Posted by Eimon on August 20, 1999 at 18:19:10:
In Reply to: List of the "worlds top venomous snakes" as shown in BizArre magazine.... posted by copperhead on August 19, 1999 at 21:49:17:
A few pertinent posts have disappeared in the transition so first let me state that this is not directed to anyone specifically, but meant "in general" only. I will now fill in the void with some common sense and a touch of humor, regarding comprehension of "statistical lists." There can be relative factors pertaining to the ranking system in various lists, venomous snakes being the subject debated here. Why does it seem so hard to understand the "qualifications" being used to arrive at any given ranking order? A misinterpretation that usually seems to cause adverse reactions and confusion between good folks. A straight LD-50 list will be ranked using only venom toxicity (currently categorized one of four ways.) Fairly objective, but even that will change order greatly depending on category. A list that includes one or more variables such as venom yield, bites per capita, aggression of species, density and proximity of human contact, etc will give a more complicated and certainly more subjective ranking order (ie: how dangerous is a given specie to humans.) Examples: Sea Snakes classically rank high on LD-50's but the occurrence of bites is very low, so how "dangerous" are Sea Snakes? A Boomslang and Midget Faded Rattlesnake are top ten in one categorization, but don't even appear in others, how "deadly" are they? Cape Cobras are more toxic and aggressive than Kings, but with human interaction and venom yield, the Kings kill far more people. Similar conditions apply for a lot of other species as well. Different associations of criteria will yield different "ranking orders" simply because of what is being used. Maybe that is the core of the debate to begin with. Just remember that words like dangerous or deadly have relative meaning to the criteria used in the determination of the "ranking order." And finally, on a lighter note, think about this- the Spitting Trouser actually gives life rather than takes it, but is responsible for more human suffering and complications in life than all the vens combined. Where does it rank??
the foremost authority on what I think,
Eimon