Venomous snakes and people in a floodplain forest in the Western Brazilian Amazon: Potential risks for snakebites.

Venomous snakes and people in a floodplain forest in the Western Brazilian Amazon: Potential risks for snakebites. Toxicon. 2020 Sep 23;: Authors: Silva JLD, Fonseca WLD, Mota da Silva A, Amaral GLGD, Ortega GP, Oliveira AS, Correa RR, Oliveira I, Monteiro WM, Bernarde PS Abstract People who live in rural or forested areas are more likely to be affected by snakebites, due to their presence in the natural habitat of snakes and due to activities such as extractivism and agriculture. To conduct an ethnobiological study regarding the knowledge related to venomous snakes, snakebites and the attitudes of people who frequent areas of floodplain forests in the Alto Juruá (Brazilian Amazon), and correlate this information with data on snakebites in the region and the ecology of the ophiofauna, 100 residents, who are actively involved in extractivism, fishing, or hunting in the forests of the region were interviewed. Boards with photographs of venomous snakes from the region were used to ask questions about their experiences. The sampling of snakes was carried on trails in a forest used by residents of the region in their extractivism activities. Four venomous species (Bothrops atrox, B. bilineatus smaragdinus, Micrurus lemniscatus and M. surinamensis) were recorded. Among the interviewees, 31% claimed that they had already suffered at least one snakebite. The B. atrox snake is the species that the inhabitants encounter most and the one that ...
Source: Toxicon - Category: Toxicology Authors: Tags: Toxicon Source Type: research