This is an old revision of the document!
Table of Contents
Snake Venom
PDF Presentation:
PowerPoint Presentation:
Introduction
Summary Videos
History
Evolution of Venom
Interesting Venom/Snake Facts
There are 8000 venomous snake bites are reported in USA every year, out of which, only five bites are fatal (Nielson, n.d). Copperhead snake accounts for the majority of the venomous snake bites in USA.India is the most affected by venomous snake bites and has 35000-50000 deaths every year from snake bites. Pakistan ranks second in terms of fatalities with 8200 reported annually. Snakes are known to consume their prey much larger than their own size and this is known as jaw-walking. Their jaws are only loosely attached to their skull and are unconnected, implying that they work independently. Snakes have curved teeth which allow them to pull and swallow the animal further. Snakes are also known to play a vital role in the environment by maintaining populations of rodents and allow high crop yields in farms (Nielson, n.d). Snakes normally prey small animals including fish, frogs, snails, lizards, chickens, mice, rats or sometimes, they even attack other snakes (Kang et al., 2011). Venom is their primary offensive weapon and is used to incapacitate and immobilize the prey. The secondary function is to use it in a defense mechanism against the predator and also to aid in digestion (Kang et al., 2011).
