We measured the distance between fang tip punctures in defensive bites by western diamondback rattlesnakes (Crotalus atrox) and the distance between their retracted fangs. Because the fang tips at penetration average 112% further apart than their bases at rest, The Extractor(R), a device widely marketed in the United States for snake bite first aid, will not simultaneously cover both punctures of most adult New World pitvipers. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. [References: 18]
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