Envenomation

Envenomation is the way some animals use venom to hurt or catch their food. Venom is a special liquid that these animals inject through a bite or sting. Many different animals can do this, including some mammals like the northern short-tailed shrew, reptiles such as many snakes, spiders, insects like wasps, and even some fish like stone fish.

These animals use venom for two main reasons: to catch their prey and to protect themselves from danger. When an animal like a snake bites, it injects venom to help disable its food or to keep away threats.

One serious problem caused by envenomation is snakebite. It is considered a disease that affects many people in tropical areas. Each year, snakebites cause over 100,000 deaths and leave more than 400,000 people unable to use their limbs properly.

Mechanisms

Some animals use venom to catch food or protect themselves. Venom can be put on the outside of a body part, like the eyes, but often it gets into the body by piercing the skin. For example, the Gila monster and some other reptiles use their teeth to bite and put venom in through special grooves. Many animals have special parts like hollow teeth called fangs or stingers called stingers. These parts go through the skin and muscles push venom deep into the body. Venomous snakes have fangs connected to a venom gland by a tube.

Mechanisms of snake envenomation

Main article: Snakebite

Snakes use special teeth called fangs to put venom into another animal. A snakebite happens in several steps: the snake strikes, the fangs go up, the fangs go into the skin, and then the fangs pull back. Snakes have a gland that makes venom, which goes through a tube to the fangs. The fangs have hollow tubes with grooved sides. When a snake bites, the fangs go into the skin and a part around the fangs moves back, which pushes the venom out. Bigger snakes put out more venom than smaller ones. Snakes can bite to catch food or to protect themselves. When protecting themselves, they put out much more venom quickly to stop an attacker. When catching food, the snake bites, lets go, and then follows the scent of the venom to find the animal. Young rattlesnakes can change how much venom they use depending on how big the animal is they are biting.

Diagnosis and treatment

Each year, about 2 million people around the world are bitten by snakes, and this can lead to up to 100,000 deaths. It is very important to find out if a snake bite is serious so that the right help can be given. There are special medicines called antivenom that can stop the bad effects of snake venom. These medicines are made from antibodies, which are like tiny helpers that fight the venom. Some snakes, like pit vipers and coral snakes, need special kinds of treatment to help with problems caused by their venom.