A snake has many teeth in its mouth, but only a few poisonous teeth are present.The snake’s venomous teeth have needle-like holes inside through which the venom is injected.Although the snake’s teeth grow back after they break, but for how long, this is something to know
What do the snake charmers who carry poisonous snakes and cobras in a round box do? The venom is drained out and there is no danger of a poisonous bite. If you have seen the teeth of a snake, then these fangs are hollow but strong like pipes. The snake spits out its venom through these. So we will tell you whether breaking the teeth of a snake really drains out its venom or something else is done for this.
Generally, the belief is that snake charmers who carry snakes around are so clever that they know how to break their teeth very well. If the teeth are not there, the snake will not be able to bite and the venom will not be injected into anyone’s body. Snake charmers are also found saying that they break the teeth of snakes and eliminate their venom. But perhaps this is not the reality.
Does breaking the snake’s teeth really remove its venom?
We talked to wildlife expert Mridul Vaibhav about this, who has been rescuing snakes for a long time. He closely monitors their movements and lives. The information he gave us was completely beyond the fact that the snake’s poison is removed by breaking its teeth. He also told us an incident about how a big mistake was made once.
Symbolic picture (image generated by Leonardo AI)
It is a legal offense to harm snakes
By the way, let us tell you that breaking the teeth of a snake or intentionally killing or harming it is a crime. If any person or community has any problem related to snakes, then they should contact wildlife officials or natural life conservation institutions. If you harm a snake, you will face crime laws under the Wildlife Protection Act.
The law considers snakes protected
Under Indian law, snakes are considered protected wild animals. They are protected under the schedules of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Under this Act, illegal hunting and possession of these snakes or their body parts or venom is a punishable offence. Under Section 9 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, catching or attempting to catch a wild animal is also considered a crime.
There are many teeth in a snake’s mouth, but only a few are poisonous.
Snake does many things with its teeth
By the way, before going further, let us also tell you that snake’s teeth have many functions:
Catching prey
Killing the prey
swallowing food
Venomous teeth are used to poison prey
Snake venom is a type of saliva that is produced by special glands
Venom contains a mixture of many types of proteins and enzymes
How many poisonous teeth does a snake have?
Let us also tell you that snakes have many teeth in their mouths, but poisonous snakes have two to four long, hooked and pointed teeth in their mouths, which are called venom teeth. These are hollow or pipe-like and are connected to a venom sac. When a snake bites, the venom enters the body through these teeth.
Non-poisonous snakes have a series of teeth shaped like a U on their jaws. They do not have venomous teeth.
Snakes usually have about 100 tiny pointed teeth, but some snakes have more or fewer teeth. These teeth help them catch and hold their food, like mice or birds.
Symbolic picture (image generated by Leonardo AI)
New teeth appear within a week
Mridul Vaibhav says that if any snake’s teeth are broken, new teeth grow within a week. Therefore, it is completely wrong to assume that once the teeth are broken, the snake’s venom will stop coming out and any person will be safe from the venom.
A young man was killed in this incident
Vaibhav told that once in Jaipur, a novice snake charmer illegally sold a viper to a young man mistaking it to be a python. He told him that its teeth had broken and hence it would not pose any danger, but within a week the viper grew new teeth. The young man who bought it was found dead.
So how is snake venom extracted?
Therefore, snake charmers remove the venom glands of poisonous snakes. For this, this gland is broken by putting a long needle or hot ash in its mouth, due to which the snake stops producing poison. After this, they feed the snake with egg solution.
Know how snakes break and change
In fact, snakes regularly replace their teeth, including their fangs, because teeth can break, wear out, or get stuck in prey. Here are the main reasons why and how snakes lose teeth.
Causes of tooth breakage
– Snakes use their teeth to catch prey and defend themselves, which can cause teeth to break or wear down over time.
While eating, the teeth can get stuck in the prey, causing them to break.
– Repeated biting and chewing actions can gradually damage the teeth.
how teeth grow back
– Snakes have a unique tooth replacement mechanism compared to other reptiles.
– Snakes shed old teeth through the action of odontoclast cells which break down the tooth from the inside.
– Sometimes a replacement tooth grows into its place before the old one falls out, temporarily giving the snake 3 teeth on one side.
Tags: Cobra snake, Snake Venom
FIRST PUBLISHED : August 3, 2024, 08:06 IST