The word "potentially" is important. Most animals will not bother humans if human would return that courtesy. Simple precautions will eliminate most dangers which would incur from contact with these animals.
The desert centipede has many legs, but not exactly 100. Each pair of legs emerges from a single body segment. Poison claws extend from the front segment (this appears to be the head). The centipede feeds on insects, spiders, worms, and other small creatures. Centipedes may bite people who handle them or who sleep on the ground and may be in the centipede's path. The bite is painful but not dangerous. Some centipedes can excrete an acid as they run, and this acid can cause skin irritation. The claws on the many legs can scratch human skin.
These are not ants but wasps. The female is wingless. They are covered with bright fur of red, yellow, orange, white, or some combination of these colors. They have a powerful sting, and this sting could be dangerous to a person sensitive to bee or wasp venom. Such a sensitive person should carry medication at all times. Antihistamines may help if special medication is not available.
These bugs are common in Mexico, and they are moving up slowly into the United States. These insects are one-half to one inch long, have an elongated cone-shaped head, and have mouth parts which can pierce and suck. They feed on the blood of their host, including humans, and a hard welt 1/2 to 3 inches can develop. They prefer tender tissues such as the lips, hence the name Kissing Bug.
This bug is dangerous because it can carry a small flagellate microorganism which may cause Chagas' Disease in humans. This disease remains in the body for a long period, then invades the blood system. Thus far there has not been a case of Chagas' Disease in the United States.
When the victim, usually asleep, is bitten, he or she may slap at the insect and scratch the bite. This can rub fecal material from the insect into the wound, and the microorganisms are present in this fecal material. If one is bit, the bug should not be crushed on the body, and the bite and surrounding area should be well washed.
Only 4 deaths occurred from Black Widow bites in the United States during the period from 1960 to 1969 . During this period, 122 deaths occurred from wasp and bee stings. Black widows enjoy dark corners and crevices, usually living around residences. As a rule this spider can be avoided if one does not reach into dark places.
Treatment includes cool or cold compresses at the bite to reduce pain. Hot baths may be used to reduce muscle cramping in severe cases. Cut-and-suck techniques are not effective and should not be utilized in any case.
This is a small to medium sized spider, 5/16 inches long, dark brown to fawn color with a dark, violin shaped maker on the upper side of the chephalothorax (this appears to be the head). Their venom is hemolytic. Hours after a bite occurs, a hemorrhagic blister appears and grows. The affected area becomes gangrenous, tissue sloughs off, and an ulcer forms. This ulcer may spread if left untreated. This bite must be treated by a doctor. Death almost never occurs. There is no first aid for this bite.
As the Black Widow, the Brown Recluse prefers dark corners and holes.
These are the only poisonous lizards in the world. The Mexican Beaded Lizard is found in the Mexican states of Chiapas and southern Sonora. The Gila Monster is found only in the southwestern United States.
They are heavy-bodied, with a fat tail, and brightly colored in black, yellow, red, and orange. The venom is neurotoxic, and a large amount of this venom in the system can assure a long hospital stay. Symptoms include localized pain, prolonged bleeding at the bite, nausea, and faintness. A severe bite may result in initial shock, anxiety, swelling, perspiration, and edema. Extreme cases may result in labored breathing, cyanosis, fever, swelling of the tongue, and paralysis. No human death has been attributed entirely to the Gila Monster. Deaths have been complicated by alcoholism, debility, or similar conditions.
The Gila Monster venom is free flowing and chewed into the wound. The Gila Monster attempts to "swallow" the bitten body part, and it is important to snatch the part being attacked out of the lizard's mouth as soon as possible, even to the detriment of some amount of skin. It is extremely difficult to be bitten by a Gila Monster. In almost every case the person bitten was playing with the lizard. Gila Monsters are rare, in fact they are protected by law and cannot be killed, caught, sold, or kept as pets without special permits. They move slowly and prefer to avoid humans. If cornered, teased, or forced to bite, they suddenly become fast and agile. There is no recommended first aid for this bite.
All scorpions are venomous, but there are few lethal species in North America. Scorpions feed upon spiders, beetles, flies, grasshoppers, worms, centipedes, and sometimes other scorpions. The venom is used to paralyze this small prey, and the sting of non lethal species is not strong enough to cause danger to humans. The two lethal varieties are Centruroides sculpturatus and C. gertschi.
Sculpturatus and Gertschi are yellowish or straw colored. Gertschi also has two irregular blackish stripes on the upper surface. They range in size from 1/2 to 2 inches, though rare individuals can reach a length of 3 inches. These scorpions are "slender" in appearance, being not wider than 3/8 to 1/4 inch. The tail is slightly more than 1/16 inch in diameter. The pincers are slender. These scorpions possess a subaculear tooth at the base of the stinger. It is not recommended, however, that scorpions be picked up randomly and examined for this feature.
Non lethal varieties tend to remain on or just under the ground surface. The lethal species more often are found clinging to the underside of some sheltering cover. Confrontations with scorpions can be avoided if one does not reach into places that cannot be seen into. Care should be taken when handling anything left on the ground for some period of time. Scorpions may be attracted to damp spots. Most desert travelers shake out their shoes in the morning before donning them. This author has never confronted a scorpion in this manner, nor heard of anyone doing so, but it does result in a feeling of security. Scorpions hunt at night, and they are plentiful. Nature lovers should be discouraged from walking barefoot around camp in the dark. One scorpion expert describes capturing over 1,000 scorpions within a quarter mile of his campsite at night.
The sting of the lethal species may cause immediate severe pain at the site, but no swelling or discoloration. The sting tingles and becomes hypersensitive. A slight tap on the site will produce a strong reaction. A non lethal sting results in localized pain, swelling, and discoloration. However the results of the non lethal sting are not more serious than that of a bee or wasp sting. They are dangerous only to those sensitive to these venoms.
Treatment of the bite is application of ice or cold compresses to relieve local pain. The lethal bite must be treated with antivenin by a doctor. If the victim of a lethal bite goes into shock, appropriate treatment should be followed by persons trained in first aid. However during the period between 1960 and 1969 only six deaths occurred from scorpion bite in the United States. Usually these bites are lethal only to the young, the elderly, or adults with hypertension.
This snake is found in Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and south into Mexico. They are small, about the same diameter as a pencil, shy, burrowing snakes which live in the ground, and they are rarely encountered. The coloring is shiny, wax-like, marked with alternating bright rings of red, white or cream, and black. Snakes such as the harmless kingsnake and shovel-nosed snake can have similar coloring. In the coral snake, the rings completely circle the body, and the red rings are always bordered by yellow or white rings. The coral snake has a black nose. The old ditty, "red and yellow shun the fellow, red and black poison lack" can help one remember, these characteristics.
Coral snakes are cobras, and the venom is highly dangerous. However, the mouth is small, the snake has small fangs with venom high inside the fang. The snake must chew the venom into the victim, much as the Gila Monster, and about the only way to be seriously bit is to force one's finger into the snake's mouth. Only three evenomated bites have ever been recorded, and none were fatal. Symptoms include immediate but not severe pain at the site, weakness, drowsiness, pricking and tingling at the site, and nausea. The symptoms disappeared within 24 hours. There is no antivenin for this snake. There is no effective field treatment for a bite.
Most persons who venture into the desert are concerned about the presence of rattlesnakes, just as most persons in forested areas are concerned about bears. This concern is not entirely unfounded. Every state in the union except for Alaska and Hawaii have some species of rattlesnake. Rattlesnakes occur only in the New World, and one of this country's earliest flags boasted a coiled rattler with the motto "Don't tread on me".
On the positive side, rattlesnakes, like most snakes, are more than willing to avoid contact with humans. All rattlers possess venom, but they use it for hunting small animals and for defense. The rattler knows humans are too large to eat and too dangerous to fight, and given the chance, the rattler will run, or rather, crawl, from a confrontation with a human every time. Almost all rattlesnake bites occur because the victim was attempting to tease, handle, or kill the snake. The rest occur when a careless walker surprises a snake sleeping in rocks or high grass, or when a person reaches into someplace they cannot see into. Contrary to popular opinion, rattlesnakes do not hunt humans down. If you saw an elephant walking down the trail toward you, you would not run up and bite it in the leg, would you?
Rattlesnakes are pit vipers. The pits located at the anterior end of the snout are used to sense heat. Snakes are deaf, and they sense one's approach by sensing the heat, the vibration of footsteps on the ground, and their excellent sense of smell. The snake has a hinged jaw, and the fangs can be thrust straight out like hypodermic needles when the snake strikes.
There are thirty species and sixty-nine subspecies of rattlesnakes, and each has a slightly different venom. Most rattlesnake venom is neurotoxic, acting upon nervous tissue, but it can also cause hemorrhage, produce blood clotting, destroy blood cells, and break down proteins (digest tissue). Symptoms include pain at the site, rapid swelling and discoloration, swelling which spreads across the affected body part, weakness, nausea, difficulty in breathing, vomiting, and sometimes numbness and tingling of parts of the body. Death, if this occurs, will be within the second 24 hours, usually due to respiratory and circulatory failures.
It is important to recall that in one-third of all rattlesnake bites, no venom is deposited. In this case the bite is not in the least dangerous. If this is the case, the bite will not swell and will not be discolored. In one-half of the remaining bites, or one third of the time, the envenomation is mild. There will be no danger of death, and mild danger of some tissue damage if the bite is left untreated. Between 6,000 and 7,000 people a year are bitten by rattlesnakes each year in the United States. Of these only 10 a year die from this bite. Most of these are the elderly, the very young, or the very ill. A substantial amount of these bites and a majority of the deaths occur in religious groups which handle snakes.
A rattlesnake bite is nothing to be taken lightly, but neither should it interfere with one's enjoyment of the desert. There is much more danger from confrontations with automobiles on the highway. Many people carry guns when in the desert specifically to discourage rattlesnakes. This is not necessary. By the time one sees a rattlesnake, it is just as easy to walk around it. The snake will not chase a human, and, with the exception of the Western Rattlesnake, they cannot strike more than one-half the length of their body. If the snake strikes, the strike is too fast to be photographed, and not even John Wayne could draw a gun that fast. The number of people each year who die from wasp and bee stings far outnumber those who die from rattlesnake, spider, and scorpion bites combined, yet no one goes around shooting at bees and wasps (which is probably just as well).
It is best to avoid coming close enough to an unsuspecting snake to startle it into a strike. The desert traveler should watch the ground while walking and never put hands or feet where the eyes cannot see. Well over 90 percent of all snakebites occur on the hand or on the leg below the knee. Rattlesnakes are nocturnal, that is they are most active at night. One should never walk at night without a light. Protective clothing, boots and long pants, should be worn while walking and after dark around camp. A pair of long, loose fitting pants will provide good protection from snakebite. The hinged jaw of the rattlesnake allows the fangs to be thrust at a 90 degree angle. If these fangs hit loose clothing, such as a pair of trousers, the jaws begin to close, and the mouth snaps shut without the fangs having contacted the skin.
Rattlesnakes tend to rest under low plants, rocks, logs, and debris. The hiker should stay in open areas as much as possible. One should step around, rather than over, large rocks, logs, and suchlike. If not, one should step on top of the object first to be sure a snake is not asleep on the other side.
Rattlesnakes rely on protective coloring, and the experienced hiker soon learns to watch for "rocks" or "sticks" which are actually sleeping snakes.
Rattlesnakes do not always rattle before striking, and the sidewinder does not rattle at all, but most rattlers will warn an approaching human that he or she is in danger. The rattle is a distinctive, dry buzz. Upon hearing this, one should stand still until the snake is located, then move slowly away from the snake. Do not move until the location of the snake is known; the direction of the sound can be misleading. This author has stepped past many a rattlesnake, heard the buzz, and been mildly fascinated to find the snake behind, coiled right next to a freshly made footprint. It is not at all uncommon to walk past a resting snake and never disturb it.
Effective treatment for snakebite is the injection of antivenin. There is a crystallized form of this antivenin which will keep for 5 years without refrigeration. It is mixed with sterile water and injected. However, the antivenin is made from horse serum, and many persons are allergic to horse serum. This allergy will kill the victim much more thoroughly than the snakebite. If one is to carry antivenin, one must learn how to test for sensitivity to horse serum and learn how to give an injection. This is a highly dangerous technique to try in the field.
Cut-and-suck is the "accepted" treatment for snakebite, but most doctors agree that the adverse affects of cut-and-suck far outweigh the potential damage done by the snake venom. Since many bites occur on the hand, cutting a tendon or nerve and rendering the hand useless is a common occurrence. One of the affects of rattlesnake venom is the reduction of the body's ability to fight infection. Open wounds left by cut-and-suck soon become septic, and blood poisoning can result. Since serious damage to the tissue or body can be expected only in about one-fifth of all snakebites, cut-and-suck is not considered a safe alternative.
The standard first aid states that the victim must be kept calm and not allowed to walk. However, consider that the victim is most unlikely to be calm, whether walking or not. Once a person is envenomated, you have a "golden ninety minutes" in which to get that victim to medical care. Therefore if you are within 90 minutes of a medical facility, run, do not walk, the victim to the car and drive for help. In rural areas it may be faster to find a veterinarian's office, and they keep antivenin for their patients. This will work just as well on a human.
If due to distance from the road or other considerations you cannot get the victim to medical aid within 90 minutes, by all means keep him or her as calm as possible. The affected part should not be elevated, but kept below the level of the heart. A wide, constrictive bandage, NOT a tourniquet, may be placed just above the swelling. The venom moves through the lymph nodes just under the skin; the flow of blood need not and must not be restricted.
Some persons advise the application of ice compresses to reduce the activity of the venom. This is not a wise practice. The body will defend itself against the toxins in the venom by producing antibodies. Lowering the temperature of the bitten area will constrict the blood vessels and slow the entry of antibodies to the area. Victims have been known to contract frostbite and suffer tissue damage when subjected to this treatment.
The best treatment for snakebite is to get the affected person to medical aid as soon as possible. Obviously this is not possible in a survival situation. In every other case, drive the victim to a doctor immediately or, if on foot, send a fast person out for a helicopter rescue.
"Extractor" type snake bite kits which draw out venom by use of strong suction have been shown effective in snakebite and, unlike many other remedies, do no harm to the victim.
This pit viper is present in parts of the Chihuahua Desert. Unlike the rattlesnake, the copperhead is an aggressive snake, and will not always run from a confrontation. The venom is similar, and treatment for a bite is the same. This snake does not possess rattles, though it may vibrate the tail when alarmed.
The most common carriers of rabies are skunks, foxes, bats, and raccoons. Bites by rodents (rats, mice, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, etc.) have never been proven to produce human rabies. All carnivorous animals are susceptible and can carry the infection. Infection occurs through a wound contaminated with the saliva of the rabid animal. The rabies virus can enter through a scratch, bite, or through the mouth, nose, or eyelids. It can probably be transmitted by breathing the air in caves which contain rabid bats.
Any animal which acts "abnormal" is suspect. An unprovoked attack is suspect (being bitten while feeding an animal is not considered unprovoked). Usually the only outward sign of rabies is lack of fear in the animal, which an inexperienced person may interpret as being "friendly".
Treatment in the field consists of washing the bite thoroughly. The bite should be rinsed with some antiseptic such as Zephiran, whiskey or other drinking alcohol, or rubbing alcohol. If possible, the animal should be killed and taken into the doctor so it can be tested for rabies. The victim must receive medical treatment as soon as possible. Only two persons have ever survived rabies, and one suffered severe brain damage. If the animal cannot be killed or captured, it must be assumed to have rabies, and the victim must receive vaccine injections over a period of time so the system can build up the appropriate antibodies during the incubation period. Injections after this time are not effective.
In northern Arizona and New Mexico, the rodent population has been found with fleas which are carriers of plague. There have been a few cases of plague in these areas. Rodents who appear sick or weak should be avoided. Never handle the body of a dead rodent. There is no field treatment for plague, and there is not a good effective medical treatment.
Formerly confined to the southwestern United States, Hanta Virus has spread. This is a serious disease carried by small rodents. Contact with rodents, their feces, or their urine should be avoided. Another reason to hang your food from animals when you camp and not to feed any wild animals, ever.
As of this writing, ticks found in the deserts do not carry Lyme Disease. This is so far isolated to the Eastern Seaboard along the coast.
Millipedes resemble centipedes, but they have no venom. They are many legged, but they have two pairs of legs per body segment. They do not have poison fangs on the head area. If handled, they may secrete a yellow-brown substance which stains the skin and smells unpleasant. This substance should not be rubbed into the eyes.
This animal appears dangerous but only excretes an acidic substance which may irritate human skin. They hide in dark areas and are active at night. They are about 2 1/2 inches long and dark grey to black in color.
This spider is active during the day, hence the name Sun Spider. They are light in color, about 2 to 3 inches long. They are not venomous, they destroy insects by ripping them apart, and are harmless to humans.
This aggressive appearing animal is totally harmless to humans. They are shy, active at night, 1 1/2 to 2 inches in length, and golden to dark brown in color. They have a large, smooth, rounded head.
This heavy-bodied, large, hairy spider has an evil appearance, but a mild demeanor. A tarantula bite can be painful and may become infected, since all spider bites are rather dirty, but their venom is so mild that the bite is no more serious than that of a bee or wasp. Many individuals keep them as pets. They have a leg span of 6 to 7 inches and are dark brown to black in color. They are most active in the summer directly after a rain. They can then often be seen walking across roads or trails.
This heavy-bodied, rather shy lizard is sometimes mistaken for a Gila Monster. The young Chuckwalla often displays a bright orange and black coloring, and some males have an orange tail. These lizards, like all save the Gila Monster and Mexican Beaded Lizard, are harmless to humans. The Chuckwalla lives in rocks. It sunbathes on top of these rocks and, if threatened, scurries into their shelter and inflates its body with air so it cannot be pulled out.
As discussed in a previous lesson, water is the most important factor in survival in the desert. One should not eat at all if there is limited water, since water is required to digest food. Humans can survive several weeks without food; not pleasantly but safely. Humans can survive only hours without water in adverse conditions. A thirsty person does not feel hunger. One should also consider the loss of body water expended as sweat in the hunt for edible animals.
If one has sufficient water, the search for food may become important while waiting to be rescued. Almost all animal flesh is edible if prepared correctly, but despite the claims made in movies and survival books, it is not easy to capture or kill wild animals. Snares and deadfalls work in the forest, rarely in the desert, and then a successful trapline is best worked over a period of months.
One may make a noose with fishing line or string and lay this around the entrance to a burrow. When the animal emerges it may be possible to snare it. A loose tangle of fishing line by a waterhole or by scattered seeds may trap birds. If one carries a gun, it may be possible to kill small game such as rabbits. Usually a handgun is not useful for this purpose; a handgun was not designed to hunt anything but humans. One should balance the possible game to be procured against the usefulness of the ammunition for signaling searchers.
Small animals may be killed with a slingshot or by throwing rocks.
Small and medium sized mammals are edible. The larger mammals are probably too difficult to kill in a survival situation, and the meat would spoil rapidly. Birds are edible, though the vulture tastes rather bad. Bird eggs are a good source of food. Lizards are edible, but best avoid the Gila Monster, since this poisonous lizard can move agilely and swiftly when threatened, and its venom is dangerous. Snakes are all good to eat, but do not attempt to capture a rattlesnake.
Insects are good protein and easy to capture in rotten wood and under rocks. Grubs, hairless caterpillars, and grasshoppers are not appealing, but they will provide easily obtainable food. Avoid hairy caterpillars; some are poisonous.
Sea life is available in coastal deserts in tide pools or from the sea itself.
Meat can be cooked over a fire with foil, on a stick, or in a hubcap from a car. It may be coated with mud and baked. Water will boil in a cardboard or paper container if the fire does not reach above the level of the water in the container.
Beware of animals which carry disease. Rabbits can carry tularemia, and rodents can carry plague or Hanta Virus. Avoid dead animals or animals who are sickly. Animals who show no fear may have rabies.
Some toads contain bufotoxins, which make dogs who bite them ill. Skin frogs before eating and avoid toads (and no, it isn't always easy to tell the difference).
Skunks have scent glands which taint the meat unless removed after they are killed. Skunks also are very prone to rabies. The peccary also has a scent gland near the rump which should be removed.
Chapter Eleven Please
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