There is something very unsettling about fangs. Fangs inject venom and extract body fluids. They are hidden away in closed mouths or behind seductive Transylvanian smiles, until the moment before the bite – a moment too late.
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Not all snakes have fangs. Those that squeeze the life out of their prey, such as boas and pythons, have no need of them. But among those that do, fangs can be of three different types.
Members of the largest family of snakes, the colubrids (garter, grass and king snakes, among many others), tend to have a pair of slightly elongated teeth towards the back of the upper jaw.
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In those that are venomous (and many are not), the fangs deliver the venom (produced by specialised salivary glands) via an open groove running the length of each fang that channels it to the tip. This arrangement requires prey to be moved to the back of the mouth to inject the venom, which isn’t very practical for larger prey, or for defence against predators.
Most rear-fanged snakes, therefore, pose little threat to humans, though there are notable exceptions. Two species of colubrid, the boomslang and the twig snake, were responsible for the deaths of two eminent 20th-century herpetologists – respectively, Karl P Schmidt and Robert Mertens, both of whom took detailed notes on their own symptoms right to the end.
But most of the more dangerous snakes are equipped with fangs positioned at the front of the mouth. This allows them to strike quickly and to inject venom without the need to get a proper purchase on their quarry. Many simply slash at their prey and retreat, returning to feed once the venom has done its worst. Another difference is that front fangs deliver the venom through an internal channel that opens at the tip, like a hypodermic needle.
The front fangs of the elapid family (cobras, taipans, kraits, mambas and coral snakes) are short, rigid structures. More sophisticated still are the fangs wielded by members of the viper family (including rattlesnakes and adders). Rather than being fixed in place, theirs are folded back against the roof of the mouth when not in use, allowing them to have longer fangs and still close their mouths. The action of opening the mouth causes the small bone on which they are mounted in the upper jaw to swivel, which swings the fangs down and forward.
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Happily, snakes don’t see humans as prey and will only bite us in self-defence. In which case, a touch of ophidiophobia is sensible, if it stops us stumbling within striking distance.
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