Number 10: Unknown German tourist An unknown German tourist was attacked by
a pit viper while she was visiting a local temple in Thailand.
Though her name wasn’t released, it was reported that she was 23-years-old.
The tourist traveled to the Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi where she was attacked by the venomous
serpent.
Witnesses claim that the woman stepped on a pile of leaves and screamed in pain as the
viper sunk its teeth into her foot.
She was rushed to the hospital and managed to make a full recovery after being treated
with antivenom.
Doctors believed she’d been bitten by the Malayan pit viper.
This species is renowned for being particularly aggressive and over 700 attacks are reported
every year.
Number 9: Thatcher Nightingale Thatcher Nightingale was taking care of his
3-year-old grandson, when the toddler started screaming.
Sheldon Davis told his grandfather that he’d seen a snake.
Nightingale immediately rushed to Davis’ side and got between the child and the pit
viper.
He got there just in time, as the snake was getting ready to attack.
The 43-year-old man was bitten on the finger and the venom travelled up his arm to the
rest of his body.
Nightingale described the pain as excruciating.
He managed to kill the snake before heading over to the hospital.
The boy’s grandfather took the animal’s corpse with him so that the doctors would
know what kind of venom they were dealing with.
Nightingale remained in the intensive care unit for a few days while he was being treated.
He actually had to be put on blood thinners to prevent the antivenom from forming clots.
This made the man’s situation even more complicated, but Nightingale managed to survive
the attack without permanent damage.
What is it?
The Crotalinae, better known as the pit viper, is a type of venomous snake.
Several types of vipers belong to this family, including the rattlesnakes and lanceheads.
The crotaline snake is easily distinguishable.
It has a heat-sensing gland on both sides of its head that forms a slit between the
eyes and nostrils.
This gland allows them to hunt during the night, without needing to rely on light for
guidance.
This is where the pit viper gets its popular name from.
Each subspecies has a different characteristic size, which ranges from 12 inches to 12 feet,
and there are 151 different recorded species.
They have different types of camouflage patterns and their scales vary from black, brown, grey
and copper.
The pit viper is mostly ovoviviparous, with only a few exceptions.
These subspecies guard their eggs until they hatch, protecting them from predators and
other environmental threats.
Since there are so many species of pit vipers, each one displays its own behavior and routine.
A few prefer to remain active during the day, and others hunt during the night, spending
the rest of the time resting under the sunlight.
Most species share the fact that they prefer to live solitarily, except for the mating
season.
The pit viper is entirely carnivorous and usually hunts for rats and mice as well as
rabbits, lizards, bats, frogs, and even smaller snakes.
Number 8: Vava Suresh Vava Suresh, an Indian snake handler, was
attacked by one of the pit snakes he was trying to rescue.
He was attempting to grab the viper from a well it had gotten stuck on.
The snake bit his middle finger, and his hand quickly began to swell up.
Suresh was immediately taken to the Government Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
He had to remain in ICU due to the gravity of his condition.
Suresh was kept under observation for 4 days and given doses of antivenom.
The problem was that, since he’d been bitten repeatedly in the past, the medication wasn’t
as effective.
Several of his organs were deeply damaged, and he may not be able to receive further
antivenom in the future without risking death.
Upon being released, Suresh admitted to the press that he’d been attacked by vipers
over 300 different times.
Number 7: K9 Phi Phi was a K9 working for the police department
at Naple when he was badly injured by a territorial pit viper.
Phi’s handler was guiding the dog through the Everglades, searching for a missing baby.
When the police officer realized his partner was limping, he immediately rushed Phi to
the vet.
The dog was treated with anti-venom and the handler was relieved to hear that the prognosis
was good.
Phi would be making a full recovery, though the dog still needed a good rest and some
time off work.
He was released from the Emergency Pet Hospital and continued to recover at his handler’s
home.
Where is it located?
The pit viper can be found all over the world.
Each region has different species that thrive in the specific climate and conditions.
All over Europe, as well as in Asia and America, the pit viper finds a different kind of home.
It adapts to habitats such as the desert, woodland, scrub and rainforest, and even the
mountainous regions.
It can even live close to civilization, especially in farms and plantations.
Most of these species are terrestrial and arboreal, but there is one subtype that lives
in an aquatic ecosystem.
The Crotalus triseriatus is the pit viper that manages to live at higher elevations.
It can be found at 13,123 feet above sea level.
All pit vipers avoid direct confrontation.
They don’t hunt their prey, but rather lie quietly and wait.
They're ambush predators and attack when least expected.
Their fangs are hollow, which enables these serpents to deliver doses of venom deeper
inside the victim’s tissues.
The pit viper also hibernates during the winter.
During these months, it usually gathers with other snakes to accumulate heat.
Common exceptions are the copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix and the Mojave rattlesnake, which
cannot positively socialize with other snakes.
Number 6: Shalaba Kalliath Shalaba Kalliath was vacationing in Thailand
when she suddenly felt a sharp pain.
Looking down, she realized she’d been bitten by a Malayan pit viper.
This species of snake is incredibly venomous and can be found mainly in Southeast Asia.
Though she’d been treated in Thailand, Kalliath began feeling ill once again upon returning
to her native Canada.
Once in Ontario, she was admitted to the Grand River Hospital in Kitchener.
Unfortunately, the ER couldn’t get a hold of the medication needed to treat her symptoms.
The doctors contacted the Toronto Zoo, and six vials of antivenom were sent to the hospital.
The zoo keeps such medication available in case the snakes’ handlers require urgent
care after being bitten.
Thanks to this second round of treatment, Kalliath was able to make a full recovery.
The symptoms didn’t resurface a third time.
Number 5: Unnamed baby An unnamed 9-month-old infant was bitten by
a large pit snake in Boston as he was playing in the kitchen.
His mother, Jenna Lees-Rolfe, was shocked to see the snake approach her child.
Before she could react, the viper bit the baby’s leg.
She didn’t immediately rush her son to the ER.
Instead, she had one of her friends, a doctor, to check on the boy.
There were no signs of inflammation and the baby remained in good health.
Lees-Rolfe was Australian and had only been living in the US for a short period of time.
She found it ironic that she’d never encountered a snake inside her home while in Australia,
since it’s a country well-known for its dangerous fauna.
Soon after arriving in the USA, though, one entered her kitchen and actually hurt her
child.
Fortunately, the pit viper didn’t inject any venom.
How will it kill you?
Snakes, in general, try to stay away from human beings.
When feeling threatened or scared, though, they attack viciously.
Because of their venom, being bitten by a pit viper can be highly harmful or even lethal.
The smaller species hold less risk to human beings.
Still, they shouldn’t be unnecessarily provoked.
The pit viper’s venom gland includes an intricate combination of toxins.
It contains, among other components, metalloproteinases and neurotoxins.
The first causes tissue destruction and the second blocks nerve transmission.
Immobilization of the afflicted area is a common form of first aid.
The bite of a large viper can cause several unpleasant symptoms.
Pain, allergic reactions, infections, swelling, hemorrhage and necrosis are quite common.
Renal failure and even death can occur in more extreme cases.
In order to inject the toxins into its victims, the pit viper rotates its fangs downward,
effectively stabbing its prey.
When biting down, it contracts its venom glands, releasing the deadly liquid.
The amount delivered can be adjusted by regulating how this organ is tightened or loosened.
Though the venom’s main objective is not to kill but rather immobilize, it can still
be lethal if left untreated.
Number 4: Tyler Hardy Tyler Hardy was an avid hunter.
When he decided to go on a trip with his family in search of deer, during the hunting season,
he ended up finding more than he’d bargained for.
While moving close to a tree, a pit viper slithered down the bark and bit him hard on
the head.
Hardy claimed the attack felt like someone had hit him with an ax.
He described the pain as unreal.
After the bite, he experienced swelling, throbbing and burning sensations, as well as intense
aching.
Hardy was rushed to the Neshoba General Hospital in Philadelphia.
From there, he was transferred to another center in Jackson to receive further care.
He had to endure several doses of antivenom.
Eventually, though, Hardy made a full recovery and was discharged from the hospital.
Number 3: Pet defends its owner A pit bull named Arlo noticed a threat was
approaching his owner, Haley McCormack.
Without hesitating, the dog got itself in harm’s way to protect McCormack.
The Tennessee woman was coming home from work when something seemed to be moving near the
front door.
She didn’t notice the pit viper until it was too late.
As the venomous viper lunged forward to attack her Arlo heroically jumped in front.
The pet was bitten over three times before he was able to bite the snake to death.
Unfortunately, even though Arlo was rushed to the vet, there was nothing that could be
done to save him.
The dog had been bitten on its neck, ear and over its eye.
The area began to swell up, making it difficult for the Arlo to breathe.
The 4-year old dog finally succumbed to his wounds.
By that time, the swelling had gotten so bad that McCormack had to remove Arno’s collar.
How to survive?
The pit viper doesn't make for a good pet.
It is highly venomous and has a volatile personality when feeling threatened.
When it’s kept in captivity, handlers must be specially trained to care for it.
There’s typically no direct contact.
Instead, tongs are used to provide it with food, such as rodents and small birds.
To avoid being bitten by a pit viper, it’s essential to stay away from its striking area.
When running into one, it’s recommended to back away without making any sudden movements.
Never turn your back to it.
If attacked, time is of the essence.
Not only must antivenom be applied, but it’s also important to keep the patient hydrated
with intravenous fluids.
The antidote works far better the sooner it’s applied.
The best possible time frame is within four hours after the bite occurred.
Bites on the torso and other delicate areas such as the neck, require more aggressive
treatment.
A smaller dose is given if the attack occurred on the limbs, for instance.
If tissue necrosis has already occurred, it cannot be reversed, only treated.
The use of antibiotics is also recommendable, as it can help avoid necrosis and infections.
Pain must be managed with opioids during the first 24 hours.
That being said, morphine is not administered since its side-effects have similar symptoms
to the first signs of anaphylaxis.
Number 2: Chinese farmer A Chinese farmer, known only as Zhang, took
extreme measures after being bitten by a pit viper.
The 60-year-old man was attacked by a snake locals considered to be deadly.
He cut off the finger he had been bitten on, in order to prevent further harm.
Zhang then traveled to the closest hospital, located over 50 miles away.
The farmer had forgotten his severed digit back at the farm, so there was no way to reattach
it.
The viper that had bit Zhang was known locally as the five-step snake.
A local folktale claims that whoever is attacked by one will die after taking that number of
steps.
Ultimately, the doctors informed Zhang that he’d overreacted.
The viper was indeed venomous, but there were less harmful ways to counteract
the venom.
Number 1: Oakley Yoder Oakley Yoder was just 9 when a pit viper bite
completely changed her life.
She’d been enjoying a few summer days at camp, when a snake attacked her on the right
foot.
Since she was far from any nearby city, the young girl was airlifted to St. Vincent Evansville
hospital via air ambulance.
Her parents were there to receive her when she arrived.
Yoder was only kept under observation for a single night.
Her toe was left with a big scar, but otherwise, she made a full recovery.
However, soon after leaving the hospital, her family received a $142,938 medical bill.
Over $67,000 of that sum was the cost of the four antivenin vials.
The hospital charged them this medication almost five times as much as its average price
of $3,198.
Fortunately, in the end, IU Health Plan paid for most of the bill, and the rest was covered
by the summer camp’s insurance.
Thanks for watching!
Would you rather stick your hand in a box containing a pit viper or swim in a crocodile-infested
lake for ten minutes?
Let us know in the comments section below!