Pythons biting their mouths

Australian biologist proactively attacked pythons to assess the severity of the bite.

Adam Thorn wore a protective mask and raised his hand to broach about two meters long, Sun said on September 30. He cried out in agony before Rob Alleva, an expert in animal care and control, pulled it out. Thorn suffered from open wounds, even had a fang embedded in his skin, and needed stitches. Meanwhile, Alleva was also bitten and had to remove the blood clot in his hand.

Picture 1 of Pythons biting their mouths
Adam Thorn put on a protective mask and raised his hand to broach about two meters long.

Thorn and Alleva are participating in the "Kings of Pain" program. During the show, the duo will try to let dangerous animals bite or sting. They studied the method of Dr. Justin Schmidt, the scientist who created the Schmidt index in the 1980s to assess the pain level of insect bites.

Thorn and Alleva use a 30-point scale to measure intensity, duration, and severity. The duo will then tell the audience which animal to avoid, how to handle a bite or bite. During the program, they will also try the Nile river iguana, sea urchins, lion fish, giant Asian centipedes, piranhas and wasps.

Pythons (scientific name Python reticulates) are native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and can kill even non-toxic species. They often attack by clenching their prey. Adult pythons can grow up to 7m and weigh more than 100kg.