A study done by CU Boulder and Stanford University researchers shows snake bites are more likely to happen during rainy years. The study challenges the belief that drought years make snakes more likely to come out and bite.
Researchers looked at 20 years of snake bite data from California. They examined a total of 5,365 snake bite cases. They found snake bites became more common in years with heavy rainfall but became scarse during drought years.
For every ten percent increase in rainfall over 18 previous months, cases of snake bites spiked by 3.9 percent.
Researchers say more plentiful rainfall could increase the availability of typical snake food, mice and rodents. With plenty to eat, snakes will come out more often to chow down. In the process, their encounters with people can increase and result in more snake bites.