Statistics on parts of the body bitten by snakes - Experts Forum at VenomousReptiles.org

Statistics on parts of the body bitten by snakes	Reply
by Rattler4 on January 6, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
I was wondering if anybody had any statistics of percentages on the different parts of the body that are commonly bitten by snakes.

RE: Statistics on parts of the body bitten by snak	Reply
by Cro on January 6, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Taylor, I do not have any official statistics, however, I would guess that most snakebites worldwide are on the feet. That is because in many parts of the world, and especially in tropical areas where there are many venomous snakes, many of the people there go barefoot, or wear just sandals. I think that bites to the hands would be next worldwide, as folks like coffee and tea pickers can run into arborial snakes very easily. The more you get into towns and cities, especially in this country, there is a stronger likelyhood that there will be more people who are keeping venomous snakes for pets or research. Those people are probably more likely to get bitten on a hand. Again, those are just a guess. Some of the folks here with access to Poison Control statistics might be able to add to this with actual records. Best Regards John Z

RE: Statistics on parts of the body bitten by snak	Reply
by FLherp on January 7, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
In the "developed world" somewhere around 70 to 80% are to an upper distal extremity (hand), especially in the case of induced or illegitimate bites. In the rest of the world it is usually the lower distal extremity (lower leg), as John explained those bites are due to occupational exposures and type of clothing worn (or not worn). Males are bitten somewhere between 70 to 80% of the time as well. The data on these events is poor and location of the bites is usually culled from patient narratives, a fairly inefficient way of gathering data. Calls to Poison Control Centers are not mandated, snakebites are not considered reportable incidents, so some of the information is never reported to any entity that would collect it and make it readily available. Remember, 95% of statistics are made up on the spot.

RE: Statistics on parts of the body bitten by snak	Reply
by Phobos on January 7, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
There are occassional bites to the lip...hahaha if you try to kiss them. I know of two cobra bites, one in the belly and one in the ass. Don't ask... Al

RE: Statistics on parts of the body bitten by snak	Reply
by earthguy on January 7, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Didn't the founder of the snake handling church in the Appalachain mountains die from a snake bite to the face? Ouch!

RE: Statistics on parts of the body bitten by snak	Reply
by Cro on January 7, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Let's not forget the poor fellow in Australia who was bitten by a Brown Snake on his...... Well, see for yourself: http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2008/06/11/4506_local-news.html or http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23776403-2,00.html or http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=155147&in_page_id=2 Best Regards John Z

RE: Statistics on parts of the body bitten by snak	Reply
by FLherp on January 7, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Last year someone was bitten on the tongue by an an EDB. There was a slideshow of photos on the net, occured in Washington State or thjerabouts.

RE: Statistics on parts of the body bitten by snak	Reply
by Cro on January 7, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Yep, that nitwhit probably earned the Moron of the Year award for that stunt. You can read more about him at: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297394,00.html Apparently the main video with all of the photos has been taken down, but you can still find a after-bite video on UTube where he tries to explain just how he got bitten inside of his mouth by a rattlesnake ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZMIx-xAqxs Best Regards John Z

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