A Biologist Reveals How To Avoid Deadly Bites From South America's Most Feared Snake

Scott Travers
Contributor

Jun 9, 2024,04:14pm EDT



Bothrops jararaca close - high detailed

Snakebite affects millions of people each year. A new research project explores the conditions under which the jararaca pit viper of South America is most likely to lash out–and how this informs efforts to avoid envenomations in the future.GETTY


Bothrops jararaca, a deadly pit viper of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, is one of the most feared snakes in South America. In Brazil alone, approximately 20,000 people are envenomated each year by this snake–known informally in the region as “jararaca” or “yarara”. Without immediate and proper medical care, these bites can be fatal.

A new study published in Scientific Reports sifts through a trove of data on snakebite cases in the region to better understand the conditions under which Bothrops jararaca is most likely to strike. This, the researchers believe, can arm people with knowledge to reduce the probability of snakebite.

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While the jararaca pit viper will occasionally strike a human, these are defensive bites. It prefers hunting frogs, arthropods and rodents.


“This study highlights that the likelihood of jararaca biting people is highly dependent on contextual factors,” say the authors. “These snakes tend to become more prone to bite during the day and in warmer temperatures. They are more likely to bite when stepped on, especially on the anterior part of the body. Young snakes, particularly young females, are more prone to biting, which explains why this size class is the major cause of snakebite.”

More:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/scotttravers/2024/06/09/a-biologist-reveals-how-to-avoid-deadly-bites-from-south-americas-most-feared-snake/