If you see a snake coil its
body into an se shape like this,
it might already be too late for you.
See what I mean?
From this position, a snake can lunge 15
centimeters forward
in just 70 milliseconds.
That means
its venomous fangs
could be digging into your flesh
in the blink of an eye.
Now, the best way to survive a toxic bite
from one of these slithery serpents
is to get some antivenom into your system
as quickly as possible.
But here's the problem.
The world is quietly
running out of antivenom
because no one's making it anymore.
So how are we supposed to treat the over
5 million snake bites that happen
every year?
We'll dive into that
a little later
because antivenom isn't
the only way to protect yourself.
Tell me. Explain.
I'm going to show you
three of the deadliest
snake attacks on Earth.
And as you'll see in this first video,
sometimes the secret to survival is
in your pants.
You're
camping and it's dusk
as you gather firewood.
One of the sticks moves.
It's not a stick.
It's a deadly black mamba.
The snake raises its head more than one
meter off the ground.
It strikes like lightning,
attacking you again and again.
Then slithers away.
What could you do to survive?
Found throughout eastern
and southern regions of Africa.
The Black
Mamba snake
is one of the most feared,
most deadly snakes in the world.
And it may try to intimidate you
by extending its neck
flaps at full speed.
A black
mamba can travel at 19 kilometers
per hour.
That's faster than most people can run.
They're also the longest
venomous snake in Africa
and the second longest
in the world, averaging 2.4 meters long.
But they have grown up to 4.3 meters.
If you want to survive your trip
to Africa,
you might be wondering
about a few things.
Do these snakes hang out alone
or travel in groups?
And how fast can you die
from a black Mambas venom?
In 2017, a black mamba knotted itself
around a Kenya woman's leg
as she tried to get it off.
It bitter three times
she passed out before arriving
at the nearest hospital.
It was 45 minutes away.
Luckily, the
medical staff had antivenom
and it saved her life.
But what could you do
to increase your chance
of surviving a black mamba attack?
Step one dress for success.
Just two drops of black mamba
venom could kill you
in a little less 20 minutes
if you'll be walking through a bush
or long grass.
A black mamba snake could be there too.
Wearing thick, long clothes
such as pants,
a shirt
and a jacket could help protect you.
Wearing hiking or work
boots would help
protect your feet and ankles.
Step two Practice Social distancing.
Black Mambazo Territorial.
So don't go looking for a fight.
If you see or hear one, leave it alone.
Do not go near the snake.
And if it tries to escape, let it.
If it feels cornered,
you'll face its wrath.
And if you see one that looks dead,
leave it alone, too.
Some snakes play dead to lure their prey.
Step three know their hiding places.
These fearsome killers
are surprisingly shy.
They like places
where they can hide, rest
and not be disturbed.
This includes lazing under rocks,
inside dead tree stumps and under logs.
They also like caves
and empty termite mounds.
But they hunt during the day.
So watch out.
Step four Don't be fooled by their name.
The inside of their mouths
are blue, black.
But the Black Mambas
body is a brownish color
ranging from olive to grayish tones
with paler bellies.
Step five Control your breath.
You were so busy watching for one snake
that you didn't see the others.
Although they're usually loners,
you might encounter two
or a small group of black mambas.
This is hard,
but if it bites you, staying
calm can help you stay alive.
You'll want your breathing and heart
rate to be as slow as possible,
to slow the venom
spread through your body.
If a black mamba bites
someone else, help
keep their breathing stable as well.
Remove any clothing,
rings, necklaces
and any other objects
that could constrict their breathing.
Step six Get anti-venom
within 20 minutes.
Toxins
start acting on the nervous
and cardiovascular systems.
You might pass out or become paralyzed,
and without anti-venom,
you're guaranteed to die.
Scientists have developed an anti-venom
that counteracts
the ten most venomous snakes in Africa.
It has to be injected into your veins
because the muscles don't absorb it well.
It's important not to inject it into
or around the bite site
and you may need equipment
to help you breathe while
the anti-venom takes effect.
Phew. You're lucky.
Friends got you to a hospital
and they had the anti-venom.
And over time,
the anti-venom will ease
your muscle paralysis.
You're going to live.
Wow.
So if scientists have developed
such a great anti-venom,
then their problems
should be solved, right?
Well, no, exactly.
You see, our problem
isn't that we don't know
how to make anti-venom.
It's much more complicated than that.
Making antivenom is pricey
and a tricky process,
from milking snake venom
to creating antibodies.
And the market
for these lifesaving treatments
doesn't bring in big bucks,
so drug companies
aren't rushing to invest in it.
Add to that the short shelf
life of these products
and the need for refrigeration,
and you've got a distribution
puzzle, too.
But there's hope on the horizon.
There's one country
who's figured out a way
to produce antivenom
without needing snakes at all.
But if you want to know how they do it,
you got to make it through our neck
snake first.
This guy's venom can rot your flesh
and make you bleed out.
So good luck.
At first, it's an unsettling
noise,
the grinding of scales rubbing together.
That's the sound of the small scale.
The viper, the world's deadliest snake.
And it could be the last sound
you ever hear
found in populated areas
throughout India, Sri Lanka
and the Middle East.
So scaled
vipers are responsible
for more human deaths
than all other snake species combined.
While they may not have
the deadliest venom,
they are extremely aggressive.
They strike fast
and they don't stop after one bite.
The venom can deteriorate.
Blood vessel membranes
overwhelming the body's
blood clotting system.
One man can bleed you dry,
the venom can also rot flesh.
It practically destroys the tissue
around the bite.
Ross Making it through
the initial encounter is one thing,
but you could be faced
with losing a couple of toes,
maybe even a leg.
When threatened, it will rub.
It scales together called strangulation.
This produces the telltale sawing sound
that gives the species its name.
That may be your only warning
before you feel things in your flesh.
So listen up.
How can you
avoid these sinister snakes?
What should you do
if you come face to face with one?
And why shouldn't you try to fight back?
Step one
Know your enemy.
The first step in avoiding death
or serious harm
from a soft,
skilled viper
is to know how to avoid them.
The species has a distinct appearance,
notably their pear shaped hands,
large elliptical eyes
and distinctive coloring.
Their scales are oriented upward
rather than backward,
which is what you'll
usually see with most snakes.
They are relatively small, with a maximum
length of 40 centimeters
that makes them easy to miss.
These snakes are most active
on humid nights or after it rains,
so that's
when you need to be extra careful.
Step two
Wear protection
and overwhelming
majority of the snakes bites
involve the lower extremities.
If you know one might be around,
wear close toed shoes.
Small scale
two vipers
often live in small holes
and rocky environments,
something a teenager in India
learned the hard way.
He received severe bites on his hand
while reaching into such a hole
while hunting bush rats.
The resulting swelling
led to his hand
being transformed
into a reddish heap of flesh
that later required
two fingers to be amputated.
So carry some gloves
and make sure they're thick.
Step three
Make a quick exit
because of their overly
aggressive instincts.
If you encounter a soft, scaled viper,
the best thing to do
is to get the heck out of there.
Just because it's not moving
doesn't mean there's no danger.
It has the ability
to launch a leaping attack
from a coiled position
and being a sidewinder.
It's extremely fast over surfaces
like sand.
Back away slowly
and do not make sudden movements.
Don't take your eyes off it.
If you are bitten,
get away from the snake immediately.
They will often go in for multiple bites
and each one increases
your chances of a very bad outcome.
Don't try to kill the snake.
It's not worth it.
Step four
Beat the clock.
Direct contact means
the clock is ticking.
Prepare for swelling
and intense pain around the bite
that will spread
to the rest of your body.
Internal bleeding
will become a major issue.
Get yourself to a doctor
and get him anti-venom treatment.
There are literally
thousands of anti-venom is available,
so make sure you describe the snake
as accurately as possible.
Some victims have even
killed their attacker
and brought it with them.
Please don't do this.
Once treated,
you should recover in a few days.
Step five
Trust of the research.
If you survived a small scale
to vipers venom,
there's still a risk of tissue damage
or the loss of a limb.
But is there any way to prevent this
after a bite?
Our immune system
dispatches white blood cells to the site
to fight off the venom.
While these cells effectively
kill the venom,
they also starve
the surrounding tissue of oxygen
leading to rot.
Researchers have begun experimenting
with chemical compounds
from much deadlier cobra venom.
They have had success
neutralizing venom
and treating tissue
damage simultaneously.
Unfortunately,
the trials have only
been successful on mice
while they continue to
experiment with mice.
Let's go visit the Netherlands,
where scientists are using stem cells
to create synthetic snake venom.
This is super exciting
for a bunch of reasons.
First, it's way kinder to the animals,
and once the cells are set up,
we can make a ton of antivenom
that might even be cheaper
and last longer without needing a fridge.
This could be a game changer,
especially for places
where snake bites are a big problem,
but antivenom is hard to come by now.
Anti-Venom is not going to help you
against our last snake of the day
because
he's not worried about poisoning you.
He just wants to squeeze you to death.
Hearing
someone scream snake
can cause people to panic.
And when you're in the shallow,
murky rivers of South America,
home to the deadly anaconda,
you realize
this is not a garden
snake coming towards you.
It's a green anaconda.
These are not small snakes.
It's often said
that green anacondas
can grow up to nine meters in length
and they can weigh
as much as 225 kilograms.
Anacondas prey ranges
from 10% of their body weight
all the way up to 146%.
So humans are fair game.
What should you do
if you are attacked by this deadly beast?
Why is it important to hold your breath?
What should you do
if you get bit?
And how could your teeth become your best
defensive weapon?
It only takes seconds
for an anaconda to wrap around its prey
and squeeze it to death.
And no matter how strong you are,
the snake can create up to 62,053 kilo
scale of pressure.
Anacondas have a legendary status
as man eaters.
So if you're going into
Anaconda territory,
here are some tips to help you survive.
Step one
push your hand inside the snake's mouth.
If an anaconda is nearby, watch its face.
Anaconda shows its predatory behavior
by flicking its tongue.
And if it bites,
you do not yank yourself away
or try to forcefully
pull yourself out of its mouth.
Anacondas inner teeth
curve backwards to hold on to its prey.
So if you try to pull out
of the snakes mouth right away,
it can cause serious injuries.
Getting out in
this situation will be much easier
if you have someone else to help you.
Ask them to slowly
open the anaconda mouth as they do that.
Push your hand
or whatever body
part is being bitten further
inside the snake's mouth.
This will get it off the snake's fangs.
Then you can get out of the snake's mouth
without causing even more injuries.
Step two
Wear proper gear.
You might feel safer
if you wear clothing.
That's harder for these snakes
to bite through.
This includes thick
gloves, sturdy shoes and thick clothing.
But what if you set out
to become snake bit fall?
Rosalie,
a naturalist,
agreed to be swallowed
whole by an anaconda for TV special.
They thought the snake
might regurgitate them,
and if necessary,
they could cut him free.
He wore special carbon
fiber suit designed to withstand
the snakes, fangs,
constriction powers and digestion
so he would survive the ordeal.
The suit was doused in
pig's blood to make it more appealing.
But when Paula approached the anaconda,
the snake was afraid and tried to escape.
So Rosalie provoked the snake
it eventually attacked,
swallowed him
headfirst and began squeezing.
He was inside the snake for an hour.
Then Rosalie was worried
that the anaconda
was going to break his arm.
He cried out in fear, in pain,
and asked the crew to rescue him.
They did.
Step three
Hold your breath.
If an anaconda grips
the middle of your body.
Do not exhale.
It's like a signal to the snake.
Every time you exhale,
the snake will squeeze tighter.
That could prevent you
from getting your breath back.
Step four
Stay away from the water.
Anacondas like shallow, murky rivers.
So stay on land
or get yourself to land
as fast as possible.
When anacondas are around.
They're great swimmers,
but they're not fast.
Slithers on land.
Run towards land and keep running
until you get as far away as possible.
Step five
Bite the snake.
You couldn't get away fast enough.
Anaconda, put the bite on you
and it has no intention
of letting you go.
Remember, its weakest spots are its tail
and its eyes.
Go on the offense.
Open wide and bite the snakes.
Tail as hard as you can.
It will cause the
anaconda tremendous pain.
And hopefully the snake will let go.
Use your fingers
as aggressively as you can
and poke its eyes.
Eyes are a crucial organ
that these huge snakes
will try to preserve.
The truth is, a human is not an anacondas
ideal prey.
It's average.
A meal weighs around 18 kilograms.
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Okay.
That's it for today's
How to survive marathon
of the deadliest snake attacks.
Hope you retain some of this knowledge
you learn today.
Most importantly,
get yourself to a doctor.
After getting bitten
by any one of these venomous snakes.
That's how to survive.