Rattlesnakes: Fangs and Venom

Ten Things I Like About... Podcast

Summary: Fangs and venom are two of the amazing adaptations that rattlesnakes are known for and feared for. Join Kiersten as she discusses these two valuable assets.

For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean

Show notes:

America’s Snake: The Rise and Fall of the Timber Rattlesnake by Ted Levin

Rattlesnake: Portrait of a Predator by Manny Russo

Music written and performed by Katherine Camp

Transcript

(Piano music plays)

Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.

(Piano music stops)

Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… I’m Kiersten, your host, and this is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating.

This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won’t regret it.

This episode continues rattlesnakes and the fifth thing I like about this scaly creature is their fangs and venom. These two amazing adaptations make rattlesnakes adept hunters. We took a quick peek at them in the anatomy episode but today we’re going to take a closer look at both fangs and venom.

Let’s tackle fangs first. As I said in the anatomy episode, rattlesnake fangs are found in the upper jaw of the snake near the front. The are recurved which means they curve back into the mouth. They are modified teeth, so covered in enamel like other teeth. The modification is a hollow canal that runs the length of the tooth. This canal connects the venom gland to the tooth and travels down the tooth to a small opening at the front of the tooth just above the sharp end of the fang. The tip of the fang is very sharp and is often compared to a hypodermic needle.

There is one fang on each side of the mouth and they are the longest teeth in the rattlesnake’s mouth. The Eastern Diamondback, one of NA’s largest species, can have fangs 1 inch in length. These fangs are pretty sturdy but they can break. Since they are exceptionally important for the snake’s survival, new fangs are always growing. They sit just behind the current fang in the soft tissue of the gums. If one fang breaks another is ready to move up and grow out. This happens within a few weeks since the snake relies upon them to catch food. Older fangs are shed and replaced by a new ones even without sustaining damage. Occasionally, the active fang will fall out only when the new fang is grown out completely leaving the snake with two fangs in the same spot.

Now, tootling around with inch long fangs hanging out of your mouth is not conducive to easy movement when your head is close to the ground. You’d catch that thing on all sorts of debris and either get stuck or drag it around with you all day. Yuck! Rattlesnakes are able to fold their fangs flat against the roof of their mouth. There is a fleshy sheath that the tooth sits in when the snake does not need them. The snake has muscular control over the fangs. They choose when to erect them or fold them.

Let’s take a closer look at the venom itself. As mentioned before, rattlesnakes have venom glands. They have two venom glands that sit behind the eyes and connect to the canal in the fangs through a duct. The glands themselves are triangular in shape. This is what gives rattlesnakes their well-known arrow shaped head. A tendon that the snake can control pushes the venom into the fang when they strike at a prey item. They are in conscious control of how much venom they inject into a prey item. Vary rarely do they use all the venom at one time.

In simple terms, there are two types of venom. One affects the blood by preventing coagulation and destroys the vessels. This one is a hemotoxic venom. The second one disrupts the nervous system causing paralysis and heart and respiratory malfunctions. This one is a neurotoxin. Previously it was thought that snakes produced one or the other. But with continued research into venom, we now know that most venomous snakes have a combination of both. The percentage varies with each species and even within population of the same species. Rattlesnakes tend to have a higher percentage of hemotoxins in their venom.

Why do rattlesnakes even have venom? There are plenty of snakes out there that are non-venomous and are extremely successful creatures. So why venom? Scientists believe that venom evolved in rattlesnakes as a way to expedite the digestive process. Rattlesnakes do not wrap and suffocate their prey like constrictors do. During constriction prey item are typically squeezed so tightly that some joints and bones are broken even though it’s the lack of air that kills the prey. This process probably aides the constrictor in digestion. Since rattlesnakes do not squeeze their prey, they may have developed venom to assist in the digestion process. Venom does break down tissue. So before the prey item even hits the stomach of the rattlesnake it has already begun to break down. Considering you’re not chewing your food before you swallow, this is extremely helpful.

Venom is clearly a dangerous substance but rattlesnake venom has inspired helpful human medicine. Studying the chemical structure of venom has led to better blood pressure medication and anti-coagulants that some people rely on to live better lives.

Rattlesnakes are venomous, any snake that uses venom, is venomous. They are not poisonous. What’s the difference? Venom must be injected while poison is ingested or absorbed through the skin. If you get snake venom on you, as long as you do not have a cut on your skin, you’ll be just fine. You can touch a rattlesnake without fear of absorbing a toxin. For their venom to be deadly it must enter the blood stream. When referring to rattlesnakes, it is correct to call them venomous.

Does a rattlesnake inject venom every time it strikes? No, it does not. Sometimes, often when it strikes in defense, a rattlesnake will deliver a dry bite. The venom is used for digestion so why waste it on something you can’t eat? Many people have reported being bitten by a rattlesnake but not being injected with venom. We can make the educated guess that this may also happen with larger predators such felids or canids that might think a rattlesnake would make a good meal.

Of course, many people bitten by rattlesnakes do receive a bite with an injection of venom. Typically this happens when they see only a small portion of our body, like a hand or an ankle, and perceive it as a prey item. It also happens when we are harassing a rattlesnake and will not leave it alone. So what should you do if you get bitten?

First, remain as calm as possible and call for emergency services or travel to the nearest hospital. Remove any tight fitting clothing or jewelry near the bite that may become an issue when the area begins to swell. Tell medical personnel that you’ve been bitten by a rattlesnake. Do not catch or kill the rattlesnake to take it with you. It destroys an innocent animal and it wastes time. You do not need to identify the species of rattlesnake because the anti-venom used to treat you is the same regardless of species. And remember, the chances of dying from a rattlesnake bite are low. Quoting from Ted Levin’s book “America’s Snake: The Rise and Fall of the Timber Rattlesnake”: ‘Over the past several years, on average of five people have died of snakebite in the United States in any given year, less than one fatality for every eighteen hundred bites and most of those victims either received little or no first aid, or the treatment was greatly delayed.’

According to the CDC, you’re more likely to die from the sting of a bee or wasp, a dog mauling, a lightning strike, or an out of control farm animal than the bite of a rattlesnake.

That’s all for this episode of rattlesnakes. Thanks for joining me to learn about their specialized dentition and their venom. It’s my fifth favorite thing about them.

If you're enjoying this podcast please recommend me to friends and family and take a moment to give me a rating on whatever platform your listening. It will help me reach more listeners and give the animals I talk about an even better chance at change.

Join me next week for another episode about rattlesnakes.

(Piano Music plays)

This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.