In addition to the climate crisis that has emerged as a result of using all the resources in nature for our own benefit, as if only we humans live on Earth; We also started infiltrating the habitats of snakes, and according to the results of the researches, we came out of this situation as harmful.
In a study conducted in the US state of Georgia, where 17 venomous snake species are found, it was revealed that even a single degree increase in temperature causes an almost 6% increase in snake bites. But researchers agree that trying to kill these snakes will get us nowhere, and that even venomous snakes can live harmoniously as long as we respect each other’s habitats.
As if the current threats and dangers brought by the climate crisis were not enough, we added a new one to the list.
Assoc. Dr. Noah Scovronick and his team reviewed 3,908 hospital reports of venomous snake bites from 2014 to 2020. The findings of the study showed that every 1 degree increase in temperature contributed 6% to the rate of being bitten by the snake.
Although there is no clear explanation about the reason for this yet, there are some guesses.
Snakes enter a hibernation-like state known as ‘brumation’, according to seasonal weather changes. Summer is when they are more active. This somewhat supports the results of the study, but may not be sufficient.
Another possibility is that it may be related to hot weather and human activities as well as snake biology, but it has not yet been proven how this situation will contribute to snake bites.
“Our results suggest that we need to do more to understand snake bites in the context of climate change. The large temperature impacts we found, combined with the fact that snake bites often affect places without adequate health care, show that rising temperatures are cause for concern.”
Emphasizing that this fresh study is not enough and that more research is needed, Scovronick adds his own ideas about the reason for the findings:
“Maybe snakes are doing the same thing every day, and people are going out or spending more time in their gardens as the weather gets warmer. But we found that the temperature effect for snake bite was higher than for other types of poisoning. This suggests that there may be something unique in snake behavior that contributes to its association with snake bite and temperature.”
Destroying the habitats of living creatures in nature increases the likelihood that these reptiles will cross paths with humans.
“The key factor in reducing negative encounters is education. People need to be taught which habitats snakes prefer. Even venomous snakes can live harmoniously as long as we respect each other’s habitats,” said Lawrence Wilson, herpetologist at Emory University. He underlines the need to act consciously as humanity.
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