MovieChat Forums > Man vs. Wild (2006) Discussion > Green pit viper can kill in 2 hours - ru...

Green pit viper can kill in 2 hours - rubbish!

posted 14 years ago by MisterZed
17 replies | jump to latest

In the Guatemala episode, Bear spots a green pit viper and says it can kill you in 2 hours if you don't get treatment. This is rubbish, according to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_pit_viper

"The venom is primarily haemotoxic, with victims experiencing severe pain, swelling of the bitten area, oedema and localised tissue necrosis. However, fatalities have not been reported."

So, basically, no one has ever died from this snake (that we know of). No wonder why Bear was so completely calm being about a meter from the snake up in a tree.

[–] lukeblade 14 years ago

Maybe because all of the people that have got bitten by it, have all got treatment within two hours.

Didn't really think that one through did you?

[–] Kaxc 14 years ago

lol, you really think so luke? A poisonous snake that _everyone_ that's ever (read: ever) gotten bit by have gotten treatment in <2 hrs?

[–] lukeblade 14 years ago

Yes.

[–] Holkospinner 14 years ago

Besides, if someone doesn't get treatment within two or they're probably in some remote area anyway and the corps might never get found. >:)

To the OT: The Wiki entry refers to this study I think:

http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/reprint/58/1/22.pdf

The 281 cases admitted to a hospital from 1987 - 1995. Clearly there must have been thousands and thousands of more cases and do we know what happened to each and everyone of them? I also read about a case where someone died of cerebral hemorrhage after being bitten by a green pit viper.

Anyway, I guess dying from the bite of a green pit viper is still very unlikely and you've got to have bad luck, be weakened, old, not get treatment etc.

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] knifeparty2004 13 years ago

If the green pit viper could kill in 2 hours it would be one of the most dangerous snakes in the world. It's not even in the top 50. Bear exaggerates. Alot of his stats are plain false. The very first episode he said 2000 people disappear in the Rockies every year. That's complete rubbish.

[–] fishdirt 13 years ago

2 hours is a long time with snake bites. The most deadly of them run from death within 5 minutes up to half an hour. The mere fact that it causes muscle tissue to die makes it logically deadly without treatment. 2 hours is a long time. Considering they belong to the same family as Moccassins and Rattlesnakes it's a bit daft to believe otherwise.

As for the rockies I cannot pull up any facts but I know at least a few hundred a year disappear and die in every major mountain range in the world. A couple thousand wouldn't surprise me for the Rockies as it is a long range. Smokies would be more surprising but the Rockies and Appalachian ranges are big.

If something's rubbish you may want to back yourself up with references to the contrary. Others have already proven the validity of the pit viper information now prove the validity of your accusations.

[–] philosophily 13 years ago

I live in colorado and barely any hikers die in the rockies. 2000 people is insane, hes probably counting the old people who die naturally that live in the region.

[–] knifeparty2004 12 years ago

You don't even need to look up the stats to know that 2000 people disappearing in the Rockies per year is absurd. That's more than 5 people vanishing without a trace every day of the year. It would be a legitimate Bermuda Triangle of sorts, noone would dare to visit them if that was the case. Sometimes you don't need to do research to know what is ridiculous and what isn't. Sometimes all it takes is common sense.

And just on the Green pit viper, I don't think you've validated anything. The Black Mamba which is in the top 10 most deadliest snakes can cause comatose in 1 hour and death in 6 hours. You're telling me a snake that isn't even in the top 50 most deadliest can cause death in 2 hours?

Its funny, you call me out for not providing any references, yet I don't see you providing any bonafide evidence that supports Bear's spurious statement.

[–] Allareowned 12 years ago

"Can cause" does not mean "will cause". For instance, getting shot with a BB gun can kill you, but it's a stretch to call it a deadly weapon. There are probably scenarios where the GPV can kill you in a couple hours--if you have a pre-existing condition, you get bit on the eyeball or some far-fetched crap--but it would be a very slim chance.

In principle, I agree. Bear need not speak with such hyperbole.

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'Cause Napalm sticks to kids.

[–] flipper33 12 years ago

i`ve read that the rockies covers a region some 3000 miles long, 2000 people dying in a year in an area that big doesn`t seam unrelistic, espically if it is a worst case number, did he mean 2000 die every year or 2000 died in a particular year, after all average figures don`t sound as good as a big figure, me downing 1000 pints sounds impressive but 20 a week every week for a year ain`t so good, and as for snakes the grass snake in the uk isn`t poisonous at all but i wouldn`t want to get bitten by one, and if one person did die within 2 hours of being bitten by one then whos to say he can`t quote that, after all look at some of the bs politicians come out with espically at elections.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] Allareowned 12 years ago

North to South.

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'Cause Napalm sticks to kids.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] Allareowned 12 years ago

The poster said the Rocky Mountain Range, not the state park.

i`ve read that the rockies covers a region some 3000 miles long,

Not the sharpest pencil, are you?

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'Cause Napalm sticks to kids.

[–] 12 years ago

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