What is the correct procedure in case of encountering a snake?

Many of us have had a close encounter with a snake more than once, some may never have. Here's what you need to know if such an encounter occurs. The first and most basic rule when encountering a snake in nature is: don't panic! There are 16 different species of snakes in Croatia, of which three are vipers, and only two species, the viper and the red viper, are dangerous to humans. Therefore, if you have encountered a snake, there is a good chance that it is not poisonous at all.

Venomous snakes are most easily identified by their head and body shape: the body is short and stocky, the head is broad and triangular, and the pupil is vertical. Vipers have a dark zigzag or diamond pattern on their backs on a light background (black on gray or dark brown on light brown to red), and red vipers can be completely black. However, not all snakes that have a zigzag or diamond pattern are necessarily vipers, and not every black snake is a red viper. Therefore, it is a good idea to study a few pictures of venomous and non-venomous snakes to compare the general body shape and notice the difference, which is not difficult to learn.

A large number of pictures of all European amphibians and reptiles can be found on this pageA good book about snakes in Croatia is: ''Snakes of Croatia - A Manual for Determining Species'' by B. Janev-Hutinec and S. Lupret-Obradović.

Prevent accidental bites

Most snakebites occur when people come into direct physical contact with a snake, either intentionally or unintentionally. 

When walking in nature, it is best to wear closed shoes and long pants and always first look at the place you intend to grab with your hand and watch where you are standing.

Snakes can be found on rocks, where they often sunbathe or bask by absorbing the heat of the rocks, and under rocks where they have hiding places. They can also be found on trees, where birds lurk, or basking on branches. If you grab a snake or step on it, it is very likely to bite you - so you should always be careful and aware if you are walking in an area where there are snakes.

What if you encounter a snake?

Don't panic. If you spotted the snake in time (and that's before you stepped on it or grabbed it with your hand), there shouldn't be any problems. Avoid contact with the animal and everything will be fine. Never try to kill, catch, or push the snake away. Doing so increases the likelihood of being bitten!

Venomous snakes are certainly dangerous to humans, but humans are also very dangerous to them.

Rattlesnakes are not particularly fast snakes, and when they encounter danger (for them it is any large animal that can step on them, it can be a cow, and it can be you too) they usually behave sluggishly (they will not run away at high speed like some other species), but most often adopt a threatening attitude, warn of their presence by hissing and retreat slowly. The purpose of this behavior is as a warning, to keep the potential danger at bay while the buttercup retreats to safety. What you need to do in that case is:

• never approach a snake
• maintain a distance of at least 50 cm between the snake and yourself
• keep an eye on the snake
• avoid the snake if possible
• if not, wait for the snake to move away

Snakes can't jump, and adders can't even crawl faster than you can run. The maximum bite range a adder can reach by throwing out its front part is 40 cm. So, if you're half a meter away from the most vicious adder, it can't hurt you if you don't get close to it. In addition, in order for a snake to release its front part, it must first tense it, bringing its head closer to its body and bending its front part into an S-shape. If you notice this behavior in a snake, it can be clear to you that this is an extreme warning and the wrong time to try to approach it. If the snake starts to move away, wait for it to go away. If the snake doesn't move and you can't get around it, try tapping your foot or stick on the ground. Snakes are deaf, but they can sense ground vibrations very well.

What if a snake bites you?

In the event of a bite, there is also no need to panic. A healthy adult in good shape, even without antivenom, has a good chance of surviving a viper bite. The severity and danger of a bite varies depending on the amount of venom injected, the temperature, weight and health of the bitten person, and the location and depth of the bite. The worst bites are near the head, and those that hit a major blood vessel. Children, the sick, and the elderly are also at increased risk.

If you or someone in your company is bitten by a snake, and you think it could be a buttercup, do the following:

• calm the bitten person
• immobilize the bitten area in a position below body level
• send the bitten person to the hospital as soon as possible
• if you are far from a car, call GSS
• If at all possible, the bitten person should not move.

Any cutting of the wound and attempts to suck out the venom are generally counterproductive, and the most useful thing you can do is to reduce circulation to the bitten area, but also in general to slow down the spread of the venom as much as possible. Limb bandaging is only good if performed by a professional, as too tight a bandaging can cause loss of the limb. Symptoms that appear within 5 to 10 minutes at most are pain, swelling and discoloration of the bitten area (spreading towards the body), dizziness, nausea, vomiting, heart palpitations, low blood pressure and general weakness.

If you have been bitten by a snake and after 10 minutes you still do not feel any of this, it is not a viper or the venom has not been injected. If you experience these symptoms, do not immediately say goodbye to life: you are most likely not going to die. In the Split area, 542 viper bites were recorded between 1982 and 2002 (the average annual bite frequency was 5,2 per 100,000 inhabitants). Of these, only two cases ended in death, and both occurred during military operations, and these victims did not receive timely medical attention (from the scientific paper by Boris Lukšić and colleagues from 2006). If you get to the hospital within 6 to 8 hours, you have the best chance of fully recovering from this unfortunate event.

Finally, we ask you to approach snakes with realistic caution rather than panic, and not to kill snakes, thereby putting yourself and the people around you in very real danger. And don't be afraid to go out into nature: most excursions end without encountering a snake.

Copperhead

Majur

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Redhead

Source: Croatian Herpetological Society

Photo: Pixabay (cover)