EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Rattlesnakes primarily use a hemotoxic venom that destroys blood cells.

Detailed explanation-2: -Snake Venoms Elapid snakes-including coral snakes, cobras, mambas, sea snakes, and kraits-have primarily neurotoxic venom. In contrast, vipers-including rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths-have primarily hemotoxic venom.

Detailed explanation-3: -The venom of rattlesnakes is a mixture of hemotoxins and neurotoxins, but are mostly hemotoxins. Hemotoxins target tissues and blood, causing hemorrhaging and necrosis. Their venom is really a cocktail of chemical elements. Neurotoxins target the nervous system, some of which can cause paralysis.

Detailed explanation-4: -ACTIONS OF SNAKE VENOM Hemotoxins-toxins that destroy red blood cells, disrupt blood clotting and/or cause organ degeneration and generalized tissue damage. An injury due to a hemotoxic agent is often very painful and permanent damage, such as loss of an affected limb, is possible even with prompt treatment.

Detailed explanation-5: -A simplified historical overview is that viper venoms are predominately haemorrhagic and elapid venoms neurotoxic. While this simplification holds for many species there are a number of examples of vipers causing neurotoxicity (Silva et al, 2017) and elapids causing bleeding disturbances (Berling et al, 2015).