Snakes

The structure of the venom secreted by poisonous snakes is very complex: there is mainly a combination of proteins and toxins that when spread in the prey’s body paralyze and eventually kill it. The toxin attacks the heart, the lungs and the muscles first, and depending on this way of action scientists have identified poisonous snakes that destroy blood vessels and cause unstoppable hemorrhage, venomous species that paralyze the heart and others that only cause excruciating muscle pain. The poisonous snakes with the most frightening of reputations are corals closely followed by cobras.

The intricacies of snake venom still make the subject of comprehensive scientific studies. The only remedy for poisonous snakes bites is the immediate administration of antivenins. There are however some factors that influence the victim’s chances of survival: thus, an identification of the snake is necessary as well as the proper location of the bite. If too much time lapses between the moment of the bite and the administration of the antivenin, serious health damage or even death could occur. Furthermore, there have been cases of patients who developed instant allergies to poisonous snake bites or to antidotes and died.

Rattlesnakes are the most common poisonous snakes in America, and they are the ones to cause most of the bites, yet death from such accidents is a rarity in our times since medical help is usually very readily available. Other relatives of the rattlesnake include the water moccasin, the cottonmouth or the copperhead; they are highly poisonous snakes too that would surely mark the days of anyone who gets bitten. Snake phobia could thus be developed because of a dangerous encounter with some poisonous snakes or it can be the result of sociological ancestral traditions that are manifest even in people who have never come across a snake in their life.

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