![]() ![]() Bites from these snakes don't happen often. That can be fatal, but only one death from a coral snake has been reported since the 1960s. The poison can eventually make it difficult to breathe. You could also get weak muscles, blurred vision, and paralysis. Your speech may become slurred, and it may be hard to swallow. The venom, which contains neurotoxins, affects the brain’s ability to control the body’s muscles. It can take 12 to 18 hours before serious symptoms set in. “If you have enough venom to cause large amounts of tissue damage, it can become gangrenous when the tissue dies,” he says.īites from coral snakes have few immediate signs to show that you’ve been poisoned. That can lead to the loss of a limb or fingers, says Nicks, a spokesman for the American College of Emergency Physicians. Left untreated, the tissue damage will get worse. ![]() “The swelling and destruction can occur within an hour,” says Calello, “but the damage is generally not permanent if it’s treated.” Both the tissue damage and the bleeding contribute to swelling. Together, they destroy tissue and break down the proteins that allow your blood to clot. Pit viper venom contains many different compounds, she says. Nicks says that one in four pit viper bites are “dry,” or free of venom, while 50% of coral snakes’ bites deliver venom. This is because snakes control the release of their venom: The greater the threat it perceives, the more dangerous its bite. When they are, the amount of venom can vary. Pit vipers account for many more bites than coral snakes, but bites from either are not always poisonous. They are black and red with white or yellow bands. The like to be near water.Ĭoral snakes, says Nicks, live mostly in Florida and Georgia. Cottonmouths (aka water moccasins): Cottonmouth snakes can be found in the southeastern U.S.“If you’re going to get bit by a venomous snake, this is the one you want because it doesn’t do a lot to you,” says Nicks. Copperheads: These venomous snakes live mostly throughout the eastern U.S., but their habitat stretches as far west as Texas.“Among pit vipers, rattlesnake venom packs the most punch and causes the most problems,” says Calello, who's also executive and medical director of the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System. Rattlesnakes: There are many rattlesnake species throughout the U.S.Pit vipers share many physical traits, such as triangular heads, vertical pupils, and a pit between their nostrils and eyes. In the U.S., venomous snakes fall into one of two types: pit vipers and coral snakes. “Large amounts can cause internal bleeding.” “Venom causes pain and swelling and perhaps some blistering at the site of the bite, and it damages tissue,” says Bret Nicks, MD, a professor of emergency medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, NC. The CDC estimates that as many as 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the U.S.
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