the U.S. per year, only 8-12 are fatal.

I like comparing a snakebite to a gunshot wound. There are a lot of different variables that come into play, the combination of which determine the severity and outcome of the situation. These variables include the species of snake, the delivered amount of venom, the location of the bite site, the age and health status of the bite victim, etc. All of these variables have a direct effect on the symptomatic and course of treatment.

In some of the less developed countries - specifically Sri Lanka, India, etc. - modern medical facilities are not readily available to the common people, especially in rural areas. This, combined with the fact that many people in such areas lack firm footwear and secure housing, is the primary reason why snakebites cause many deaths in some parts of the world. Statistically, a common non-snake-keeping-person in the U.S. should be more concerned about electric appliances than about the danger posed by venomous snakes.

Does the potency of the venom increase and decrease between families or between each snake?

Venom composition and potency varies most significantly between families of snakes, but also between species, and to some degree even among individual populations of a given species. Species like Russell's vipers (Daboia russelli), for example, are known to show great variations in the venom of various localities.

What do some of the not as potent bites bring, and of course potent bites kill quickly right?

Venom potency is only one of two important factors when assessing the potential danger of a given species of venomous snake, the other factor being yield. Without a significant yield, even the most potent venom becomes relatively harmless. On the other hand, a relatively mild venom can put you into serious trouble, if enough of it is injected. It is therefore important that one knows about the potency and the yield of a given species, and understands the relationship between these two.

Snakes that are currently considered to be relatively mild include many of the rear-fanged colubrids, such as mangrove snakes (Boiga dendrophila), false water cobras (Hydrodynastes gigas), etc. Bites from these species tend to produce little or no symptomatic, though exceptions do occur. Typical symptomatic of a mangrove snake envenomation would include minor swelling, redness, and a ripper of a headache. Among the front-fanged venomous snakes, species such as the Northamerican copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) and the eyelash viper (Bothriechis schlegelii) are considered to be relatively mild, with typical symptoms including severe pain, swelling, and necrosis, which may lead to the loss of a digit or two.

Hope this helps. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask.

Regards,

---Nightflight99

[Mike177]

ya i dont keep or know a great deal about venoumus snakes but it depends of the leathal dose and the yeald (amount injected in a bite) for insance the copper head usaly yealds about 40-70mg of venoum per yeald but it take 100mg to be leathal (depending on the size of the person where you where bit and the health your in. so if you 6,4' and in great shape no problem but you should still seek medical attention here is a good link to cheack out http://www.venomousreptiles.org/pages/venchart it is a chart of all venoumus snakes in north america but keep in mind that all venoumus snakes are deadly and you should alwas treat a copperhead like a Gabon Viper.

p.s sorry about the spelling. :)

[Gregg M]

I would like to add that an LD50 is not the best thing to go by....... It just gives you an idea of what it takes for a snakes venom to kill 500g of living tissue....... There are many other factors to take into considerstion........ Like the location of the bite to the body and the type of bite........ You can get a subcutaneous bite(under skin and into fatty tissues) which is the least deadly....... Then you have intravenous(venom is put directly into the blood stream) that can prove fatal in short amount of time...... And then there is intramuscular(venomis pumped into muscule tissue particularly by large fanged species) which is the worst of the three........