Yo!

[Arti]

Hi guys, I'm French, I live in the US, and I have absolutely zero passion for snakes! Why am I here, well thank you for asking, I'm a writer and I'm working on a story that involves a snake, I have a couple of questions for your community, and I'd love to be able to ask things around here whenever I got a snake in a story :)
Hope everyone is feeling sssssssuper great today.

[infernalis]

ask away ;)

[Mikoh4792]

welcome! What kind of story are you writing on?

[EL Ziggy]

Welcome and best wishes.

[TheFrogman]

Hello Arti and welcome, Id love to hear your questions.

[Tsubaki]

Welcome :)

[bigsnakegirl785]

Hello and welcome! Stoked to hear you're willing to learn despite not being fond of them. I couldn't say as much for most people. :)

[Arti]

Thanks guys!

Well, I'm currently working on 2 novels, (one of which is a sequel to this book here on wesleythezombie.com, if you're curious), but none of them have any snakes (for now!). On the other hand, I'm trying to get back into screenwriting, especially short film projects, and I'm working on an script idea in which a person is stranded in a desert and has been bitten by a snake.

The info I've found is a little contradictory so I'm not sure what's real, basically I'd like to know if there is a snake I could use in this script, a snake whose bite would be deadly after a time short enough that you can't get help from a hospital if you're a little too far (say, less than an hour). My problem is it needs to be sure, the character has to give up, I know you might say it'll depend on the bite etc, but I need the character to draw the conclusion that he'll be dead within the hour.

It could be a creature other than a snake, for that matter. From what I read, deadly bites are not that common, that's why I'm wondering what snake would be best for that scenario, and if Arizona is a possible location. I need the character to be hiking in a pretty desertic environment, I say Arizona but it could be plenty of other places, it doesn't even have to be the US.

Thoughts?

[Arti]

Thanks guys!

Well, I'm currently working on 2 novels, (one of which is a sequel to this book here on wesleythezombie.com, if you're curious), but none of them have any snakes (for now!). On the other hand, I'm trying to get back into screenwriting, especially short film projects, and I'm working on an script idea in which a person is stranded in a desert and has been bitten by a snake.

The info I've found is a little contradictory so I'm not sure what's real, basically I'd like to know if there is a snake I could use in this script, a snake whose bite would be deadly after a time short enough that you can't get help from a hospital if you're a little too far (say, less than an hour). My problem is it needs to be sure, the character has to give up, I know you might say it'll depend on the bite etc, but I need the character to draw the conclusion that he'll be dead within the hour.

It could be a creature other than a snake, for that matter. From what I read, deadly bites are not that common, that's why I'm wondering what snake would be best for that scenario, and if Arizona is a possible location. I need the character to be hiking in a pretty desertic environment, I say Arizona but it could be plenty of other places, it doesn't even have to be the US.

Thoughts?

[smy_749]

King cobraaaa

[smy_749]

Sorry I didnt see the Arizona part haha, maybe a rattler?

[Jim Smith]

Perhaps if he were bitten on or near the neck by a Mojave Rattlesnake it would react that quickly. The Mojave Rattlesnake (AKA Mojave Green Rattlesnake) delivers a highly neurotoxic venom, making it one of the most venomous of all rattlesnakes.

[Arti]

So if you were bitten at the leg, it would take that much longer to kill you, even with a snake that powerful? Do people hike in the Mojave desert? I figure it's got to be a bit dangerous on your own no, with the coyotes and whatnot?

[wrecker45]

What about a sidewinder? Might be different.

[Jim Smith]

While people do die from rattlesnake bites, it would be very rare that they would die in an hour, especially if they were bitten in the leg. If, on the other hand, the person was doing a bit of rock climbing and stuck their head up over a ledge that had a rattlesnake on it sunning, they could very easily be bitten on the head or neck. The range of the Mojave Rattlesnake can be found in southern California, southern Nevada, extreme southwestern Utah, most of Arizona, southern New Mexico, and some of Texas. It also ranges southward through much of Mexico to southern Puebla, so to answer your question, yes there is a lot of hiking in many of those areas.

As far as danger from coyotes, they range pretty much all across the southern U.S. all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. They're fairly common here in Georgia and are often seen in the city of Atlanta scrounging from dumpsters. The greatest danger from them would be if they had rabies and that seems to be more common among foxes and raccoons than coyotes.

[CameronVarnish]

I'm honestly surprised nobody said this yet... ARIZONA BARK SCORPION! It's sting is one of the deadliest in the world... I think this would work great!

[CameronVarnish]

(Sorry if I posted this before, it's not showing up on my computer for some reason.)
If I was you, I'd do the Arizona Bark Scorpion. Their sting is very dangerous, causing difficulty breathing, frothing at the mouth, extreme swelling, and a feeling of an 'electric current' going through your body. They are also small, making it easy to fit into a story without being too surprising. More info is available here: Arizona Bark Scorpion - Scorpion Facts and Information (http://www.scorpionworlds.com/arizona-bark-scorpion/)

[Arti]

Hey guys, thanks for the answers.
I'm not big on the snake biting at the head, because I don't want to have such a shocking scene in the film, it's got to be very subtle, the leg seems appropriate for different reasons.
As for the scorpion, it's a pretty cool idea, however from what I've been reading, it sounds like it's not likely to be fatal, especially if you get help. The character can't get help right away, but if there's a chance to be saved, they'd probably get the heck out of there and get to a hospital, even if it's far. I was looking for something more universally "I'm screwed" in essence, but it looks like it ain't that easy...

[Mikoh4792]

Some more input

Venomous and Poisonous Animals in Arizona: A Quick Reference | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (http://www.cals.arizona.edu/spotlight/venomous-poisonous-animals-arizona-quick-reference)

Maybe the person can get bit on the shoulder or on the back.... if you want it close to the neck but not directly the neck(to avoid the shock factor)

[Arti]

Very useful, thank you very much!