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Can Australians identify snakes?
Author(s) -
Morrison John J.,
Pearn John H.,
Nixon James,
Covacevich Jeanette
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1983.tb142105.x
Subject(s) - snake bites , demography , indigenous , medicine , geography , envenomation , biology , ecology , sociology , venom
A study of the ability of Australians to identify snakes was undertaken, in which 558 volunteers (primary and secondary schoolchildren, doctors and university science and medical students) took part. Over all, subjects correctly identified an average of 19% of snakes; 28% of subjects could identify a taipan, 59% could identify a death adder, 18% a tiger snake, 23% an eastern (or common) brown snake, and 0.5% a rough‐scaled snake. Eighty‐six per cent of subjects who grew up in rural areas could Identify a death adder; only 4% of those who grew up in an Australian capital city could identify a non‐ venomous python. Male subjects identified snakes more accurately than did female subjects. Doctors and medical students correctly identified an average of 25% of snakes. The ability to identify medically significant Australian snakes was classified according to the observer's background, education, sex, and according to the individual snake species. Australians need to be better educated about snakes indigenous to this country.