Venomous species of snakes myth

Many people overestimate the amount of deaths caused each year by venomous snakebites. This may be in part because, at least in areas where they are rare, media coverage goes into overdrive. This can be related to the pop culture view of how many shark attacks happen each year, and since they don't happen all that regularly, news castors see it as an opportunity for an interesting story. Once put into the public eye it tends to create a little bit of widespread fear of the species. This in turn leads people to hunt the species out and kill them or spread their misconceptions. In reality venomous species of snakes only make up about ten percent of all the snakes known worldwide, and in areas where there actually are native venomous species, these species are considered rare, and most snakebites are caused by human error, either because a person was trying to kill a venomous species out of fear, or in some way not giving due respect to the snake. Many people do not consider the fact that when they come across a snake, which are generally much smaller than people, and in no way considering that person as a meal, that person is going to be considered a predator, and if necessary the snake will defend itself, so generally it is best to keep a safe distance from species that one cannot identify with confidence. However with the media's role in inciting fear of all snakes many people still believe every snake they come across could be venomous, and that's when the mistakes happen. No snake native to the United States is capable of eating a person so any perceived aggressiveness towards a person is strictly in defense. If a person is bitten by a snake it is important to gather as many details about the individual snake as possible for proper identification, without overestimating size or things of that nature. It is also important to note that snakes are typically shy creatures and will do their best to make an escape should they be cornered or captured, so if one does not want to get bitten, then all one has to do is leave a snake alone if they see one.