Poisonous Snakes
- Jane Doe
- Apr 1
- 1 min read
Updated: Apr 12
Hello all and happy April Fool's Day!
When I’m volunteering with animals, I'm often asked whether a particular snake is poisonous. The intended question is usually whether the animal is venomous, meaning carrying venom that would be dangerous to you if you were bitten. Something being poisonous means that it is dangerous if you bite it. Very important distinction!
However, in the indulgent spirit of April 1st, here's an ACTUAL answer to the question of poisonous snakes.
While there are a handful of poisonous snakes, they don't produce their own poison; rather, they become poisonous thanks to their diets. This is called kleptotoxisism (klepto-, coming from the ancient Greek noun kléptēs, meaning thief). Take the garter snake, which preys on poisonous newts: over generations, the newt becomes more poisonous to avoid being eaten, and in response, the snake becomes more tolerant of that poison. The result of such predation is a snake turned highly poisonous due to what it consumes. The tiger keelback snake works in the same manner, but with newts.
Now you know! Have fun and bring harmless joy to those around you. :)
Pretty neat actually.