People generally know that the death adder, Acanthophis antarcticus, is a deadly snake. The word “death” is right there in the name, leaving no doubt that these are lethal snakes.
You might be wondering just how lethal they are.
How fast can a death adder kill you? Considered one of the deadliest snakes on the planet, the death adder (Acanthophis antarcticus) has some incredibly potent venom. In extreme cases, a bite from one of these snakes can kill an adult human in as little as 1-6 hours. Most fatalities however, occur in 24-48 hours.
The news is even more grim for pets.
Most dogs bitten by a death adder die in under an hour.
In fact, if you wait until the dog shows signs of envenoming before starting treatment you are already too late. The dog will most likely not survive even with antivenom at that point.
And for those of you wondering, antivenom treatments run in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Death Adder Overview
Found primarily in Australia, the death adder’s reputation is known all over the world.
Lists of the deadliest snakes are fairly common and quite popular. It seems like everyone has their own way of deciding which snakes make the top 10, and in which order.
Regardless of the method used, the death adder makes it onto these lists nearly every time.
As you’ll see in this article however, just because a death adder has the potential to kill you quickly doesn’t mean it will. In fact very few people die as a result of a death adder bite.
What Makes The Death Adder So Deadly?
One of the biggest factors in regards to how deadly a snake bite might be is how much venom is injected.
I’m not saying this is always the case. Snakes like the inland taipan only require the tiniest of drops to be fatal. Many of the deadliest snakes in the world however, deliver a lot of venom in their bite. ( suggested article: How Fast Can An Inland Taipan Kill You?)
What makes the death adder so deadly? The death adder has fangs which are about a quarter of an inch long, or just over 6mm. That’s not very big, but is more than enough to deeply penetrate your skin. The death adder injects an average of 75-100mg of venom per bite, and in rare cases as much as 230mg! It only takes 10 milligrams of death adder venom to kill you.
How Death Adder Venom Works
Death adder venom is different from most other types of vipers like puff adders. (suggested article: Are Puff Adders Dangerous?)
The venom from the majority of vipers consists of neurotoxins as well as enzymes and other toxins that break down the tissue. Necrotoxins for example, are toxins that cause necrosis.
These are not found in any significant amount in death adder venom.
Here’s what IS prevalent in their venom:
Extremely potent postsynaptic neurotoxins.
These are toxins that cause muscle weakness and paralysis. They block nerve transmissions and your ability to breathe.
When you receive a venom filled bite, the toxins only have one job to do….kill you.
Rather than some of the venom going to work on breaking down the tissues of your body, and other toxins working on your blood to prevent it from clotting, the venom of the death adder uses all of its power to stop your nervous center.
You won’t die of cardiac arrest since the toxins don’t work on your smooth or cardiac muscles.
You won’t be left with rotting skin that has been eaten down to the bone. You won’t even experience very much pain, swelling or bleeding.
Here is what you can expect.
You will notice things like slurred speech, difficulties breathing or excessive drooling. You may find that your eyelids begin drooping, your vision may become blurred, or you may experience double vision.
Eventually you will notice more severe symptoms such as difficulty holding your head up. Your deep tendon reflexes will become less.
Troubles breathing and respiratory failure leading to death could be the final outcome.
I stated in the beginning that you can die from a death adder bite in anywhere from 60 minutes to one hour. That is only in rare and extreme cases though.
Most deaths happen 24-48 hours after the person is bitten.
How Quickly Do The Symptoms Begin?
The first signs that a bite resulted in envenomation typically begin in about 15 minutes.
Will You Die If Bitten By A Death Adder?
There are actually very few deaths caused by death adders. Approximately 50% of their bites are dry bites where no venom is injected. The mortality rate for death adder bites that are left untreated is only around 60%. The availability of antivenom, and the fairly small number of bites means it is rare that you hear of someone being killed by them.
Snakes have complete control over whether or not they inject venom, and how much of it they want to deliver.
You are not prey for the snake.
It simply wants you to leave it alone.
Depending on how much it feels threatened, it very well may just send you a warning with a quick nip to make you go away.
If the snake feels this is a life or death situation however, it will give everything it has to defend itself.
60% may sound high, but we’re talking about no treatment whatsoever here. This suggests that even when they do inject venom, it is usually only a very small amount.
The final factor to all of this is modern medicine.
Fatalities from death adders in Australia is nearly nonexistent due to modern medicine.
Places like New Guinea on the other hand, have more frequent bites and more frequent fatalities.
How Effective Is Death Adder Antivenom?
Since we’re talking about how quickly a death adder can kill you, we should probably look at the effectiveness of antivenom.
How effective is death adder venom? When a person begins showing signs of envenomation, antivenom is typically the number one course of treatment. Fortunately this works very well. Nearly all people treated with antivenom for a death adder bite make a full recovery. Most issues arise from allergic reactions.
How Fast Do Death Adders Strike?
Although not directly related to the time it takes for the venom to kill a person, it is still interesting to note the strike speed of these snakes.
How fast do death adders strike? The death adder is considered to be one of the fastest striking snakes in the world. From a defensive position they can strike, bite, inject their venom, and return to their original position in just a little over 1/10 of a second. That’s around 100 milliseconds.
To put that into perspective:
The average length of time it takes you to blink your eyes is just over 200 milliseconds. You could be bitten twice in that amount of time and still not see the snake move!
Another fast striking snake is the black mamba. Here is an article titled 21 Black Mamba Facts that you might find interesting.
Summary
It’s obvious why the death adder is considered one of the deadliest snakes in the world.
With venom that begins showing symptoms within 15 minutes, and the potential to kill you in an hour, these snakes are aptly named.
It is important to note:
The death adder is rarely deadly.
They are not as prone to biting as many other snake species.
This snake doesn’t hunt and forage for food. Instead it sits and waits for prey to present itself.
This means you are less likely to even see one unless you are unfortunate enough to step directly on it.
Additionally:
Modern medicine dramatically reduces the chances of dying from a bite.
At the end of the day, the death adder is like any other snake. It simply wants to be left alone to eat, reproduce and live its life.