Poisonous Snakebites - Los Angeles County
excerpted from an article in the May 16, 2005 Los Angeles Times, by Susannah Rosenblatt, Times Staff Writer.

In 2004, 23 people in Los Angeles County reported snakebites to state poison control, along with 17 people each in Orange and Riverside counties and 10 in San Bernardino County. There were 241 bites statewide logged at poison control last year, according to Stuart Heard, executive director of California Poison Control System at UC San Francisco's School of Pharmacy.

The Inland Empire and desert beyond are the epicenter of bite activity.

Subdivisions built on undeveloped tracts of land cause snakes to encounter people and pets living and playing in what had been snake habitats, especially in fast-growing communities such as Chino Hills, Temecula and Victorville.

"You can't have this kind of urban sprawl in a region without impacting the indigenous species, and rattlesnakes are a key part of that," said herpetologist Rob Lovich, state coordinator for Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation.

The nature of snakebites has also changed.

Twenty years ago, two-thirds of bites were to the lower extremities, as walkers or golfers encountered the creatures underfoot, Stanford University's Norris said.

Now, as neighborhoods are built on or near snake habitat and more Californians camp, bike and ride off-road vehicles in rural areas, 60 percent of bites are to the hands and arms from people handling snakes, Norris said.

"We could cut out a lot of our snakebites if people would just leave them alone," he said. This time of year, male rattlers travel farther afield, seeking females to mate with.

With heavy rains contributing to an exploding rodent population for snakes to feed on ... anticipate ... a busy year ... the snakebite season plateaus in the summer, then spikes again with the arrival of baby rattlers in the fall.

Six of the 33 species of snakes in the state are venomous to humans; all are rattlers. Mojave and sidewinder rattlesnakes are most common in desert areas, while the southern Pacific rattler, responsible for delivering the most bites, lives throughout Southern California.

Rattlesnake facts
- Average length: 2 to 5 feet (can strike out up to half their body length).
- Habitat: In every area of the state: mountains, foothills, valleys and deserts.
- Hibernation: Late November to February
- Habits: Like to bask in sun; won't bite unless threatened.

Visual identification Venomous snake (rattlesnake) - Triangular, broad head - Thick body - Blunt tail, ending in rattle Nonvenomous - Thin, narrow body - Thin tail usually tapers to a point

If bitten: Don't panic. Seek medical help immediately. Do not elevate the bitten extremity. Do not cut or suck the wound or use a tourniquet - it can make the injury worse. About one-fourth of all bites are "dry bites" in which no venom has been injected.

When they bite
A rattlesnake's two hollow fangs lay folded against the roof of its mouth until it bites--then they rotate forward, releasing venom.
Fangs are shed, replaced every 6 to 10 weeks

Sources: Dr. Sean P. Bush, Michael Cardwell and Robin Clark of Loma Linda University Medical Center; USGS Western Ecological Research Center; American International Rattlesnake Museum; UC Davis; Southwestern Herpetologists Society
Los Angeles Times

For more details and great photos, see: http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/c.o.helleri.html