Fear tends to follow snakes around, and World Snake Day on Friday, July 16, 2027, tries to swap some of it for facts. Snakes eat pests, and one species even helps hold back Lyme disease.
What Date Is World Snake Day?
The day is July 16, every year. It’s an awareness day only, with no official status.
Counting the World’s Snakes
No founder or first year has been documented for the day. Its subject, though, keeps scientists at the Reptile Database busy.
As of March 2021, that database listed 3,900 living snake species, a Zootaxa paper reported. The study came out on May 28, 2021.
Venomous snakes in the U.S.
Four groups of venomous snakes live in the United States, the CDC says, and rattlesnakes are the biggest. They can strike a third or more of their body length.
Copperheads grow about 1.5 to 3 feet long and wear hourglass-shaped bands. They live in Eastern states as far west as Texas. When frightened, they tend to freeze.
Cottonmouths, also called water moccasins, can top 4 feet. They stay in or near water across the Southeast.
Coral snakes, found in wooded, sandy or marshy parts of the South, often get confused with harmless king snakes.
Tick Control and Other Snake Services
Black-legged ticks spread Lyme disease after feeding on infected mice and other small animals, which timber rattlesnakes eat. That link comes from University of Maryland research, the USDA reports.
Former graduate student Edward Kabay used diet studies from four Eastern forest sites. He estimated that each snake clears roughly 2,500 to 4,500 ticks a year. By eating rodents, snakes may also reduce crop damage. They’re food for raptors, too.
Their numbers are slipping in places. Habitat loss is the main cause. In the Northeast, where the species is rated vulnerable, it also faces road kills and illegal capture.
Since 2008, Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania has protected rattlesnake habitat. Biologists there tagged 35 snakes with transmitters and found 21 new dens. Crews also cut back plants that would otherwise grow into a shading canopy.
If a Snake Bites
Venomous snakes bite about 7,000 to 8,000 people in the U.S. each year, and about 5 die, the CDC estimates. Don’t count on a warning rattle first.
Timber rattlesnakes are secretive and rely on camouflage. Most of their bites happen when someone tries to kill, catch or bother one, the USDA notes.
After a bite, federal health officials advise:
- Call for emergency care, and don’t drive yourself.
- Sit or lie down, and take off rings and watches before swelling sets in.
- Wash the bite, cover it with a clean, dry dressing and write down the time.
- Skip the tourniquet, ice, cutting and sucking.
- Leave the snake alone, even if it looks dead.
Celebrating World Snake Day
- See one safely: visit a zoo or nature center with trained staff.
- Know your neighbors: learn which local snakes are venomous and where they live.
- Give wild snakes room: watch from a distance, and take a photo only if it’s safe.
- Dress for the trail: boots and long pants help, especially at dawn, dusk and in warm weather.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people do snakes bite worldwide?
Roughly 5.4 million a year. Between 81,410 and 137,880 die, the World Health Organization estimates.
What is WHO’s goal for snakebites?
In June 2017, WHO named snakebite envenoming a priority neglected tropical disease. It aims to halve deaths and disability by 2030.
Which pain relievers should you avoid after a bite?
Aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen, plus alcohol. Don’t wait for symptoms to seek care.
Can a rattlesnake bite cause lasting harm?
It can. Between 10% and 44% of victims have long-term effects.