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As climate change shakes up global map of venomous snakes, health risks abound

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Found in the forests of western sub-Saharan Africa, the West African Gaboon viper is considered one of the most venomous snakes in existence. Despite moving slowly, it can attack suddenly, both forward and sideways. Even a small dose of its venom can be deadly. In a future with higher temperatures, the geographical range of this species, Bitis rhinoceros, could expand by 250%. As it migrates into new areas, there’s a growing risk of more people being bitten and an alarming environmental imbalance occurring. The projected displacement of the West African Gaboon viper is part of a study conducted by international researchers led by Pablo Ariel Martinez, a biology professor at the Federal University of Sergipe in Brazil. Using computer models with different climate variations for the coming decades, the group predicted what could happen to 209 species of venomous snakes by 2070. The result of their analysis was published in the medical journal The Lancet Planetary Health. It warns about the potential impacts of this change in the geographical distribution of snakes on public health and biodiversity. A West African Gaboon viper (Bitis rhinoceros). Image by ucumari photography via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) “Climate change affects species distribution because they have physiological tolerances — they can only survive and reproduce under certain climatic conditions,” Martinez says. “If the temperature increases, they can disperse in search of colder climates and migrate to areas further north or south of the planet. Species do not respond to political barriers.” The projections show that…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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