Doctors say this snake was killed by a bite from a Brazilian 1-year-old boy. TV Cachoeira Novo Tempo/YouTube video screenshot

MOSTARDAS, Brazil, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- A 1-year-old Brazilian boy saved himself from a potentially venomous snake by killing it with a bite of his own, the toddler's parents said.

Jaine Ferreira said she went to check on her son, Lorenzo, when he was unusually quiet earlier this month at their home in Mostardas and she discovered the toddler holding a snake in his mouth with blood on his hands and face.


Ferreira told G1 her family's home is in an urban area where she has never spotted snakes before.

The mother said the child was treating the snake as if it was one of his toys and she needed help from the boy's father to wrestle the reptile out of his jaws.

Doctors examined the boy and found no signs that he had been bitten by the snake, which they said he killed by biting down close to the animal's head.

The doctors identified the snake as a venomous pit viper, but experts viewing photos of the expired reptile said it may have been a non-venomous water snake.

The Snake Bite Initiative estimates there are 540 to 2,298 deaths each year from snake bites across Latin America.