Snake Myths: "two-step snakes" and other fast-acting snake venom myths
For this series on snake myths, I'll be going through the results of this poll in order (and please feel free to suggest other topics!).
The myth: there are a lot of mistaken notions out there about how quickly venomous snake bites can become lethal to humans. One of the most common myths is the "two-step snake," a snake with venom so potent it kills its victim within two steps. Some other myths insist snake bites will kill within ten minutes.
The origins: these myths are often influenced by media - we've all seen movies where snake bites or snake venom are used as analogs to fast-acting poisons. Some, too, arise from simple rumors.
The famous "two-step snake" is the many-banded krait, and the myth arose from rumors spread by USAMerican soldiers during the Vietnamese war. The rumors rose out of a general atmosphere of deep fear of the environment around them. Many-banded krait bites are rarely fatal in under 48 hours, plenty of time to get medical care.
The reality: with the vast, vast majority of snake bites, even untreated bites are rarely fatal in under a few days. Elapid bites tend to be more quickly severe than viper bites, but even they rarely become emergencies in under around seven hours.
The snake that can kill a human the quickest, by far, is the king cobra. King cobra bites can become emergencies in under 10 minutes and can become lethal in about 30 minutes. Other fast-acting elapid venoms, including those of the black mamba and inland taipan, can be lethal in under an hour. For all these snakes, though, in all but very severe envenomations, you will typically have at least a few hours to get medical care.
Snake venom is almost never fast-acting, and it's typical to have days to get help. It won't be a pleasant experience, but there is no snake bite that will kill you within just a few minutes.