Posted by Tim Friede on August 25, 2000 at 21:39:46:
In Reply to: Hydrodynastes gigas (False Water Cobra) warning posted by WW on August 23, 2000 at 03:56:18:
See WW I told you not to free handle those, just kidding!!!! In my lastest Toxicon there's another case bite, a man in Paraguay got nailed in the thigh and it hung on for awhile. The wounds bled and there was edema, plus pain. Since opisthoglyphous ophidians are not studied with great concern, they should be treated with respect. H. gigas had proteolytic activity and was considered dangerous because it has a tendency to hang-on. Extreme care should be exercised with gigas and A. stolata, or any other opist. colubrid whose venom has not been fully characterized(Toxicon, 2000). Cheers WW, Tim