Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Cindy--I'm not sure which would scare me more, a Mojave Green or Karen 
Nelson with a loaded gun! <bg>.  Here are website 
links:  http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic541.htm 
and  http://www.vvdailypress.com/home/garden/snakes/  and quotes from 
another page:

The slim death toll disguises the horrible disfigurement and high hospital 
costs suffered by many snakebite survivors. Because venom breaks down all 
forms of body tissue and triggers a massive antibody response, swelling, 
scarring, muscle loss, nerve damage and amputation often result. The bill: 
$20,000 to $40,000 and anywhere from 20 to 120 vials of antivenin.

Simply put, the venom does most of the dirty work. Snake venom falls into 
two broad categories -- neurotoxins that attack the nervous system and 
hemotoxins that move through the bloodstream and attack vital organs and 
tissue.

Most snake venom contains both, but specific species of snakes have a 
preponderance of one or the other. Coral snake venom is entirely composed 
of neurotoxins; the venom of Eastern and Western diamondbacks is roughly 80 
percent hemotoxins; the venom of the Mojave green rattlesnake, perhaps the 
deadliest rattler in the United States, is 40 percent neurotoxins and 60 
percent hemotoxins.

I had a few websites bookmarked on this particular snake, after finding out 
that they are in the area, and have even been identified on the western 
states trail!   The first link has a lot of info about the snake and 
explains the differences in the types of venom.

Happy Trails,
Karen
West Region


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