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11/6/2024 5:06:37 PM
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Bluebonnets, ice storm could mean more snake sightings


Bluebonnets, ice storm could mean more snake sightings

AUSTIN (KXAN) - - Warmer weather is here and with it, familiar creatures: snakes.

Before you take your household photos in a close-by field, beware.

" With the early bluebonnets, we've certainly seen a boost in snake bites," stated Payton Bowyer, with St. David's South Austin Medical. She has actually seen an increasing requirement for anti-venom to deal with bites from venomous snakes in the Austin location..

As difficult as it sounds, not worrying can in fact increase your chances of survival.

" The more your heart rate increases, the more that venom is going to be circulating through your body. You desire to stay as calm and keep your heart rate as low as possible until we can get you to an emergency center," Bowyer included.

Spring is the time of year for snakes to be more noticeable.

According to Hope Carr with the Austin Zoo, "Native snakes are going to be going coming out of what's called brumation, which is sort of like a low metabolic rate, they've been taking it easy over the winter season, not eating as much sort of in hiding, making certain they're staying as warm as they can.".

Now snakes will be out looking for food and browsing for a mate.

During the spring months, when it's not too hot, snakes are most active around late morning, once we begin seeing more triple digit temperature levels, snakes avoid that type of heat, and they come out early in the morning or late in the evening.

Carr expects we might see more snakes this year, because of the weather we experienced in the particles and the winter season stacks that remain.

" There's going to be less require for them to stroll as far, potentially to find an excellent location to seek shelter, and food again, you understand, the ice storm created basically a lot of new habitat or what you call a microhabitat for animals to occupy," Carr added.

The native poisonous snakes in Central Texas are the Diamondback Rattlesnakes, Coral Snakes, Copperheads and Cottonmouth Snakes.

However snakes are not all bad. Rat snakes, among other types of non-venomous snakes, serve a helpful purpose, eating rodents and acting as a totally free pest control.

Back away if you see a snake that you acknowledge as venemous.

If you get bitten…….

" You may get woozy, sick, kind of like loss of sight, things like that swelling, redness, burning discomfort, all of those," stated Bowyer.

However with a lot of major healthcare facilities in the location bring anti-venom, that's the very best place to get to as snake bites are very treatable if you get to a hospital quickly.

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Elwood Hill
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Elwood Hill

Elwood Hill is an award-winning journalist with more than 18 years' of experience in the industry. Throughout his career, John has worked on a variety of different stories and assignments including national politics, local sports, and international business news. Elwood graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism and immediately began working for Breaking Now News as lead journalist.

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