# presentation on venomous snakes help!!!



## Wife of Boa Buddy (Jan 7, 2013)

Hi guys,
I have a collection of Boas at home and I am doing an environmental science presentation on snakes and would like to include venomous snakes. I am currently researching the wild habitats, feeding and general activity, but i would like to include how these snake compare when in captivity so that i can have both sides of the argument and knowledge.
Also my husband and i are in a disagreement as the the 10 most venomous snakes..... Can you also help with this PLEASE !!!


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## Lord Vetinari (Mar 4, 2011)

Wife of Boa Buddy said:


> Hi guys,
> I have a collection of Boas at home and I am doing an environmental science presentation on snakes and would like to include venomous snakes. I am currently researching the wild habitats, feeding and general activity, but i would like to include how these snake compare when in captivity so that i can have both sides of the argument and knowledge.
> Also my husband and i are in a disagreement as the the 10 most venomous snakes..... Can you also help with this PLEASE !!!


Define 'most venomous'?

There are a lot of factors, and there isn't really a categorical answer if you mean what I think you mean. (most dangerous?) The same 10 snakes will usually make the top 10, but various sources will have them in different orders depending on what factor they give the most weight to.


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## Wife of Boa Buddy (Jan 7, 2013)

I think the best to go off would be the mortality rate of people getting bitten by snakes.... As it is a presentation for my peers who have very little knowledge of reptiles. therefore i would like to give them an overview of both venomous and non venomous snakes.

Thanks Naomi


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## Lord Vetinari (Mar 4, 2011)

Wife of Boa Buddy said:


> I think the best to go off would be the mortality rate of people getting bitten by snakes.... As it is a presentation for my peers who have very little knowledge of reptiles. therefore i would like to give them an overview of both venomous and non venomous snakes.
> 
> Thanks Naomi


Google will be your friend. 

However the numbers will be estimates only. There are plenty of bites where the species is never identified, or is incorrectly identified.

There has been one death in the UK from a venomous snake in captivity since the DWA act was introduced. (and probably longer)


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## Wife of Boa Buddy (Jan 7, 2013)

i already tried google but there was to much conflicting information (given the reasons that you have already stated), hence the reason i decided to post on here for some advice as i would think that people who have these beautiful reptiles in captivity would have a better idea that someone who doesn't have them.


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## Lord Vetinari (Mar 4, 2011)

The best person to ask will be Paul Rowley at the Liverpool school of tropical medicine, also known as 'Hotherps' on captivebred.


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## Cleopatra the Royal (Nov 29, 2008)

Lord Vetinari said:


> The best person to ask will be Paul Rowley at the Liverpool school of tropical medicine, also known as 'Hotherps' on captivebred.


Is he no longer here as PDR? Sorry I've been away from this section for a while.



Lord Vetinari said:


> Google will be your friend.
> 
> However the numbers will be estimates only. There are plenty of bites where the species is never identified, or is incorrectly identified.
> 
> There has been one death in the UK from a venomous snake in captivity since the DWA act was introduced. (and probably longer)


For the OP:
I think (think being a key word here) the only other [reported] death was at London Zoo when a drunken keeper fell into and slept in one of the Cobra exhibits many decades back. May need to check that and Google isn't cooperating for me at the moment.


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## coldestblood (Jun 4, 2011)

As already said, listing the most dangerous snake can be quite complicated, depending on what you mean by 'dangerous' (toxicity, disposition, proximity ect).

The snakes that cause the most deaths are in India, and are known collectively as 'the big four'. The Indian cobra (Naja naja), the common krait (B. caeruleus), the saw scaled viper (Echis carinatus) and the russells viper (D. russelii). These four snakes cause tens of thousands of deaths each year. There is antivenom available, but not everyone has easy access to it.

The most toxic snakes are in Australia. The inland taipan (O. microlepidotus) has the most potent venom, with enough to kill tens - or hundreds - of thousands of mice.

The highest mortality rate is the black mamba (D. polylepis). It's venom is fast acting, and can kill in less than 30 minutes. It's believed to have close to 100% untreated mortality rate (can anyone confirm or refute this?). Out of all snakes, these are definitely reserved for the most advanced keepers. The speed they can move at is incredible. They can move faster than any other snake, and could easily bite you in the face - you wouldn't see me anywhere near a mamba. 

Keeping them is nothing like keeping none venomous. Habitat and food requirements are the same, but thats about it. Is there anything specific you want to know?




Cleopatra the Royal said:


> Is he no longer here as PDR? Sorry I've been away from this section for a while.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I believe he was referring to Luke Yeomans death in 2011.


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## Lord Vetinari (Mar 4, 2011)

Cleopatra the Royal said:


> Is he no longer here as PDR? Sorry I've been away from this section for a while.
> .


I cant remember the last time he posted on here. He is far more active on CB. 



coldestblood said:


> As already said, listing the most dangerous snake can be quite complicated, depending on what you mean by 'dangerous' (toxicity, disposition, proximity ect).
> 
> The snakes that cause the most deaths are in India, and are known collectively as 'the big four'. The Indian cobra (Naja naja), the common krait (B. caeruleus), the saw scaled viper (Echis carinatus) and the russells viper (D. russelii). These four snakes cause tens of thousands of deaths each year. There is antivenom available, but not everyone has easy access to it.
> 
> ...


^^^

Thats probably the best answer you will find.


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## coldestblood (Jun 4, 2011)

It may be worth adding something about how effective antivenom is. In the US there are 7,000-10,000 bites each year. Most are from copperheads, western diamondbacks, and eastern diamonbacks. The fact that only half a dozen or so die, is a great testament to the effectivity of modern medicine and antivenom treatment. 

Those that are bitten are often drunk, and trying to handle/kill the snake. Unfortuanately, many religious cults also use rattlesnakes as part of their worship, and if bitten, they almost never seek medical attention, expecting God to do the work for them. Just last year, a pastor was killed while handling a timber rattlesnake. The mans father also died from a rattlesnake bite a few decades before him. Will these people ever learn?


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## slippery42 (Mar 23, 2008)

Mixing up the DWA and Luke's unfortunate death is probably unhelpful as I am fairly sure that Luke held a Zoo licence and not a DWA one at the time.

Probably quite a few on here that can confirm or refute this?

As for the OP's initial request for assistance others have probably covered the input I would have suggested and its not straightforward


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## Lord Vetinari (Mar 4, 2011)

slippery42 said:


> _Mixing up the DWA and Luke's unfortunate death is probably unhelpful as I am fairly sure that Luke held a Zoo licence and not a DWA one at the time._
> 
> Probably quite a few on here that can confirm or refute this?
> 
> As for the OP's initial request for assistance others have probably covered the input I would have suggested and its not straightforward


Fair point - I was under the impression that the zoo licence hadn't been granted before his death. 

More than happy to be corrected on that though.


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## Wife of Boa Buddy (Jan 7, 2013)

Thanks guys for your posts and information ..... I'm so much better with Boas lol
and i will keep reading and researching and use your information in my presentation x 

Cheers Naomi x


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## Moshpitviper (Oct 21, 2005)

Lord Vetinari said:


> Fair point - I was under the impression that the zoo licence hadn't been granted before his death.
> 
> More than happy to be corrected on that though.


Spoke to him the week before he died. he said it had been granted.


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## Herpalist (Jun 17, 2009)

As Viperkeeper tells us (and it's true really) "The most venomous snake in the world is the one that just bit you"


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## Lord Vetinari (Mar 4, 2011)

Moshpitviper said:


> Spoke to him the week before he died. he said it had been granted.


Fair enough - my bad. : victory:


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## PDR (Nov 27, 2008)

Cleopatra the Royal said:


> Is he no longer here as PDR? Sorry I've been away from this section for a while.


I'm still around ..... just not been over here for a while. I will read the thread tonight and see if there is anything I can add.


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## PDR (Nov 27, 2008)

I think Coldestblood has covered the topic rather well.

We generally tell people that the most Dangerous snake to man is the Saw-scale or carpet viper (Echis Sp.) while the most toxic (ignoring sea snakes) is the Inland Taipan (O. microlepidotus).... the Echis takes a lot longer to kill (up to several days) but is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths, whereas the far more potent Inland Taipan is responsible for no recorded deaths in recent years as far as I am aware.

There are so many factors involved in determining danger and potency.... its a bit like playing "Top Trumps" cards... take for example a Green Mamba verses a Boomslang... both are a similar size and both can cause fatalities but the Boomslang is able to kill with a fraction of the venom yield of the Green Mamba..... I get roughly 50mg average of dried venom from each of our Green Mambas (more from Black Mambas)... whereas yields from Boomslangs are averaging a few mg... so if Boomslangs produced yields comparable to similar sized Elapids, their bites would be potentially very dangerous.


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