When it comes to snakes, it should be a creepy creature, not only because of its peculiar body shape, but also because it can kill people, making people easy to weaken their legs when they see it.
Today, let's learn about this deadly viper, the Thai round spotted viper, known as the "golden leopard of snakes".
In addition, there are many titles, "100-step money leopard, money spot, kidney deficit snake, remarried snake" and so on. The most famous is the title of "kidney deficiency snake", which ranks first among Asian snakes in bite cases.
Its distribution in China is actually not wide, but it is distributed in the southern region, so there are fewer bite cases in China, so most hospitals do not always have the snake's anti-venom, which also shows that if it is bitten, you can imagine how terrifying it will be. At present, only the local Red Cross Society has developed a drug called "Lu's viper serum", but it still cannot cure the kidney failure caused by the Thai round spot viper toxin.
Why does the Thai round spotted viper exist in China?
Since this species was first registered in Thailand, the principle of registration is to take the place of discovery as the name. Thai round spotted viper in Southeast Asian snakes known as the "number one killer", the mortality rate is very high, about 10,000 people die under their mouths every year, even after treatment, many patients will face stroke, paralysis, amputation, kidney failure and other sequelae.
It is understood that in the five years from 1935 to 1940, tens of thousands of people were bitten by poisonous snakes in Myanmar, and an average of nearly 1,000 people were bitten to death by poisonous snakes every year, and 70% of them were caused by the Thai round spotted viper. Some injured people even said they would rather be bitten by a cobra than by a Thai round spotted viper.
Why is the Thai round spotted viper called "kidney deficiency snake" and "remarried snake"?
The round-spotted viper has a triangular head, and its body length is short, all under one meter, but its body is relatively thick and looks like a "fat snake". Its venom is very strong, venom intraperitoneal injection LD50=0.48mg/kg, enough to be fatal. In addition, its venom contains coagulation toxins and hemolytic toxins, and in snakes, there are very few of these two toxins, but it carries these two highly toxic substances. Once bitten by it, the venom enters the human body, the limbs of the body are swollen, kidney failure occurs, severe systemic bleeding, and the mortality rate is extremely high. So it won the titles of "remarried snake" and "kidney deficit snake".
In fact, kidney deficiency snake is not only a Thai round spotted viper, it should be said that most of the poisonous snakes with blood toxins will cause damage to people after biting, but the aggression of other poisonous snakes is not as aggressive as the Thai round spotted viper, so "kidney deficiency snake" has slowly become the special nickname of the Thai round spotted viper.
Can Thai round spotted viper be edible?
The species has been listed in the "List of Terrestrial Wild Animals Protected by the State Useful or of Important Economic and Scientific Research Value" issued by the State Forestry Administration of China on August 1, 2000, listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2013 Red List of Threatened Species ver3.1 - Near Threatened (NT), and listed in the Red List of Biodiversity of China - Vertebrate Volume, with the assessment level of Vulnerable (VU). The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress has issued a law prohibiting the consumption of wild animals, which are strictly forbidden, and the Thai round spotted viper is wild. They are not allowed to be eaten, let alone captured, and can only be used as drugs after approval.
How much did the round spotted viper on the market sell for a pound before? Mainly depending on the region, the Thai round spotted viper is not other than the other three major cultured meat snake species, and there is a long-term trading price to refer to. Thai round spotted viper is wild, caught and traded privately, according to other snakes, Thai round spotted viper small is within 100 yuan, large 200-300 yuan a piece may also have, depending on the size and what subspecies.
As the saying goes, "hit a snake seven inches", "once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of the well rope", which also shows the experience of the ancients in dealing with snakes, snakes and humans have formed an indissoluble bond a long time ago. There are also myths and legends about snakes in China, such as the well-known white snake and green snake. There are even many people who have a fear of snakes in their genes, and they will tremble and be afraid when they see snakes, so as to stay away from protecting their lives.