There are generally five factors used to determine how dangerous a snake is:Ģ) The venom yield – amount of venom injected.ģ) The efficacy of the venom delivery system- the position and length of the fangs.ĥ) The likelihood that the snake would come into contact with a person. While possible, it is very unusual for bite – Vipers and pit vipers can inject intramuscularly or subcutaneously. The injection site for most elapids in subcutaneous due to the relatively short fangs. Many factors can influence the toxicity of the venom of a snake- they can include the species location, the age of the snake, the health of the snake and even the injection site. While they can still bite making them venomous, they can also spit and when the toxin comes into contact with the eye it can cause significant injury. and Rinkhals Hemachatus hemachatus are both venomous and toxungenous. This species has a nuchal gland that stores toxins sequestered from their prey (toads) and is used as an anti-predator system. In snakes, a classic example is the Tiger Keelback Rhabdophis tigrinus. Occasionally an animal can be both venomous and poisonous. Snake venom is very specific, you can NOT extrapolate the Ld50 from mice to predict the effect on human beings. Most Ld50 experiments use laboratory raised mice. Ld50 - this is the lethal dose, that kills 50% of the animals in laboratory testing. Venom yield - the amount of venom that is injected in a typical snake bite. Toxungen – a toxin that is released from one animal and on contact the toxin can cause a physiological injury. Poison - a toxin that can cause a physiological injury that may enter the body via swallowing or inhaling. Venom – a specialised type of toxin that can cause a physiological injury that is injected via a bite or sting. But what is the most dangerous Australian Snake? There is no doubt about it, Australia is home to some dangerous snakes. While historically the terms venom and poison were interchangeable, now used for different types of toxin classified by its delivery mechanism. The aim of this section of the website is to give some clarity as to how the terms used surrounding Australian reptiles and their potential danger.
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