Introduction: Venomous snakes are of significant medical importance and are categorized into two groups: highly medically important snakes and lesser medically important snakes. In Sri Lanka, seven species of terrestrial snakes are classified as highly medically important. Accurate identification of these snakes can be challenging because several nonvenomous species closely resemble them in appearance. This case report describes two such snakebite incidents in Sri Lanka, highlighting the difficulties in snake identification and the potential clinical implications of misidentification.
Case Report: Two patients presented with nonvenomous snakebites. A 14-year-old schoolgirl was admitted to the Emergency Treatment Unit at Teaching Hospital Ratnapura, Sri Lanka in 2020 due to a python bite to her left 4th toe. A 44-year-old female was transferred from a local hospital for further management of a suspected krait bite, which was later identified as a common wolf snake. The patient was bitten on the left 3rd finger. Neither patient developed envenoming features and was discharged on day 2 of the snakebite.
Discussion: Even though nonvenomous snakebites do not cause envenoming effects, they are important. Juvenile pythons closely resemble adult Russell’s vipers, whereas wolf snakes mimic kraits. Antivenoms are indicated for bites by Russell’s vipers and kraits. Therefore, the correct identification of the snake is essential when managing these patients.
Conclusion: Some nonvenomous snakes mimic medically important snakes through morphological similarity, particularly in colour variation. Therefore, characteristic features should be used to identify these snakes.