Posted by:
BGF
at Wed Sep 15 02:17:55 2004 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by BGF ]
Hi mate
>>
>>I just love your shows on the TV. Good stuff.
Fangs for that 
>I always wondered about the popping the toad thing too. The grass snake we have here in Holland (Natrix natrix helvetica) has the enlarged teeth backwards in the mouth too. It has no venom like the hognose. It does have the duvernoy gland (spelling?).
Actually, it does have venom. Not enough to typically cause any notable signs in humans but its still there. Enough to stun a frog or fish but thats all it really needs. Hence those cute little fangs.
We've shown some of the snakes we think of as 'non-venomous' actually have venoms as potent as a death adders. However, they produce it typically in small amounts. The potential severity comes down to simply how much is actually delivered. The toxicity is there. For the majority of these snakes, the amount delivered is so trivial in bites to humans that for all practical (legislative) purposes, they are completely harmless.
Cheers
Bryan
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Dr. Bryan Grieg Fry
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Australian Venom Research Unit,
University of Melbourne
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Population and Evolutionary Genetics Unit,
Museum Victoria
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http://www.venomdoc.com
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RE: Hi Bryan... - BGF, Wed Sep 15 02:17:55 2004