Forget the Folklore About Snakes and Dog Days

If anyone tells you that snakes are more aggressive during the so-called dog days of late July and August, don’t buy it.

Since Roman times, the dog days of summer have been regarded with a degree of apprehension, if not profound dread. According to one early 19th century account, it was the time of year “when seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing man burning fevers, hysterics and frenzies.”.

Curiously, a perception exists, especially in the South, that snakes are more aggressive this time of year, primed to bite the first hapless people who get in their way. The recent unfortunate snake bite in east Alabama involving a five-year-old may seem to support this view.

But one expert isn’t buying it. He says snakes are no more aggressive against people this time of year than any other.

Indeed, if there is any grain of truth to this legend, it’s that dog days roughly correspond to the snake’s mating season, which may explain why we see more of them during this time, according to Dr. Jim Armstrong, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System wildlife specialist and Auburn University professor of forestry and wildlife sciences.

The fact that late July and August tend to be the hottest times of year also may be a factor, Armstrong says. In one respect, snakes are no different than dogs, cats and humans: When it gets really hot, typically during late July and August, they look for shade.

“When they’re out in the open soaking up the sun, they’re easy to see — people see them and avoid them,” Armstrong says, adding that problems arise when the snakes move out of open areas into the shade. In some cases, these sources of shade may turn out to be the sides of garbage bins facing away from the sun or, even worse, front porches, parked cars and utility sheds.

Armstrong says the same general rule of thumb that applies to spring and summer doubly applies to the dog days of late summer: Look before you reach or step.

“Never put your hands or feet anywhere that you can’t see,” Armstrong says.

Simply put, before you reach across a weedy area to turn on a faucet, look first. Likewise, Armstrong advises using a walking stick to feel your way around rocks and felled trees while you’re hiking.

If you follow these simple rules, you will have very little to worry about. Virtually all snakes, including venomous ones such as copperheads and rattlesnakes, simply want to be left alone.

The east Alabama incident involved a naturally curious five-year-old who had an especially intense fascination with reptiles, according the boy’s mother. The child was bitten after he pulled a half-exposed copperhead out of a wood pile.

While bites from copperheads and other pit vipers are extremely painful and potentially cause lasting harm, they are usually not life threatening, Armstrong says, adding that this also depends on how quickly medical attention is sought and whether the person is highly sensitive to snake venom.

The recommendations about treating snake bites have changed significantly in recent years. Medical authorities once advised everything from making a one-inch incision near the wound to release the venom to restricting blood flow. More recently, the advice was to apply a cold compress.

Authorities now recommend avoiding any heroics other than getting to the hospital as quickly as possible to get medical treatment.

Posted by Jim Langcuster at August 6, 2007 04:16 PM