Poisonous snakes can definitely cause fear and some of the most negative feelings towards some this crawling part of the animal world. The toxic secretion of poisonous snakes is so deadly that it can induce paralysis and death in less than thirty minutes, not to mention the chances of losing eye sight if venom gets into your eyes. Even though the risk of bites remains high when you accidentally come across them, poisonous snakes are creatures like all others but rely on their venom to survive: no snake will bite unless in defense or to hunt its meal . The rest of the negative impression on snakes results from a faulty perception triggered by ancient myths.
The arrangement of the venom secreted by poisonous snakes is very complex: the paralysis and eventual death of the prey are caused by a smart combination of proteins and toxins. The toxin weakens the muscles, the lungs and the heart, and depending on this way of action scientists have classified poisonous snakes into variety that destroy blood vessels and cause unstoppable hemorrhage, venomous species that have a paralyzing effect on the heart and, last but not least, others that only cause terrible muscle pain. The poisonous snakes with the most terrifying of reputations are corals closely followed by cobras.
The complicated structure of the snake venom still fascinates scientists, and lots of tests are still conducted on it. The only cure for poisonous snakes bites is the emergency antivenin administration. Certain elements do increase or decrease the victim's chances of staying alive: thus, an identification of the snake is essential as well as the proper location of the bite. If there is too much time between the moment of the bite and the antidote injection, serious health damage or even death could occur. Furthermore, there have been cases of patients who developed instant allergies to poisonous snake bites or to antidotes and died.
Rattlesnakes are the most common poisonous snakes in America, and they are the ones to cause most of the bites, yet lethal outcomes of such incidents have become a rarity these days since medical assistance is usually very readily available. Other relatives of the rattlesnake include the water moccasin, the cottonmouth or the copperhead; they are highly poisonous snakes too that would surely mark the days of anyone who gets bitten. Snake phobia could thus be developed because of a dangerous encounter with some poisonous snakes or this excessive fear can have roots in sociological ancestral beliefs that are present even with people who have never felt threatened by a snake.
The snake is also a symbol not just an animal people feel afraid of. The representations of snakes in our arts and cultures go back to the ancient mythical beliefs. On the one hand, serpents are part of ecosystems, with a well-determined role in the development of certain species, and secondly they are figurative spokesmen of deep meanings. Their hunting mice and rats keeps pest under control and prevents the over-breeding of these rodents. Yet, in the very old traditions, types of snake worshiping were part of religious rites, with the serpent representing deities, or the immutable circle of life and death or wisdom.
All types of snake-related myths have been discovered everywhere in the world: for the ancient Greeks the snake was the a sign of sexual potency; Mesopotamians and Semites attributed immortal features to this creature because it moulted and it rejuvenated its look on a regular basis; Indians, Siamese and Burmese considered the snake the embodiment of a demon that also had its good parts.
