How to Treat Snakebites From Venomous Snakes

By The Mother Earth News Editors
Published on May 1, 1982
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The Eastern Cottonmouth snake.
The Eastern Cottonmouth snake.
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The Red Diamond Rattlesnake. As with all rattlesnakes, it is best identified by its rattling tail.
The Red Diamond Rattlesnake. As with all rattlesnakes, it is best identified by its rattling tail.
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Learn how to identify the four venomous snakes in the United States. This is the Northern Copperhead.
Learn how to identify the four venomous snakes in the United States. This is the Northern Copperhead.
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The Sidewinder snake.
The Sidewinder snake.
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The Eastern Coral snake.
The Eastern Coral snake.
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A close-up of a rattlesnake showing erect fangs and heat-sensitive pit.
A close-up of a rattlesnake showing erect fangs and heat-sensitive pit.
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The Eastern Diamondback.
The Eastern Diamondback.
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The Timber Rattlesnake.
The Timber Rattlesnake.
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This guide may be helpful in identifying venomous snakebites, but it should not be considered a complete guide, because most snakebites leave incomplete markings.
This guide may be helpful in identifying venomous snakebites, but it should not be considered a complete guide, because most snakebites leave incomplete markings.

Few creatures are as universally feared as poisonous serpents, but the fact is that snakebite is a far cry from the “certain death” that many people consider it to be. To begin with, the chances of being bitten by any snake — venomous or not — are slim.

Unfortunately, the only available statistics on the effects of venomous snakebite are nearly 20 years old and thus outdated, but if the ratio recorded then still holds true, only one bite in 3,000 is likely to be fatal, while some 10 to 20 percent produce no effect whatsoever, even if the snake’s fangs do penetrate the skin! Fatalities occur most often when elderly people, individuals who are ill or small children are bitten — or when a person who is struck receives no treatment. Authorities estimate
that — in the U.S. — there are no more than 12 to 15 deaths from snakebite per year.

Know What Kinds of Snakes are Common in Your Region

The best way to deal with snakebite is, of course, to avoid getting bitten in the first place. Perhaps the best way to do that is to know the various serpents and recognize their preferred habitats.

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