Man bitten by Britain’s only deadly snake, where are they found and how to spot them

A man was playing golf in Kent when staff thought he went into anaphylactic shock, however, they soon found out that wasn’t the case when they noticed the bite mark on his foot. As reported by Express, Ben Bishop, a 57-year-old man, was golfing at Cobtree Manor.

As he was looking for his ball in the rough, he was bitten by a snake on his right foot. Bishop was taken to hospital after he developed a rash and was struggling to breathe. So what snake bit Ben Bishop and how do you recognise them?

What type of snake bit Ben Bishop?

According to Express, Ben Bishop was bitten by an adder on his right foot. Speaking about the event, Bishop explained that he felt a ‘sharp hot needle’ in his heel.

I was rummaging around in dead twigs and branches and suddenly got an unusually sharp hot needle feeling straight in my heel.

He then added that half an hour after he felt the ‘sharp hot needle’ he felt his face go numb and he began to shake and sweat and found it hard to breathe and swallow:

Half an hour later I could feel my face going numb. I was struggling to breathe, swallowing was difficult and I was shaking and sweaty.

Ben made a full recovery from the snake bite and revealed he now takes extra precautions when golfing now.

How to spot an adder

As per The Sun, adders are typically found in ‘areas of rough, open countryside near woodland’. They are usually seen in early spring after months of hibernation.

When it comes to what an adder looks like, it has a distinct dark zigzag running down the length of its body and an upside-down ‘V’ on its neck.

Male and female adders do differ in appearance, males tend to be white or pale grey with a black zigzag, while females tend to be pale brown with a darker brown zigzag. Some adders can be all black which can make it harder to identify them.

Adult adders can grow between 60 cm to 80 cm, which is around 24 inches and have a lifespan of up to 15 years.

Read more:

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Sources used:

Express: ‘Urgent warning issued after golfer is bitten by Britain's only deadly snake’

The Sun: ‘SNAKE BITE HELL Urgent warning after golfer bitten by UK’s only deadly species of snake leaving him struggling to breathe and swallow’