The venom is made using the organs that evolved from the
salivary glands. Normal saliva has enzymes that will help in
digesting the food that a person chews, and natural selection
has favored the snakes which include more toxic enzymes in their
saliva. It has been discovered that the toxins in the venom are
just variations of the ordinary proteins. The prey have evolved
their immunity gradually and have been able to respond to over
50-100 types of protein that are used to alter the blood
pressure, prevent the blood clotting or paralyze the nerves.
Normal people will spit and they are not venomous. The venom was
selected for a subset of some animals in the animal kingdom, and
this includes cone snails, bees, centipedes, scrapings, spiders,
jellyfish and vipers. The animals are known to produce the
substance that can attack the victim in a matter of seconds.
According to what is being targeted in the body, the venom can
paralyze the nerves, can rot the muscle, and it will stop the
blood so that it does not clot.
The venom is made using only one single gene, but some snakes
have a cocktail of these genes. Delivering of the venom requires
more equipment. The venom is being produced by special glands
and then will have to be transported to the victim using the
fangs of the snake. The venom genes are the same as other genes
that are used to do different jobs, and this is both in venomous
snakes and non-venomous snakes. Some are related to the immune
system proteins that will protect the body against bacteria
while others are related to the digestive enzymes.
How the enzyme turned into venom was that the mutation made the
DNA duplicated and the duplication meant that twice the proteins
were made.
The venom in general is being produced by the specialized
glands, and it will be delivered to the targeted animals after
the infliction of a wound even if it is tiny. The venom contains
molecules that will disrupt the biochemical and physiological
process in order to facilitate the defense and feeding process
of the snake. The snakes will use their fangs to transmit the
venom to the victim. Fangs are sharp, grooved teeth and hollow
and they are connected to the head of the snake behind the eyes.
These sacs are where the venom is being produced. When the snake
bites, the venom will then be released and it will start working
at once in order to paralyze and kill the prey. When the snake
loses its fangs, it will grow more.
For more information about how do snakes produce venom, go to my
Snake
Removal - How to Get Rid of Snakes home page.