Virtually everyone out there has heard the term “poisonous
snake” before. What many people do not realize is that a snake
is not poisonous in the traditional sense of the word. Snakes
and spiders are venomous. The difference is that poison is
ingested, whereas venom is injected. Snakebites are generally
harmless as the largest number of snakes are non-venomous. Of
all the snakes in North America, only the rattlesnakes,
copperheads, cottonmouths and coral snakes are venomous.
Ironically, these snakes and their various subspecies have
markedly different snake venom. Venom generally works in two
different ways. Most rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths
are what is referred to as Pit Vipers. Pit vipers generally have
hemorrhagic venom. In simple terms, hemorrhagic venom causes the
snake bite victim to bleed to death from the inside. Hemorrhagic
venom is also likely to cause massive tissue damage and
scarring. A coral snake, which is closely related to the cobra
family, has what is called a neurotoxic venom.