Heterodon species are true opisthoglyphs, harboring a complex venom and venom gland, formerly referred to as the Duvernoy’s gland. They do not harbor a toxic saliva. While Joe Monohan did incur some reaction to the venom, as has been mentioned, this was s staged episode and Joe had to coerce the snake into biting him, by scenting his finger with a toad and allowing it to “chew” on his finger for an extended period of time.

While most native Heterodon spp. prefer to flee or feign death as defensive actions, they will bite if molested and the latter two defenses indicated do not work.

While it would be very unlikely to incur an envenomation from a defensive bite, one should be cautious when handling a newly wild caught or unknown specimen, as each individuals immune system handles the introduction of a foreign protein into the body differently, as most of us will simply say a few choice words and remove the stinger from a bee sting, while such can bring about a medically significant anaphylactic reaction in others.

Personally, I have found native Heterodon spp. to be quite docile, once acclimated to captivity, and a joy to work with and I too would harbor no worries regarding my child handling a captive specimen…



Best regards,



Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres

University of Arkansas

snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu

501.603.1947

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