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The Squatch advantage


Midnight Owl

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7 hours ago, dmaker said:

Is it OCD of me that I simply cannot resist the urge to point out that those snakes are not poisonous, they venomous?

 

Ah, I feel so much better now :)

 

 

I love ya.... but this is the nerdy stuff Im talking about! 

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What happens if I drink rattlesnake venom? What happens if I inject arsenic by syringe into my arm?

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From what I have read if you drink rattlesnake poison and have no lacerations in your mouth or an ulcer nothing will happen. But don't take my word for it ;) Injecting arsenic? Not good.

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Ahh now this is the sort of pedantic conversation that keeps me coming back. FWIW I believe it probably has to do with the method of delivery as a means of defense... ie a mushroom is poisonous because it's going to make you sick if you eat it, a snake is venomous because it's going to make you sick if it bites you (but not if you eat it). Active vs passive delivery.

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^Well...haha...if you're eatin' the head, there's a good chance the rattlers teeth pokin' ya...thus ya might get caught dead eatin' the head of a rattler haha ! I think you should eat pizza instead of rattler heads...or burgers, burgers are good ! ;);)

:drinks: 

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Yep, hamburgers are a good choice. And blacken up some hotdogs over the fire while yer at it, too. Oh yes, and sumpin to wash 'em down with :) Let the Summer begin!!

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As long as we got our snake nerd on. Copperhead/viper venom is a mixture of 20 or so enzymes that work together to put the animal down and start the digestive process from the inside out (snakes don't chew their prey) that's the reason for the swelling and tissue necrosis. Coral snake venom (and cobras, mambas, most Australian venomous snakes) is neurotoxic and blocks the communication junction between the muscle and the nerve (acetylcholine receptor site, works just like curare). The nerve still works and the muscle still works but can't communicate so you get paralyses, which is a big problem when the diaphragm is targeted. Some viper venoms are more neurotoxic when the snake is younger because they focus on lizards or frogs which have less efficient circulatory systems so neurotoxic venom works better. When they get older the venom changes (venom ontogeny) to more enzymatic as they switch to small mammals (warm blooded) prey which have a more volume to surface ration (more block shaped) so the digestive part of it is a real advantage.

 

If you drink venom and you don't have any mouth sores or cuts then no problems. Stomach acids break it down quickly.

 

Uhhhh......I did my MS thesis on this stuff back in the day.

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Midnight Owl...yes a pit viper, but all hemotoxins are not created equal. Or doses, for that matter. Necrosis and secondary infections are nothing to scoff at, I agree, but give me a choice between a water moccasin and a copper head? No choice, really.  

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Oh yes WSA I hate those water moccasins.  I've actually had them aggressively attack me along the water's edge.  Ran a 4.4, 40 LOL!!!

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