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I am in need of confirmation... backed up by research, exact knowlege or something credeble

I was told by a veterinary coligue of mine that there was a discussion on VIN that baby rattlesnake as well as having a lack of control in venom delivery are also MORE potent then adult rattlesnakes

Can this statement be backed up with proof or otherwise and not just hearsay and misconception

Thank you for your time
Sincerly
PatrickR LVT

I havn't been on VIN in a while and havn't read that topic yet. Go to Bryan's site at venomdoc.com for the best information regarding this however from what I know (and this has been discussed many times on his site), there is no blanket statement that covers all venomous snakes, or even all crotalus. Even stating that young rattlers lack the ability to control venom release is a bit of a stretch since how do you test such a thing. Emperical evidence suggests this statement to be true, since "dry bites" tend to be more common in adults, but to the best of my knowledge a definitive, controlled study has not been done on this subject.
For them being more potent, I also believe this to be myth, yet, am less sure about it... something to do with the chemical makeup being the same the entire life, but young'ns are more willing to use it as they are easier prey. But like I said, I'm just steering you to venomdoc.com and adding my (hopefully well versed) opinion too

Ian AHT

There is no serious evidence for the "lack of control" idea in juvenile rattlers. However, they may compensate for their very small available doses of venom by injecting on a verage a greater proportion than adults.

The venom of juveniles of some snake species is more lethal than that of adults, and may differ in activity. In some Bothrops, for instance juvenile venom tends to have higher hemorrhagic activity but less necrotising activity than that of adults. However, the difference in lethality pales into insignificance compared to the massive difference in venom yield - adults produce VASTLY more venom than juveniles.

Clinical studies that have investigated this have generaly found that bites by larger snakes are, on average, more severe than those by smaller snakes, but nonetheless, a proportion of bites by juveniles ended up being very severe or even fatal as well - there is no room for complacency with any venomous snake, large or small.

Cheers,

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