For a Yellow-faced Whip Snake, the symptoms from envenomation are normally localised and they are not considered dangerous. There have been a number of comments made that seem to cloud that generalisation. If you are interested in knowing why that is the case, please read on. Otherwise, the above is really all you need to know in practical terms given you are only like to come across one rarely.
All Australian snake venoms are a complex mix of different substances, primarily proteins. Different people can react differently to the same venom as a result. Development of hypersensitivity after one contact, as is seen in those ‘allergic” to bee stinks, seems to be rare. What is more likely to occur but is still not common, is progressive development of sensitivity to a given element or elements in a specific venom, as a result of repeated contact. At the same time, some individuals develop total immunity to a given venom following repeated exposure.
Part of the problem of assessing the relative danger of a bite is related to the factors that influence how much venom actually enters the body and where...
· Whether the snake attempts to envenomate or simply delivers a dry “warning” bite.
· Where on the body the bite occurs – determines how easily it can get its mouth open to sink its fangs in; bites of Australian species are invariable subcutaneous (into the fatty layer of the skin); determines how the venom has to travel through the lymph system before entering the general circulation; the potential exists for an intravenous injection of venom in areas such as the inside bend of the elbow.
· Whether the bite is through clothing or not will affect the potential depth to which the fangs can enter the skin.
· The amount of venom present in the glands at the time of a bite – this is influenced by such things as how recently venom has been ejected, the state of health of the particular snake, the environmental conditions affecting its metabolism since last using its venom.
· The state of the snake at the time of biting – whether it was at its preferred body temperature or above; how threatened it felt when biting and therefore how much pressure it might exert on the venom glands; whether it delivers one or multiple bites before letting go.
A further complicating issue is that the actual composition of the venom of a number of species can vary geographically with a resulting change in the measureable toxicity. Not applicable to this species as far as I know.
This is why we make general statements about the potential danger of venomous snakes. Those who are aware of developing sensitivity should always apply first aid and if hypersensitive, should carry an EpiPen.
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