Risk of snakebites increasing as reptiles adapt to changing world, says study

The Mozambique spitting cobra. Snakes are coming into greater contact with people as a result of climate disruption, the researchers said. Photograph: Media Drum World/Alamy

The risk of snakebites is increasing across the world as reptiles shift their habitats to cope with rising temperatures and growing human pressures, a study of venomous snakes has found.

Spitting cobras in Africa, vipers in Europe and South America, cottonmouth moccasins in North America and kraits in Asia are coming into greater contact with people as a result of climate disruption and landscape change, according to the research, which was led by the World Health Organization.