Signs warn visitors to beware of rattlesnakes on the walking paths outside the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. A new study by two professors, Stanford University’s Grant Lipman and the University of Colorado’s Caleb Phillips, shows that rattlesnakes and other venomous reptiles may bite more people after rainy seasons. The study, which analyzed 20 years of snakebite data in California, found “there was a significant increase in snakebites the year after a rainy season,” says Lipman, an associate professor of emergency medicine. Outside magazine reported last year that a man on a month-long trip with his family was bitten by a venomous snake in California’s Yosemite National Park. *Find out in advance about the venomous snake fauna of the areas you plan to visit.

Source: Forbes February 21, 2019 14:26 UTC