SNAKES

In Italy there are two snakes families

COLUBRIDAE

with 3 subfamilia:

  1. Colubrinae: with 3 species of genus Elaphe, 3 of genus Coluber e 2 of genus Coronella; with aglyphous fangs

  2. Natricinae: with 3 species of genus Natrix; wuth aglyphous fangs

  3. Boiginae: with 1 species of genus Macroprotodon, 1 of genus Malpolon and 1 of genus Telescopus; with opistoglyphous fangs

 

VIPERIDAE

with 1 subfamilia:

  1. Viperinae: with 4 species of genus Vipera; with solenoglyphous fangs

 

 

Position,cross section and logitudinal section and print of fangs

  1. Aglyphous fangs: fixed and solid, typical of the 11 species of Colubrinae and Natricinae

  2. Opistoglyphous fangs: fixed, channelled and situated in the posterior part of the jaw, typical of 3 species of Boiginae

Note: Boiginae have venomous glands and uses their fangs to inoculate venom in the prey,they are however completely innocuous for the man

 

3. Solenoglyphous fangs: mobile, with a duct and situated in the front part of the jaw, typical of Viperidae

 

VENOMOUS SYSTEM OF VIPERIDAE

Viperidae have a gland in the posterior and lateral region of the head who produces a venom formed by an high percentage of water, various high toxicity albumins and other enzymatic proteins that act on tissues, on coagulation and, rarely and only venom of Vipera berus, on the nervous system. to inoculate venom use long mobile fangs with a duct that when snakes open the mouth form an angle of 90° with the jaw and in bite case they penetrate the skin of the prey and then inoculate venom through the duct; when they close the mouth fangs rotate against the palate.

Fortunately italian vipers are "pacific" and prefer to escape; their bite is mortal in little cases (old, children or debilitated people), indeed are more numerous deaths for anaphylactic schock for the antivenin than deaths for venom: so would be better that only doctors use serum.

 

 

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