Envenomation

Envenomation

Envenomation is the way some animals use venom to catch their food or protect themselves. 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 problem caused by envenomation is snakebite. Snakebite can be dangerous and affects many people in tropical areas.

Mechanisms

Some animals use venom to catch food or protect themselves. Venom can be 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. Young rattlesnakes can change how much venom they use depending on how big the animal is they are biting.

Diagnosis and treatment

Each year, many people around the world are bitten by snakes. It is important to know 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.