Summer is the season when children are out of school and participating in a number of outdoor activities. However, it is also the time of year when some of the region’s most dangerous animals are most active.

Knowledge of venomous animals and what to do if you are bitten is a necessity, especially if you plan on participating in outdoor activities during the hot summer months.

On average, there are 8,000 snakebites reported each year, but fewer than 15 result in death. However, if you have been bitten by a snake, you should seek medical attention immediately.

Although there are more than 30 different species of snakes in Tennessee, the state is only home to four venomous breeds: northern and southern copperheads, timber rattlesnakes, western cottonmouths and western pigmy rattlesnakes. Copperheads and cottonmouths are the most prevalent in our area, with copperheads being responsible for the most snakebites in the state. Envenomation (the process by which venom is injected by the bite, or sting) from a copperhead bite is rare, but medical attention should always be sought in the case of a copperhead bite.

Symptoms you may feel following a bite from a venomous snake can include intense local pain, rapid swelling, discoloration, fang marks and oozing of blood from the fang marks. Other symptoms include convulsions, fainting, dizziness, fever, excessive sweating, loss of muscle coordination and increased thirst.

If you or someone you know has been bitten, call for emergency assistance immediately. If you know what type of snake bit the victim, let the hospital know so it can have the proper antivenin ready. If not, make sure you can identify the snake from a picture, but do not try to capture or kill the snake unless it poses an immediate threat.

Wash the bite with soap and water, immobilize the bitten area and keep it lower than the heart. Cover the area with a clean, cool compress or a moist dressing to minimize swelling and discomfort. When washing the affected area, do not rub or scrub it, which can promote absorption of the venom.

Black widow and brown recluse spiders are the only two types of venomous spiders in the area, but a bite from either one can result in tremendous pain and medical issues if not treated immediately by a physician.

A bite from a black widow can result in swelling and redness at the bite site and symptoms can progress to muscle cramps and rigidity, headache, nausea, vomiting, weakness, twitching and difficulty breathing. Symptoms usually are at their worst six hours after the initial bite.

Brown recluse spider bites usually consist of a local tissue reaction. Initially, there may be very little pain associated with the bite, but within 18 hours, a fluid-filled vesicle will develop in the bite. The blister will rupture in about two days, leaving an open ulcer that can become infected and spread if not treated by a physician immediately. Other symptoms include headache, body aches, fever, nausea and vomiting.

Ticks are not venomous creatures, but they do pose a threat to your health, as they can carry life-threatening diseases such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease. They can also transmit tularemia, which is a plague-like disease found in rodents and ehrlichiosis, a newly identified illness that comes on quickly and consists of fever, rash, nausea, vomiting and weight loss.

Lyme disease has a number of different symptoms. The main symptom is a red rash that appears after infection and can last anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks. Some time after a bite from an infected tick, you might feel several flu-like symptoms, such as headache, stiff neck, low-grade fever, chills, poor appetite, sore throat and swollen glands.

If you find a tick on your body, do not touch it with your bare hands. Remove it with a tweezer, trying to get as close to the tick’s mouth or head as possible. Once you have removed the tick, kill it with petroleum jelly, solvents, knives or a lit match. Put the tick in a container or plastic bag so it can be tested for disease and wash the area of the bite with soap and water and apply antiseptic as necessary. Contact your doctor for further testing and follow-up care.

For the most part, if you leave dangerous animals alone, they won’t attack you. However, it is important to know what to do should you get bitten.

For more information on the different types of venomous animals in Tennessee and how to identify them, please visit www.tennessee.gov/environment/tn_consv/archive/venomouscreatures.pdf.