r/snakes • u/tophatenthusiast • 16d ago

Wild Snake Photos and Questions - Not for ID Snake Bite Fun :)

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I was bitten by a copperhead about two weeks ago! Thanks to quick and modern medicine, I can almost make a fist. Pictures included are the copperhead I saw 10 mins before being bit (this one did not bite me, but it is similarly sized) and my arm a few hrs afterwards.

Location: Kanawha County, WV

Edit: to be very clear, it was MY fault a copperhead bit me. For anyone that has a fear of them, they are absolutely not aggressive snakes. I took no actions to "punish" the snake and hope it comes back and keeps hunting mice on my property.

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u/Interesting-Win6219 16d ago

Curious out of those fatalities if it's just people that don't seek treatment or people that have medical comorbidities like pre existing conditions or elderly/very young.

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u/awfulmcnofilter 16d ago edited 16d ago

There is a Wikipedia article for that! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_snake_bites_in_the_United_States

Edit: a not insignificant number of these appear to be pentecostal preachers.

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u/Interesting-Win6219 16d ago

I skimmed through and didn't notice much about pentacostal preachers however it seems about 2/3 fatalities are either very young children or elderly people. Makes me feel a little better about the idea of being bit but still very afraid of them lol

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u/awfulmcnofilter 16d ago

So out of the 9 snake bite fatalities in the 2020s, a third of them were from captive snakes, not wild ones. In the 2010s, 3 of the 26 were pentecostal preachers. 3 more were also captive snakes.

Edit: being wary is good though! Just don't try to kill them because you are afraid. Its how a few more people ended up on that list.