Snakeprotex snake gaiters

[stry]

If the shoe fits ............

Those pics make it pretty clear that the primary aim of that gaiter is snake protection. They look they would be pretty good at that.

[slparker]

Given this:
Postby Empty »
... From what I have read Australia's vennomous snakes are relatively short fanged with the average length of fang for a fully grown snake around 5 to 7 mm.
and this:
Moondog55 wrote:
'Most of the gardeners around here [and Tigers are the reason] wear the S2S canvas gaiter and i've never heard of theose being penetrated and causing an injury'

Why buy something that is not specifically designed for walking for a problem that you probably won't encounter ( a snake biting through your existing gaiters)?

[LandSailor]

I have a pair. $90 on ebay.
I like them and feel safe in them. Good for walking through thick bush. Prickles and thorns dont stand a chance.
I like how the zip does up from the top down so they can't come undone. They come up high to which gives good protection and also good to sit on at your camp site.

Thanks very much for your post Chris.

[jackhinde]

Not a bad idea from a marketing perspective as it plays on a persons fear of snakes. From what I have read Australia's vennomous snakes are relatively short fanged with the average length of fang for a fully grown snake around 5 to 7 mm. The exception is the death adder which has fangs up to 20mm which suits its style of ambush hunting.

The suggestion is that most snakes are unlikely to be able to envonomate through a sturdy shoe or even a thick, bunch up woolen sock so probably most gaiters afford protection enough without having to spend more than required.

As already mentioned, the likelihood of a snake bite is pretty remote at the best of times.

I agree with the sentiment, but divide those quoted fang lengths by at least half!

[walkerchris77]

I think the main reason i like gaiters is they protect your legs from everything and i dont have to worry Prickles and and scratches or rips in my pants. Personal opinion i guess everyone s different.

[vicrev]

Great reasons to like gaiters, Chris.......

[criscjk]

I bought a pair from arborgreen which is located in mount barker s.a and they deliver as well. They have 4 sizes to choose from Small , standard , Large and xlarge. I went for the standard as they fitted very nicely. Great comfort and very thin with the highest quality and you soon forget they are even on. I use mine for even slashing the lawn as they keep the grass out of my boots.
Highly recommended for anyone who wants a piece of mind that they will be protected.

[DarrenM]

Todays snake encounter had me thinking about this thread! I went to move some corrugated sheeting and a 4 foot Black had nowhere to go! We both retreated at about the same speed. It could be anything under there, but I can assure you it's another snake.

The same spot a few months back I accidentally hit a baby with a machine before I'd noticed it was even there. The poor little fella was 2 inches off my boot before seeing him.

[stry]

Not a bad idea from a marketing perspective as it plays on a persons fear of snakes. From what I have read Australia's vennomous snakes are relatively short fanged with the average length of fang for a fully grown snake around 5 to 7 mm. The exception is the death adder which has fangs up to 20mm which suits its style of ambush hunting.

The suggestion is that most snakes are unlikely to be able to envonomate through a sturdy shoe or even a thick, bunch up woolen sock so probably most gaiters afford protection enough without having to spend more than required.

As already mentioned, the likelihood of a snake bite is pretty remote at the best of times.

I agree with the sentiment, but divide those quoted fang lengths by at least half!

I'll say straight up that I haven't measured any but I've seen a few, and I would say that 5 to 7mm is much more likely than 2.5 to 3mm.

The "standard issue" tiger where I live would be a guesstimated minimum of 5 to 7.

When they are thrashing around looking to deliver a bit of payback,they look more like 20mm

[jackhinde]

From my observations of captive elapids the teeth are tiny, and I have had a pet tiger snake unable to penetrate a flannelette shirt, but don't just take my word for it:
...average fang size of a Brown Snake is 2.8mm, Copperhead is 3.3mm, Tiger Snake 3.5mm, Red-bellied Black Snake 4.0mm, Death Adder 6.2mm and Mulga Snake 6.5mm...
White, J. 1987. Elapid Snakes: Venom Production and Bite Mechanism. In: Toxic Plants & Animals. A Guide for Australia, ed. J. Covacevich, P. Davie & J. Pearn. Queensland Museum

[stry]

From my observations of captive elapids the teeth are tiny, and I have had a pet tiger snake unable to penetrate a flannelette shirt, but don't just take my word for it:
...average fang size of a Brown Snake is 2.8mm, Copperhead is 3.3mm, Tiger Snake 3.5mm, Red-bellied Black Snake 4.0mm, Death Adder 6.2mm and Mulga Snake 6.5mm...
White, J. 1987. Elapid Snakes: Venom Production and Bite Mechanism. In: Toxic Plants & Animals. A Guide for Australia, ed. J. Covacevich, P. Davie & J. Pearn. Queensland Museum

Given that you have clarified your quoted fang lengths as averages, and given that my "subjects" were almost entirely tigers over 1m in length,I think it would be fair to say that my guesstimates and your quoted figures correlate reasonably well Actually I'm rather pleased that my guesstimates don't seem to have been unduly influenced by adrenaline fueled exaggeration.

BTW, I'm not volunteering to wear a flannelette shirt in any further penetration testing

[slparker]

From my observations of captive elapids the teeth are tiny, and I have had a pet tiger snake unable to penetrate a flannelette shirt, but don't just take my word for it:
...average fang size of a Brown Snake is 2.8mm, Copperhead is 3.3mm, Tiger Snake 3.5mm, Red-bellied Black Snake 4.0mm, Death Adder 6.2mm and Mulga Snake 6.5mm...
White, J. 1987. Elapid Snakes: Venom Production and Bite Mechanism. In: Toxic Plants & Animals. A Guide for Australia, ed. J. Covacevich, P. Davie & J. Pearn. Queensland Museum

Given that you have clarified your quoted fang lengths as averages, and given that my "subjects" were almost entirely tigers over 1m in length,I think it would be fair to say that my guesstimates and your quoted figures correlate reasonably well Actually I'm rather pleased that my guesstimates don't seem to have been unduly influenced by adrenaline fueled exaggeration.

BTW, I'm not volunteering to wear a flannelette shirt in any further penetration testing

That's assuming that fang length in adult snakes increases proportionally with body length and size. There's no reason to assume that, after the juvenile stage, double the length of the snake, double the length of the fangs.

[jackhinde]

Mr. Parker is quite correct regarding body length and fang length, there is no direct correlation. The quoted lengths were for adult snakes, juveniles were not included in the data set, so the averages apply only to large animals.
A tiger snake fang is hard to see unless you are holding the beast up close... by the way just reread the post "thrashing" and "payback" worry me, you aren't murdering protected native wildlife are you?

[Empty]

You sound like you know your onions Jack so I am happy to defer to your knowledge. I had heard the 5mm length on a few occasions from snake handlers at field days etc and was always comforted by the fact that even at 5mm they are relatively short and unlikely to get through my boots. Even more reassuring now.

As a matter of interest did you happen to see a doco on SBS Global Village entitled Dr Venom? Fascinating story about a QLD scientist who mainly studies the inland taipan and the uses of its venom in human medicine. He made the point that his boots and long trousers were no protection against a bite from that particular snake which made me think they must have longer than usual fangs. If you missed it I can highly recommend it. He is the rock star of the venom world.

[stry]

Mr. Parker is quite correct regarding body length and fang length, there is no direct correlation. The quoted lengths were for adult snakes, juveniles were not included in the data set, so the averages apply only to large animals.
A tiger snake fang is hard to see unless you are holding the beast up close... by the way just reread the post "thrashing" and "payback" worry me, you aren't murdering protected native wildlife are you?

Fear not I respect their space as much as anyone. Have avoided, gone around, and moved on plenty. When they take up residence in the woodheap, rockery, vege patch, or other places close to the house where surprise encounters become an odds on possibility, I "relocate" them. Murder ????

[slparker]

You sound like you know your onions Jack so I am happy to defer to your knowledge. I had heard the 5mm length on a few occasions from snake handlers at field days etc and was always comforted by the fact that even at 5mm they are relatively short and unlikely to get through my boots. Even more reassuring now.

As a matter of interest did you happen to see a doco on SBS Global Village entitled Dr Venom? Fascinating story about a QLD scientist who mainly studies the inland taipan and the uses of its venom in human medicine. He made the point that his boots and long trousers were no protection against a bite from that particular snake which made me think they must have longer than usual fangs. If you missed it I can highly recommend it. He is the rock star of the venom world.

I've read of a taipan inflicting a bite through leather boots and also that commonly they inflict multiple strikes. This is from an old john pearn text and probably relies on anecdotal information but, still, the taipan seems to be in a whole different class of bad. They don't kill many people though, funnily enough, so it's probably overkill to wear specific protection against them unless your exposure is very high.
Again, no-one seems to die if the proper first aid treatment and anti-venene is used, once bitten.

I'll keep my gore-tex gaiters and if I ever become a surveyor in close country in queeensland I'll consider kevlar boots and gaiters.

[jackhinde]

As a matter of interest did you happen to see a doco on SBS Global Village entitled Dr Venom? Fascinating story about a QLD scientist who mainly studies the inland taipan and the uses of its venom in human medicine. He made the point that his boots and long trousers were no protection against a bite from that particular snake which made me think they must have longer than usual fangs. If you missed it I can highly recommend it. He is the rock star of the venom world.

was he filmed with his shirt off?

[Empty]

He may have been as I recall seeing a few nasty looking tatts. His account of a coral snake bite is rather disturbing.

[jackhinde]

That was a bit of an in joke in the snakey world... he takes off his shirt and spectacles for nat geo all the time!