Many snakes will not inject venom in their victim’s bodies
through the use of hollow fangs, and this is a common
misconception. Dry bite is the name given to the bite from the
venomous animal that does not carry venom when it is released.
The dry bites may take place with every snake, but the frequency
will depend on which species. At least 25 percent of snake bites
are dry bites. They are known by the tooth and fang marks but
there is no injected venom. Sometimes, a dry bite can be
confused for venomous bites by the victims or physicians.
For many people, snakes and venom work hand in hand, but this is
one common belief which is not true. There are over 2700 species
of snakes and among them only 300 are known to be venomous. The
venom is the poison that is secreted by the animals for
offensive and defensive purpose. The venom comes from enzymes
found in their stomach. As time has passed, the venom has
evolved and many snakes have different types of venom.
Snake venom is divided into two categories. There are
neurotoxicity and hemotoxicity. The hemotoxic venom may affect
the organs and blood, which may cause inflammation and breakdown
in a body. A hemotoxic bite is the most painful since it hurts
and the tissue will start to die off. Neurotoxic venom will
affect the nervous system and it leads to seizures and then to
death. The neurotoxic bite is the most deadly. However, one
snake may have two options when it comes to their venom, and it
is hard to know which snake has which venom.
Whenever a person is bitten by a snake, he will worry about the
venom right away. The fangs are not the glands that secrete the
venom, but they are only the method to transfer the venom. The
venom is secreted in the glands found at the top of the head of
the snake. The glands are also categorized in true or false
venom glands.
The venom in the snakes takes time to make and it cannot refill
easily when it is emptied. Sometimes the snake may decide to
save its venom for an emergency. This is why the snake may not
always inject the venom whenever they bite their prey or they
may use other strategies to avoid having to bite people.
However, the constrictors do not have the venom and they do not
worry about wasting it, so they may bite as many times as they
want. Since it is hard to know when a bite is dry or not, it is
necessary to see a doctor as soon as possible, after you are
bitten by a snake.
For more information about whether snakes always inject venom
when they bite, go to my Snake
Removal - How to Get Rid of Snakes home page.