![]() ![]() Just like any snake, pet boa constrictors sometimes bite their human owners.Īrch Ophthalmol reports on one such incident in which a pet boa constrictor bit its owner on the eye. ![]() Of course, there are incidents in which a boa causes harm to a human. Subdue it, rather than waiting for it to suffocate. Snake also will use its teeth to bite the prey’s head in an attempt to quickly Suffocation would be a much longer process than this. ![]() This allows the snake to more quickly subdue its prey, protecting the rat from being clawed or bitten. ![]() Instead, they block the rat’s blood flow, effectively giving the rat a heart attack. However, when boas coil around a caught rat, they do not cut off the rat’s ability to breathe. According to myth, constrictor snakes give their prey a slow, It has beenĬommonly believed that this grip allows the snake to render its prey unable toīreathe. Name “constrictor” indicates that these snakes have a deadly grip. It is possible that this exaggeration of the size of a boa constrictor comes from people misidentifying other giant snakes, such as pythons and anacondas, as “boa constrictors.” It is normal for an adult boa constrictor to reach about 13 feet by the time it is 30 years old. The Journal of Herpetology reports that adult female boa constrictors are around 14% longer than the males and 51% bigger, but this does not make them a huge snake. Adult boas can range from 6 to 14 feet in length. Instead, boa constrictors are on the small end of medium-sized snakes. To be clear, scientists do not consider boa constrictors to be a giant snake species at all. Boa Constrictors Are Giant Monster Snakes Let’s take a moment to clear up a couple of misconceptions about boas. There are many popular myths about boa constrictors. The truth is that boa constrictors can, in fact, be safely kept as pets. Lots of people believe that boas are inherently dangerous snakes. If you are afraid of boa constrictors, you are not alone. "Unfortunately, in our culture, a good snake is a dead snake," added Navarrete.1.3 How Should You Handle a Boa Constrictor? Pet Boa Constrictor Safety Concerns The shortage of antivenom "is a global scourge," Puerta says before giving a talk at a nature reserve in Valencia in central Carabobo state, stressing that snakes are integral to balanced ecosystems. The World Health Organization estimates that 5.4 million people are bitten by snakes every year, causing between 80,000 and 130,000 deaths, most of them in Asia, Africa and Latin America. "It is a public health problem because Venezuela is among the 10 to 15 countries with the highest morbidity and mortality due to snake bites," says herpetologist Luis Fernando Navarrete, who runs the serpentarium of the Tropical Medicine Institute at the Central University of Venezuela. No official figures exist, but independent estimates say some 10,000 people are bitten a year, with some 60 perishing as a result. Venezuela has some 200 species of snakes, about a fifth of them highly venomous. The most common question asked is where to get antivenom, produced by only one laboratory in Caracas and scarce in public hospitals.Ī kit of five ampules in pharmacies can cost up to $500, and more serious cases require further doses, a heavy financial burden in a country with a minimum wage of $4.50 per month. "Our dream is that we will be able to pay for examinations, administer the antivenom and follow up with the patient," says Yanes, noting that the NGO currently operates on a shoestring from members' contributions. The NGO asks questions that rule out false alarms before activating its protocol, in which it serves as a bridge with health authorities, consults doctors and locates hospitals with antivenom.įernando Yanes, another Vivarium expert, says that in 2022 the NGO received more than 700 calls. "Bite (on) left leg with swelling in lower left limb, 6:40 in the morning," reads a text message for Alexander Puerta, 53, who responds to queries from across the country all day.Įxperts request data about the victim and, if available, photos of the snake in order to identify the species. To counter misinformation, the NGO Vivarium Foundation offers educational talks and operates a hotline for snake bite victims. Snakebites in this tropical country are common, and so are misconceptions that lead many people to go for dubious cures, such as spraying the bite with gasoline, rather than seeking medical treatment. Valencia, Venezuela: When a girl suffered a snakebite in Venezuela, her family had her injected with a home remedy along with antivenom. ![]()
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