For anybody heading out on a summer time hike, it is a query that sometimes crosses the thoughts. If I by accident stepped on a snake, might it bite through my boots?
The reassuring reply, in essentially the most half, is that it is extremely unlikely.
Professor Wolfgang Wüster, Professor of Herpetology and zoology at Bangor University says: “Very flimsy footwear, such as very thin trainers, might be vulnerable if you’re really unlucky, but really any kind of proper boot will be fine for an adder.”
Britain’s solely venomous snake, the Adder (Vipera berus), is accountable for a small variety of bites annually, most of which happen when folks by accident tread on one or intentionally attempt to deal with it. Wearing sturdy strolling boots dramatically reduces the already small threat.
“If your ankles are covered, you’re completely safe,” Professor Wüster added.
Further afield, nonetheless, the image turns into extra sophisticated. Surprisingly, there was little or no scientific analysis into precisely which boots can stand up to the bite of various venomous snakes.
“It’s actually fairly unstudied,” he says. “Broadly speaking, most boots will be effective against most snakes. But if you’re dealing with very large venomous species, they can obviously bite with much greater force, and depending on the exact construction of the boot, it’s possible a fang could penetrate, particularly if it finds a weak spot.”
Contrary to what many individuals assume, longer fangs do not essentially make a snake extra more likely to bite through footwear.
Vipers, together with Britain’s adders, have impressively lengthy fangs however they sometimes strike shortly earlier than instantly letting go. Cobras behave slightly in a different way.
“Vipers have for much longer fangs however in actuality they’re most likely much less more likely to get through a boot than one thing like a cobra, which tends to chew and work its fangs through the fabric,” Professor Wüster explains.
In different phrases, success relies upon much less on fang size than on the drive of the bite and the way the snake behaves as soon as it has bitten.
Professor Wüster says misconceptions about snakes stay widespread, with one fable proving particularly persistent.
“People usually say child snakes are extra harmful as a result of they cannot management how a lot venom they inject. That’s merely not true.” he says.
Not solely can juvenile snakes management their venom, in addition they produce far much less of it than adults.
“Clinical studies have shown that, on average, people bitten by larger snakes tend to have much worse envenomation than those bitten by small snakes,” he says. “That doesn’t mean small venomous snakes are harmless – they can still make you seriously ill – but adults are generally much more dangerous.”
Another widespread perception is that snakes inject much less venom when biting defensively than when attacking prey however proof suggests in any other case.
“If you measure it, defensive bites actually release more venom on average,” he says. “They’re also much more unpredictable. Sometimes a snake injects almost none, while in other cases it may inject a great deal.”
In Britain, most snake bites are solely avoidable and plenty of of those who do happen are as a outcome folks making an attempt to choose snakes up.
“If someone has been bitten on the hand, it’s probably because they’ve picked up an adder,” Professor Wüster says.
Others happen throughout on a regular basis out of doors actions, notably on heathland or coastal dunes the place adders are generally discovered.
“People may put their hands somewhere without looking first while picking berries, or they’re walking around in flip-flops and accidentally step on a snake.”
The state of affairs in tropical nations may be very completely different.
“In the rural tropics, snake bites can happen literally anywhere,” he says. “People get bitten in their homes, while cooking, while sleeping on the floor, in the fields or in their gardens. Snakes simply get into a lot of places.”
Even if footwear is not utterly snake-proof, it may nonetheless make a outstanding distinction. Professor Wüster factors to research exhibiting that sturdy clothes akin to loose-fitting denim denims can take up a important proportion of venom earlier than it reaches the pores and skin.
“A fair amount of the venom actually ends up in the fabric rather than your tissues,” he explains. “If you can reduce the amount of venom entering your body by half, that can make a real difference to how severe the bite becomes. It could mean the difference between spending a few hours in hospital and several days.”
His recommendation for anybody spending time open air is straightforward: put on acceptable footwear and clothes, concentrate on the place snakes are more likely to happen and watch the place you place your palms and toes.
Above all, do not forget that snakes aren’t on the lookout for confrontation.
“They only bite if they think their own life is at risk,” he says. “It’s a fear response. It’s not vicious, it’s not premeditated and it’s certainly not because they’re trying to attack people. There’s nothing in it for them to bite us.”
For most walkers in Britain, which means the most effective safety can also be the only – a first rate pair of strolling boots, a little consciousness and giving any snake you encounter the house it wants to maneuver away.
Top picture: Mexican Lance-headed Rattlesnake. © Mark Newman / Getty Images
