“Spiders and Snakes

and things that slither

in the grass”
This presentation is designed to
give an overview of the
venomous snakes and spiders
commonly encountered in
Texas. It is not all inclusive.
Treatments listed are those
most widely accepted at the
time of publication.

© 1999, Gene F. Giggleman, DVM

 Why did God make
snakes?

 The majority of snakes eat rodents

 Rats and mice carry disease and
destroy millions of dollars worth of
crops and grains each year.
 One Texas Rat Snake will eat 40+
rats and mice per year.
 More ecologically sound that using
pesticides.
Venomous snakes of
Texas

Rattlesnakes
Water moccasins
Copperheads
Coral snakes
 Venomous snakes of
Texas

 2 Families
 Viperidae - Vipers
• Rattlesnakes
• Water moccasins
• Copperheads
 Elapidae
• coral snakes
 Venomous Snakes of
Texas

 Vipers (Viperidae)
• solenoglyphs - hinged front fangs
• strike prey and the search for it
• heat pits on maxillae - “pit vipers” heat
sensing pit between nostril and eye
• slit pupils
• account for the majority of deaths
• have live young
Heat pits and slit pupil
 Rattlesnakes

 Crotaline
 Account for the majority of all poisonous
snake bites
 Have a “rattle” on the tail - the number of
rattles reflects the number of times the
snake has shed (usually 4x/year), serves as
a warning but do not have to rattle before
they strike
 These are dangerous and strong snakes -
DO NOT HANDLE
 Rattlesnakes, cont.

 Western diamondback rattlesnake -

Crotalus atrox - atrox means frightful or
grim
• largest, most widespread and
statistically most dangerous
(hazardous) serpent in the state
• venom contains 17% neurotoxically
active peptides, 30% tissue digestive
proteases and 53% blood targeted
toxic enzymes
 Rattlesnakes, cont.

• Western diamondback, cont.

• found mostly in the western 2/3’s of
the state, prefer limestone and cedar
habitats
• adults average 3-4 feet in length
• diet is mostly small mammals
• follow structured seasonal patterns,
with communal over wintering dens
Western Diamond Back
Western Diamondback
 Agkistradon sp.

 Copperheads are responsible for

approximately 25% of venomous snake
bites
 Water Moccasins are responsible for
approximately 10% of venomous snake
bites
 AAPCC has reported no deaths since
1983.
 Agkistradon sp.

 Water moccasin - Agkistradon picivours

leukostoma (means forward fang fish eater
with a white mouth)
• AKA cotton mouth or stump tail
• state record is just over 5 feet in length,
most are 20 -30 inches in length
• like woodland or grasslands near water
 Agkistradon sp., cont.

 Water moccasin, cont.

• eat frogs, fish, mammals, water birds,
and other snakes
• less agile than water snakes, will hold
their ground and vibrate their tails
when disturbed (other water snakes
will not do this)
• usually swims with its entire body out
of the water
Cottonmouth Water Moccasin
Water Moccasin
Water Moccasin
Immature Water Moccasin
Diamondback water snake
Diamondback water snake
Yellow belly
water snake
Green water snake
Broad banded
water snake
 Agkistradon sp., cont.

 Copperhead - Agkistradon contortrix

• AKA land moccasin, chunkhead,
highland moccasin, white oak, pilot.
• adults measure 18 - 30 inches
• commonly found around human
habitations, prefer sandstone type
habitats, diet is mostly mice
Copperhead
Copperhead
Copperhead
Copperhead
Copperhead
Copperhead
Copperheads, babies
Copperhead
 Elapidae

 Proteroglyphs - rigid front fangs, less

than 1/8th inch in length
 Coral snake
 Same family as the cobras and most of
the venomous snakes of Africa and
Australia
 Most active in the early morning and the
late afternoon, found under piles of
leaves or rocks
 Coral Snakes

 Probably less than 20 bites per year (61

bites reported to the AAPCC in 1998)
 No deaths reported since antivenom has
been available
 Prior death rate was approximately 10%
and cause of death was respiratory and
cardiovascular failure
 Coral snakes, cont.

 Eat snakes, skinks and other lizards

 Adults can reach 24 - 36 inches with the
record being 47 3/4’s inches
 Lay eggs
 “Red on yellow kill a fellow, red on black
venom lack”
Coral Snake
Coral
Snake
Milk snake

Coral snake
Would you pick
up this snake ?
Would you pick up this snake ?
Would you pick
up this snake ?
 Morbidity Rates

 American Association of Poison Control

Centers documented 7,000 reptile
bites/year in North American in 1999
 85% of the victims were treated in health
care facilities
 Up to 50% of bites can be “dry bites
 An average of 5.5 deaths occur per year
as a result of a snake bite - most are due
to rattlesnake bites.
 Snakebite statistics

 Other sources report about 45,000 snake

bites/year in USA, of those 7,000 are by
poisonous snakes with 5-10 deaths/year
from snakebite
 66% are by rattlesnakes, 25% by
copperheads, 10% are by water
moccasins and 1% by coral snakes
 Est. 30,000 to 110,000 deaths worldwide
 Snakebite statistics

 No reported deaths from an Agkistradon

bite in US since 1983
 No reported deaths from Coral snakes
since antivenom has become available
 Snakebite is most common in school age
children, 5-19 year old males
 Snakebites occur most frequently in the
Southern US
 The majority of snakebite occur between
9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
 Snakebite statistics

 58% of victims were bitten on lower

extremities, 38% on upper
extremities
 Most people are bitten on the right
side of the body
 Number one spot to be bitten is in
your own yard
 Most snake bites occur between
April and October
 Snakebite statistics

 Geographic distribution of
snakebites in the US
• number 1 state - North Carolina
• number 2 state - Arkansas
• number 3 state - Texas
 100% of patients bitten by a
poisonous snake had one or
more fang marks at the bite site
 Snakebite statistics

 The second most consistent sign of snake

bite was edema, third was weakness and
fourth was pain (pain is almost always
present with crotalid bites)
 Animal bites

 1-3 million animal bites in this

country - 85% are from dogs, 10%
from cats , 5% from rodents
 1% of DBW and 6% CBW require
hospitalization
 Dog attacks account for 10,000
hospitalizations annually, 10-20
reported deaths annually and most
of these are young children
 Animal bites

 Cost in medical care estimated at

$5-30 million/yr.
 Dog and cat bites have a high risk of
infection
 Women more frequently bitten by
cats and men by dogs
 Peak incidence of dog bites is
children 5-14 years of age
 Snake venom

 How envenomation occurs - the bite

 What organ makes venom - modified
saliva from the parotid salivary gland
 Is all venom equal? NO
 You are dealing with multiple
poisonings, multiple systems are
affected
 Snake venom

 Properties of crotalid snake venom

• 70% water by weight, dry weight is
90% proteins
• main function is immobilization, death
and predigestion of the prey
• Immobilization is achieved by causing
hypovolemic shock
• digestion is achieved by numerous
proteolvtic enzymes
 Snake venom

 Venom’s polypeptides damage endothelial

cells and allow plasma to exude and blood
to extravasate into the surrounding
tissues - causing hypovolemic shock
 Circulation of the venom throughout the
body speeds the digestive process
 Mojave rattler is an exception - they
immobilize prey by neuromuscular
blockade
 To determine how serious a bite is:

 age and size of the patient

 depth, location and number of bites
 duration of the bite
 how much clothing was the victim wearing
 maturity, type and size of the snake
 condition of the fangs and venom sack
 how angry or fearful was the snake at the
time of the bite
 Signs and Symptoms of a pit viper
bite:

 Immediate and severe burning pain and

swelling around the fang marks
 Purplish discoloration around the bite
 Numbness and blistering around the bite
 Nausea and vomiting
 Tachycardia, hypotension, syncope,
generalized paresis and diaphoresis
 Fever and chills, dimmed vision, headache
 Muscular twitching and convulsions
 Snake venom

 Properties of Elapidae venom:

• contains a complex mixture of
polypeptides, cholinesterase
• Binds postsynaptically at the
neuromuscular junction producing a
nondepolarizing blockade of
cholinergic receptors
• very little to no enzymatic action
• onset of signs and symptoms may be
delayed up to several hours
 Snake venom

 Coral snake envenomations can

occur without visible fang marks
(may appear as scratch marks)
 Effects are primarily neurotoxic in
nature and produce very few local
tissue toxic effects
 Very toxic snakes, a large coral
snake may store up to 5 lethal doses
of venom in its venom glands
 Signs and Symptoms of a coral
snake bite:

 mild local swelling

 paresthesias
 nausea and vomiting
 generalized paresis
 dizziness, diplopia
 dyspnea and diaphoresis
 dysphagia and hypersalivation
 ptosis, blurry vision, dysarthria
 respiratory failure is the cause of death
Snakebite victim
Snakebite victim
Snakebite victim
 Treatment of Snake Bite

 Basics:
• Maintain life support - airway,
breathing and circulation
• Limit the spread of the venom
• Transport the victim without delay
 There is no statistical difference in the
clinical course between patients who did
and did not receive first aid prior to
coming to the hospital for treatment
Treatment of Snake Bite

 Number one rule of treatment:

“Primum non nocere”
First, do no harm
 Treatment of Snake Bite

 Move the patient away from the snake

 Have the patient lie down and stay quiet
 Cut and suck methods are essentially
useless (you can get at best 6-10% of the
venom and most patients do more harm
than good)
 Keep bitten extremity below heart level
 Remove all rings, bracelets or other
jewelry
 Treatment of Snake Bite

 Clean the wound gently with alcohol,

soap and water or hydrogen peroxide
 DO NOT apply ice - causes further
vasoconstriction and ischemia in marginally
perfused tissues
 Apply a sling and wrap the limb with a
ace bandage or stretch type of gauze
(Kling®) - immobilize the limb
 The application of a constricting band is
controversial - if use - adjust repeatedly
Treatment of Snake Bite

 Do Nots:
• Do not incise the fang marks
• Do not use oral suction
• Do not apply ice
• Do not give alcohol or NSAID’s
• Do not apply a tourniquet
• Do not use electric shock gun
 Treatment of Snake Bite

 Most effective treatment is the

administration of antivenom
 Available from Wyeth Labs (1-610-688-
4400), derived from horse serum
 For exotic snakes contact 1-718-430-6494
 Anaphylaxis (type I hypersensitivity) and
serum sickness (type III) is a real concern
 Venomous snakes

 What snake is the most venomous?

 Can snakes bite you underwater?
 What snake has the longest fangs?
 How do you avoid being bitten?
 Pictures of various poisonous
snakes
The Taipan
Black Mamba
Green Mamba
Mojave Rattlesnake
Mojave rattlesnake
Gaboon
viper,
the
longest
fangs
The
heaviest
snake,
Anaconda
The longest snake
Reticulated python
Non Venomous Snakes

Of Texas
Eastern Coachwhip snake
Eastern Hognose snake
Texas rat snake
Speckled King Snake
Desert Kingsnake
Texas Bull Snake
Spiders
 Black Widow Spider

 red hour glass on the abdomen

 only the female is dangerous
 venom
 “target lesion”
 treatment
 Black Widow Spider

 Approximately 2500 widow spider bites

were reported to the AAPCC in 1999,
although this figure is probably
conservative because of underreporting.
 In the U.S., an average of 4 deaths per
year are reported to occur as a result of
spider bites. However, no deaths caused
by widow spider envenomation have been
reported to the AAPCC since its first
annual report in 1983
 Black Widow Spider

 The female is about ½-inch

long,
 shiny black and usually has a
red hourglass mark on the
underside of the abdomen. In
some varieties the hourglass
mark may be reduced to two
separate spots.
•Spiderlings and male spiders are smaller than
the females and have several red dots on the
abdomen’s upper side.

•Widow spiders belong to the cobweb spider

family and spin loosely organized trap webs.
The webs are usually found under objects
such as rocks and ground trash or under an
overhanging embankment.
 Black widow spiders are not as common in
homes as the brown recluse. When found in
homes, they are usually under appliances or
heavy furniture and not out in the open like other
cobweb spiders.

 Black widow spiders are timid, however, and

will only bite in response to being injured.
People are usually bitten when they reach under
furniture or lift objects under which a spider is
hiding.
•Black widow venom is a nerve toxin and its effects
are rapid. Clinically see
• Painful rigidity of the abdomen
• Tightness of the chest.
• Increased Blood pressure
• Increased body temperature
• sweating
•localized swelling
• nausea
•In about 5% of the bite cases, the victim may go into
convulsions in 14 to 32 hours and die if not given
medical attention.
•First aid for black widow spider bites
involves cleaning the wound and
applying ice packs to slow absorption of
venom. Victims should seek medical
attention promptly. Most black widow
spider envenomizations respond to
intravenous administrations of calcium
gluconate or calcium salts. An antivenin
is also available for severe cases.
Black
widow
 Brown recluse spider

 to identify the spider

• 3 pairs of eyes verses 4 pair
• “fiddle back spider”
 “bulls eye” appearance lesion
 clinical signs
 treatment
•The brown recluse is about the size of a black
widow but it is not so readily distinguished
from many other spiders. It ranges from a dark
cream color to dark brown. The abdomen is
darker than the rest of the body. It has a violin-
shaped, dark mark in top of the leg-bearing
section of the body and therefore is sometimes
called the “fiddler or violin” spider.
•Brown recluse spiders also have three pairs of
eyes rather than four pairs for most other
spiders.
The brown recluse roams at night
seeking its prey. During the day, It
hides in dark niches and corners,
where it may spin a poorly
organized web. It is shy and will try
to run from a threatening situation
but will bite if cornered.
People are sometimes bitten while
they are asleep because they roll
onto a brown recluse while it is
hunting in the bed. More often the
victim is bitten while putting on a
shoe or piece of clothing which a
spider has selected for its daytime
hiding place.
•The bite of the brown recluse is usually
painless until three to eight hours later
when it may become red, swollen, and
tender (bull’s eye lesion). Later, the red
area around the bite may develop into an
ulcerous sore from one half to ten inches
in diameter. Healing often requires a
month or longer, and the victim may be
left with a deep scar.
Prompt medical attention can reduce
the extent of ulceration and
alleviate other complications that
may develop. In rare cases, the bite
can produce a severe systematic
reaction resulting in death.
•Persons bitten by a spider which they
think is a brown recluse should try to
collect the specimen and bring it to a
qualified individual for identification.

•Positive identification by an expert will

help the physician decide on the
appropriate course of
treatment.
Brown recluse spider
Brown recluse spider
Brown recluse spider
Brown recluse spider
Brown recluse spider
Brown recluse spider
Brown recluse spider
Control:

Eliminating an infestation of brown recluse or

black widow spiders involves two basic principles:

(1) altering the environment in and around a

building to make it less attractive to spiders; and

(2) finding and destroying as many spiders as

possible.
•The following measures can be used to control all
spiders:
•Routine, thorough house cleaning is the best way to
eliminate spiders and discourage their return. A
vacuum cleaner or broom effectively removes spiders,
webs, and egg sacs.
•Spiders prefer quiet, undisturbed areas such as
closets, garages, basements, and attics. Reducing
clutter in these areas makes them less attractive to
spiders.
•Install tight-fitting window screens and door sweeps
to exclude spiders and other insects. Inspect and clean
behind outdoor window shutters.
 Large numbers of spiders often congregate outdoors
around the perimeter of structures. Migration indoors
can be reduced by moving firewood, building materials,
and debris away from the foundation. Shrubs, vines and
tree limbs should be clipped back from the side of the
building.
 Consider installing yellow or sodium vapor light bulbs
at outside entrances. These lights are less attractive than
incandescent bulbs to night-flying insects which, in
turn, attract spiders.
 To further reduce spider entry from outside, insecticides
can be applied as a "barrier treatment" around the base
of the foundation.
 Scorpions

 Centruroides sp.
• blocks neuromuscular transmission
• causes hypertension
• venom is a neurotoxin
• no specific treatment
• toxic species not in Texas
 Texas scorpions produce a bite
that is painful, red and swollen
 Scorpions

 In the US: In 1999, a total of 13,642

scorpion envenomations were reported
to the AAPCC. However, because of
underreporting, this is probably an
underestimation of the true number of
stings.
 Scorpions

 The highest reported mortality rate is

recorded in data from Mexico, with
estimates as high as 1000 deaths/year.
 In the United States, 4 deaths were
reported in an 11-year period according to
one source (Langley, 1997). However, no
deaths were reported to the AAPCC from
1983 to 1999. Only one death from the
Arizona bark scorpion (C exilicauda) has
been reported since 1964.
The Bark scorpion
Bark scorpion