The majority of snakebites occur on the hands, feet and ankles. Rattlesnakes usually avoid humans, but about 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year, with 10 to 15 deaths, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Most snake bites occur on a limb, so legs, feet, arms and hands are most commonly affected. If you've been bitten on a limb, applying a pressure immobilisation bandage can stop the venom moving through your lymphatic system.
In the lower extremity, 1751 (16%) snakebites occurred in the knee or lower leg, whereas 3351 (30%) of snakebites occurred in the ankle or foot.
But while there are only a couple of deaths each year, it's estimated there are about 3,000 snakebites in Australia annually.
Venomous snakes inject a cocktail of toxins using venom fangs — specialised teeth with grooves or canals running through them to guide the venom into a bite wound. Uniquely among animals, grooved and tubular teeth have evolved many times in snakes.
India's most venomous snake, the Common krait, is at the heart of a frighteningly common problem. A nocturnal snake, kraits climb beds at night and bite sleeping humans.
Snakes will usually avoid people and bite only if they feel threatened. Most snakes are fairly harmless (not poisonous/not venomous). Even so, if you're bitten by any kind of snake, you should take it seriously.
"Including the brown, tiger, black, taipan, death adder and certain sea snakes and all these snakes are found in Queensland," Mr Farry said. "Most Australian snake bites are associated with minimal local pain and bite marks can be easily missed."
The killer of the most people
The saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus) may be the deadliest of all snakes, since scientists believe it to be responsible for more human deaths than all other snake species combined.
The Eastern brown snake is responsible for around 60% of deaths caused by snakebite in Australia.
The thickness of snake chaps can help determine how hard or easy it is for snake fangs to penetrate. Material like thin denim is super easy to sew, yet also easily penetrable. On the other hand, Cordura nylon and kevlar are stronger materials that are hard to penetrate.
Snakes are most active at night and during early morning and late evening hours, the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension says. One of the most common species of snakes isn't venomous at all.
"The canyons and passes in Southern California are places where the animals can be relatively undisturbed," says Morocco, who works at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. "The snakes aren't going to hunt you. They're not coming after you," he says. But if you accidentally step on a snake, then it will reflexively bite.
Elapids, which all deadly Aussie snakes are, have short little fangs, and these fangs have far less penetrating power than vipers such as rattlesnakes. Most Aussie snakes can't effectively bite through denim, whereas American snake boots, for example, are made of kevlar, and will deflect a .
Snakes are most likely to bite when they feel threatened, are startled, are provoked, or when they have been cornered. Snakes are likely to approach residential areas when attracted by prey, such as rodents.
But the blue coral snake (Calliophis bivirgata) is different. These beautifully coloured snakes from South East Asia and have a venom that's so powerful, it can trigger all of the victim's nerves to fire at once, instantly trigging full body spasms, paralysis, and a quick, horrifying death.
The saw-scaled viper, Echis carinatus, is considered the deadliest snake in the world, according to Britannica. This type of snake is said to be responsible for "more human deaths than all other snake species combined." The venom of the saw-scaled viper is not as lethal as other snakes, but it is far more aggressive.
The black mamba, for example, injects up to 12 times the lethal dose for humans in each bite and may bite as many as 12 times in a single attack. This mamba has the fastest-acting venom of any snake, but humans are much larger than its usual prey so it still takes 20 minutes for you to die.
In Australia, snakes sometimes slither into suburban backyards and homes. When the weather gets warm, they lounge in the sun. When it gets hot, they seek cool places: a wall crevice, under a refrigerator, under a barbecue grill, behind an air-conditioning unit.
Sydney prides itself on safety, deep culture, and friendly communities. It is considered the fifth safest city in the world and Australia's safest city.
Australia's snake season generally hits between September and April as they start to venture out looking for food or a mate, but this can be brought forward if the end of winter and start of spring are unseasonably warm.
Wash the area with clean water 2 times a day. Don't use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, which can slow healing. You may cover the bite with a thin layer of petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, and a non-stick bandage. Apply more petroleum jelly and replace the bandage as needed.
Spontaneous systemic bleeding usually stops within 15 - 30 minutes and blood coagulability is restored within 6 hours of antivenom provided a neutralizing dose has been given. Antivenom therapy should be repeated if severe signs persist after 1 - 2 hours or if blood coagulability is not restored within 6 hours.
Yes, they can. The good news is that not all snakes have fangs strong enough to go through rubber boots. When snakes strike and the fangs sink into their target, they don't necessarily know whether they've broken skin or pierced a boot.