Myth defanged: baby rattlesnake bites aren’t more dangerous than bites from adult rattlesnakes

Baby rattlesnake bites are less dangerous than bites from adult rattlesnakes, according to a new study from Loma Linda University that summarizes the origin, transmission, and prevalence of the longstanding myth that baby rattlesnake bites are more dangerous.

The myth that baby rattlesnakes can't control the release of their venom and therefore release it all when biting is refuted by the study. This incorrect belief has led "to negative consequences, including misinformed risk‐taking by those encountering snakes, unwarranted fear among snakebite victims, and inappropriate care delivered by misinformed or patient/family‐pressured medical professionals," the study stated.

"This is an easily defanged myth that has generated dread, panic, and real-life consequences," said William Hayes, professor of biology at Loma Linda University School of Medicine and the study's lead researcher. "Ample evidence demonstrates that baby rattlers, like adults, can control their venom expulsion, the adults possess and deliver far more venom when biting, and the adults cause substantially more severe symptoms in snakebite victims."

The study was published in the journal Toxinslast week.

"Misconceptions about rattlesnakes create unnecessary fear and frequently result in people harming or killing them," the study stated. "Rattlesnakes occupy an important role in the ecosystems they dwell in and in recent years their populations have dropped significantly in many parts of the United States."

Researchers found the myth started circulating in news media by 1967, but California news media were largely responsible for perpetuating the myth from the 1970s through the 1990s. The myth was then promoted by news media throughout North America from 2000 through 2014. Although the myth persists to this day, even from some well-respected sources listed in the study, the news media has increasingly provided correct information since 2015, suggesting that effective messaging has helped to dispel the myth.

The researchers noted that most misinformation came from inaccurate news story quotes from healthcare professionals and emergency responders such as fire fighters, police officers, and other rescue personnel. Quotes from subject experts - especially university professors - were more accurate, the researchers found.

The myth is so pervasive that 53% of the students surveyed in Southern California, and 73% of emergency responders and health professionals, thought it was true at the time of data collection, Hayes said.

"We're hoping to get the word out so that we can get this myth corrected," Hayes said. "There's no need for hikers to have unwarranted fear of baby rattlesnakes or to think they need to harm or kill the snakes. We also don't want physicians or veterinarians to succumb to pressure from patients and families who insist on excessive medication after a bite from a baby rattlesnake."