A rainbow-colored snake that hasn’t been seen for more than half a century was discovered accidentally by Tracey Cauthen, a hiker, in Florida. He saw this beautiful specimen when hiking in the National Forest in Ocala, close to Orlando.

The last sighting of this type of snake was in 1969, as recorded by The Florida Museum of National History.

These snakes can grow up to 5 feet, the longest one being 5 feet 6 inches, but luckily, they aren’t venomous, and they are completely harmless to humans. They usually hide in the grasses near water bodies and don’t like to come in contact with people.

According to the museum, these snakes love spending their time near or in the water. Highly hidden in the vegetation, they are a very rare sight. They even love to burrow, which makes them even harder to notice. The things they like to eat are mostly small amphibians such as frogs, tadpoles, and even smaller eels. They are really good swimmers too.

 

 

How to know which snakes are venomous?

First of all, let’s make a difference between the words venomous and poisonous. Poisonous means that something is toxic when eaten.

Poisonous snakes are very rare. On the other hand, when something is venomous, it means that the toxins from it are transferred differently – through biting, stinging, or touching. Because eating raw snakes isn’t a thing, poisonous snakes aren’t a problem, but the venomous ones can be quite dangerous.

Venomous snakes have some signs on their body that show that, but most of the inaccurate time. The most certain way to know whether a snake is venomous is to ask someone who has great knowledge about snakes. Or, if you plan to go on a hike, do extensive research about the place you’re going hiking, all the types of snakes that can be found there, and how to react if you see one.

How to react when you’re bitten by a venomous snake?

A professor at the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University, Dr. Nicholas Kman, gives you this advice on what to do in such a case:

Snake bites around the world are very common, with numbers as high as three million people being bitten every year. Although only a small percent of these bites are fatal, that doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous. Snake venoms might cause some organs to fail, bleeding, tissue damage, or paralysis.

All venoms are different, and some may show symptoms earlier than others, but most venoms are very dangerous, and you should react accordingly:

  • Ask for medical help as fast as you can.
  • If you can, elevate the bitten limb and make sure that the wound is clean.
  • Try to remain calm and lower your heart rate to slow the blood flow and, with it, the spread of the venom.

What you should NOT do when you’re bitten by a snake

Professor Kman says that some things that people do when bitten by a snake do not help but can further complicate things:

All in all, the best thing to do before going out in the wild is to do research beforehand about the local snakes and how to react. Meanwhile, scientists are constantly working on anti-venoms and trying to make them as easily accessible as possible.

Source: The Hearty Soul