Hobbies And Interests
Dry Bites
Dry bites occur when an Eastern coral snake does not inject any venom into the victim. The fangs of this snake are small, and therefore can have trouble penetrating thick clothing. The snake may have also only been able to bite the victim with a glancing blow, not getting a chance to apply the venom. There is also the possibility that the Eastern coral snake is out of venom, although a single snake generally holds enough poison to kill four to five adults.
Symptoms
The bite of an Eastern coral snake does not cause much pain or swelling. Fang marks are generally not left behind, because the fangs of the snake are small. The first symptoms may be nausea, vomiting and sweating, occurring 10 to 14 hours after the bite. If left untreated, the victim may experience lethargy, difficulty speaking and swallowing, as well as drooping eyelids. In severe cases, respiratory depression or arrest will ensue and eventually death.
Anti-Venom Concerns
There are generally about 20 victims of Eastern coral snake bites per year. Pharmaceutical company Wyeth, now owned by Pfizer, produced the last batch of coral snake anti-venom, which was set to expire in October 2010. The FDA extended its expiration date for another year, but it is questionable as to whether there is enough anti-venom left to cover all potential victims annually. Pfizer claimed that it costs between $5 million and $10 million to make the anti-venom and stopped making it due to the cost involved.
Coral Snake Identification
It is important to be able to identify if the snake that bit you. Coral snakes always have a black snout. They also have alternating bands of black, yellow and red. A coral snake is distinguished by a yellow band touching a red band. The non-venomous scarlet kingsnake looks similar, but the red band touches the black band. From this observation comes the old saying, "Red in the yellow, kill a fellow. Red in the black, venom lack."