Can snakes bite themselves with its venom?

Snake snakes by venom? It may sound a bit paradoxical, but that can happen in practice.

Almost everyone knows that snake venom is dangerous and if it is injected into any organism, including humans, it will cause death after only a few minutes. So have you ever asked a snake when you bite yourself, will it die because of venom? The answer behind this question will surely surprise you.

If snake venom is created from the mouth and sprayed from the canines, is the snake affected if it is accidentally swallowed? And if it uses its fangs to bite itself, can it die? To answer such questions, let us explore the formation and mode of poisoning of snakes.

The main purpose of venom is to immobilize prey and to support snake during digestion.

The role of venom

Snake venom is a fluid secreted in the salivary glands, specially modified to become a toxic type. The main purpose of venom is to immobilize prey and to support snake during digestion.

The main component of snake venom is protein. These toxic proteins enter the bloodstream of animals, causing dangerous reactions. The venom also contains special enzymes that break down molecules at a rapid rate, helping to digest prey more quickly. Enzymes support the breakdown of carbohydrates, proteins, phospholipids and nucleotides in prey.

Another component of snake venom is polypeptide . These polypeptides are factors that make the venom dangerous. It is possible to understand polypeptide as a sequence of amino acids. It can disrupt cellular function and lead to cell death.

Mechanism of venom spray and snake venom transmission

The fastest method of venom transmission of snakes is to use canines and inject into prey. As soon as the sharp fangs pierce through the skin, the venom follows the wound into the bloodstream and begins to run through the organs in the body.

Besides, there are some snakes that have formed the method of poisoning in another way, which is spraying poison from fangs. However, this is only a defense mechanism and has no effect on killing prey.

The fastest method of venom transmission of snakes is to use canines and inject into prey.

The storage and injection mechanism of snakes is basically the same . The first is the venom gland. These specialized routes are located in the solid head, mainly in the back of the throat. This is the place where snake venom is stored. Another important part is the muscles in the neck area. It acts to grip prey and regulate the amount of venom emitted from the canines.

The last two important parts are pipes and fangs. The ducts connect directly from the venom glands to two snake fangs. Especially, snake canines are not as thick as normal teeth, but they are hollowed out to transmit venom into prey more easily.

So can the snake snake bite itself, causing them to die?

The answer is yes. If their venom is injected into the blood or injected by another snake, the effect of the venom is similar to that of a snake injected into a human. In other words, a snake can commit suicide by biting itself, provided that it injects venom into its own blood.

However, there is another case, if the snake swallowed the venom through the gastrointestinal tract. Will they die?

The answer is no . Because the main ingredient in venom is protein. For protein toxins to be effective, they must be injected or absorbed into tissues or blood. The snake swallowed its own venom is not harmful, simply because these harmful toxins will be decomposed by stomach acid and digestive enzymes. So the venom is no longer dangerous.