why di you think the snake itself
Answers
If you’ve ever watched a nature program, or gone on a perilous trek of your own somewhere in the wilds of the world, then you’re probably familiar with (and a bit wary of!) snakes. There are nearly 3,000 different species of snakes in the world, and more than 10% of these are venomous. Of that 10-15%, a very small portion are actually dangerous to humans.
Even so, the fear of being bitten by a poisonous snake still runs rampant through global cultures, because we have heard about or seen the terrible and fast-moving effects that snake venom can have on a body (Hollywood has made sure we’re aware of the power of snake venom!)
That being said, if snake venom is so powerful and deadly, why doesn’t it poison the snake? After all, the snake is slithering around with a bunch of venom inside, right?
The Science of Snake Venom
What is snake venom?
Snake venom is a special form of saliva that contains a range of zootoxins and is stored in something akin to our salivary gland. Once the venom is created and stored in these glands, it does not move back through the body, where it could infect other tissues, just as it does in their prey. The toxic venom is stored in these specially protected glands until it is moved down through narrow tubules in the fangs and delivered into the snake’s prey.
Simple Digestive System (Photo Credit: ellepigrafica ' Fotolia)
Simple Digestive System (Photo Credit: ellepigrafica ‘ Fotolia)
How does snake venom work?
This is a common question for those fascinated by the mysteries of Nature, as well as those who are deathly afraid of snakes. To understand this fully, we should first understand a bit about snake venom, as well as the mechanisms snakes have developed over millions of years.
Snake venom is primarily made up of proteins, the vast majority of which are broken down in the stomach, just like the proteins found in meat and beans. In other words, eating a protein-based poison wouldn’t be very harmful, as they would be neutralized in the stomach. However, if that venom somehow bypassed your stomach or entered your bloodstream in another way (such as through a bite), then the toxins wouldn’t break down and would begin to do real damage to your organ systems, typically in the form of necrosis and hemorrhage. When these toxic proteins are broken down in the stomach, they are separated into their simple, harmless amino acids.
The same thing is therefore true for snakes, in terms of eating their food. Those protein poisons function to debilitate and digest prey, in addition to natural defense, so snakes are exposing themselves to their own poison when they eat their food. However, when they devour that small animal (or even another snake), they are able to neutralize their own venom through this protein breakdown process while they digest their food.