Woman Bitten by Venomous Snake While Enjoying Beach

A 45-year-old woman has been rushed to hospital after being bitten by a venomous snake on a popular tourist beach.

The woman was bitten on Sunday afternoon at Long Reef Beach in Sydney, Australia, after which she quickly showed lifeguards the two puncture wounds on her right ankle.

The snake in question is thought to have been a red-bellied black snake, according to local news Northern Beaches Advocate.

The woman—who was at the beach with her husband and son—had a compression bandage applied to her leg by the lifeguards, and was then taken to Northern Beaches Hospital by NSW Ambulance, as she was starting to show symptoms of the effects of the snake venom.

Red-bellied black snakes are venomous reptiles native to eastern Australia, and are one of the most commonly encountered snakes in the country. They are usually between 4 and 6 feet long, but can grow to as much as 8 feet in rare cases.

They are generally shy and elusive, and are not typically aggressive, preferring to avoid confrontation with humans. When threatened, they may flatten their bodies, raise their heads, and display their red-colored bellies as a warning. However, when threatened, they may also attack.

Red-bellied black snakes are venomous, and use this venom to incapacitate their prey. While their venom is potent enough to subdue small animals, it is not considered highly dangerous to humans, and fatalities from bites by the species are extremely rare. Between 2005 and 2015, 16 percent of all Australian snakebite cases involved a red-bellied black snake, but not one person died.

Their bites can still cause painful and unpleasant symptoms, as their venom contains myotoxins and neurotoxins that disable muscles and nerves, as well as anticoagulants, which cause excessive bleeding. Symptoms may include swelling, bleeding and dying tissue around the site of the bite, as well as nausea, vomiting, headaches and diarrhea. In rare cases, the victim may go into cardiac or respiratory arrest.

Despite deaths being uncommon from the species' bites, victims are still urged to seek medical attention, as antivenom can help avoid serious side effects. First aid for a snakebite involves immobilizing the limb that has been bitten and applying a pressure bandage, which helps prevent the venom from spreading throughout the body

The woman was in a serious but stable condition as of Sunday evening local time, and is being kept for further treatment.

Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about snakes? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.