Warmer Global Temperatures Are Leading to More Snake Bites, According to New Research
As the world leaves the era of global warming and enters the age of global boiling, humans aren't the only ones dealing with the effects of a hotter planet. Snakes are also feeling the heat.
A new study conducted by Emory University researchers in Georgia purportedly finds a link between the likelihood of being bitten by a venomous snake and the hotter temperatures in the Peach State and beyond in recent years. The research, published in the journal GeoHealth, breaks down the apparent correlation.
The study looked at all emergency department visits reported by the Georgia Hospital Association from 2014 to 2020, during which there were more than 5,000 hospitalizations due to snake bites. They compared that data with the high and low temperatures, air pressure, and humidity on the dates the bites occurred and accounted for the temperature on other days before and after each incident. In the end, they found that the risk of being bitten by a snake rises six percent for every degree Celsius that daily temperatures increase.
Noah Scovronick, an assistant professor of environmental health at Emory and the study's lead author, summarized the findings in a statement. "An increase in odds of snakebite by 6 percent per degrees Celsius is a strong effect and is certainly higher than what we often see from other types of health outcomes that are linked to heat," he said. Still, while the research seemingly points to a rise in venomous snake bites tied to warmer temperatures, more work needs to be done to confirm such a connection.
"We already know a lot about how snakes respond to changes in weather and climate. They are cold-blooded, so outdoor temperatures are a strong driver of their internal body temperatures, and therefore their daily activities. But we know much less about how climate and weather in particular—meaning short-term changes in meteorology—drive those human-snake interactions," he continued. "Our results show that we need to spend more effort understanding the potential health burdens from snakebite in the context of climate change."
"The large temperature effects we found, combined with the fact that snakebites often affect populations without access to adequate health care—particularly in other parts of the world—indicates that rising temperatures is a reason for concern," he noted.
Related: Couple terrorized by snake on windshield while driving
As global temperatures continue to rise, scientists are frequently having to figure things out as they go. Scovronick, for example, admitted that the warmer temperatures might not be directly causing the snakes to bite more, but that they're simply emerging more from hiding and defending themselves as they normally would.
“It might have been that snakes are just doing the same thing every day and people just tend to go outside more and hike or work in their garden more when the weather is warmer,” Scovronick said. “But we found that the temperature effect for snakebite was higher than for the other types of envenomation, which suggests that there may be something unique about snake behavior that is contributing to the association with snakebite and temperature."
Ultimately, we're all on this planet together and are going to have to learn how to coexist in the face of climate change. Lawrence Wilson, a co-author on the study, drove this point home.
"As human development in Georgia and especially the Atlanta area are expanding rapidly, human-snake encounters are going to continue to increase and already have," Wilson stated plainly. "Snakes and people can live compatibly, as long as we respect and understand their habitats and needs."
Just keep a sharp eye when walking through the woods.
