Surprising Survival Facts
In a crisis, what you think you know can often be the difference between safety and danger. Many of the survival tips we see in movies are actually myths that could make a bad situation worse. Here are five surprising facts about staying alive in the wild.
- You Do Not Need to Find Food Right Away: Most people panic about starving, but the human body can actually survive for three weeks or more without food. In a survival situation, your priorities should always be shelter, water, and fire—in that order. Food is a much lower priority than staying warm and hydrated.
- Drinking Cactus Water is Dangerous: In movies, lost travelers often cut open a cactus to find a refreshing drink. In reality, the fluid inside most cacti is highly acidic and full of toxic alkaloids that will make you vomit. This causes you to lose more fluids and become even more dehydrated.
- Sucking Venom Out of a Snake Bite Does Not Work: This is a dangerous myth. If you try to suck out venom, you are likely to damage the tissue around the wound or get venom into your own mouth. The best thing to do is keep the wound below the level of the heart, stay calm to keep your heart rate low, and get to a hospital as fast as possible.
- Rubbing Your Hands Together Won’t Save You From Frostbite: If your skin is freezing, rubbing it creates friction that can actually damage the skin tissue and cause further injury. Instead, you should tuck your hands under your armpits or use lukewarm—not hot—water to gradually warm the affected area.
- The Rule of Threes: Survival experts often use the Rule of Threes to help people prioritize. You can survive 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter in extreme weather, 3 days without water, and 3 weeks without food. Remembering this helps you focus on the most immediate threat to your life first.