Sawing like the Saw Scaled Viper
Here we produce a snake guide to
identifying and protecting the Saw Scaled Viper. The guide was done in
partnership of the Wildlife Conservation Society Galle together with the
American Red Cross Disaster Preparedness Program, Sri Lanka Red Cross,
World Wildlife Fund and the Environmental Foundation Limited.
 The associations will hold a Snake Bite Awareness week which is set
to be held in June with a number of awareness programmes targeted at
helping people understand and identify snakes.
Saw Scaled Viper (Echis carinatus)
Sinhala : Weli polanga
Tamil : Surattati Pambu/ Pal Surattai
Description: A snake with a small, stocky and rough cylindrical body
with a clearly defined neck. It has a triangular head and has a light
yellow bird-foot shaped marking on it.
Behavior:
* Most active during the evening and night time
* Easily provoked; readily strikes
* When alarmed, makes noise by rubbing scales together
* A fully grown viper can reach a length of 30-50cm (1-1.5 feet)
Venom: Haematotoxic (affects blood clotting)
Symptoms at bite site:
* Swelling and pain around bite site
* Tissue around the bite site may die (cell necrosis)
* Blisters can form and festering may occur
* Bleeding through the bite wounds
Symptoms of evenoming (venom entering the body)
* Loss of blood due to anti-coagulating properties
In case of snake bite:
1. Calm the victim and tell them that 70% of snakes who bite do not
inject venom
2. Immobilise the victim and bandage the area of the bite without
tying it too tightly
3. Get the patient to hospital as immediately as possible. The best
place would be the Toxicology Unit at the Peradeniya Hospital
4. Tell the doctor about signs and symptoms of the victim
5. Don’t waste your time with healing rituals and snake stones, the
best bet is to treat the patient with proper medication and anti-venom. |
