A healthy respect for snakes is good — after all, an estimated 5.4 million people globally are bitten by snakes each year!

Many bites are the result of intentional interaction with snakes, and the study suggests many bites could be prevented.

"If you're bitten by a venomous snake, you should be seen by a medical professional for monitoring," Beatty said. "Some snake bites are what we would call a dry bite, where little, if any ...