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Poisonous snakes are amongst the most feared creatures in the animal world. The venom of poisonous snakes has such a lethal impact that it can kill one in less than thirty minutes, not to mention the risk of getting blind if any of the toxins are sprayed into the eyes. Even with the risk of getting bitten in close encounters, poisonous snakes prove in fact disarmed as they rely on their venom to survive: no snake will bite unless in defense or to hunt its meal . The rest of the negative feelings towards snakes comes from an incorrect perception powered by ancient myths.

The venom structure difficulty is amazing: there is mainly a combination of proteins and toxins that when spread in the prey's body paralyze and eventually kill it. The toxin weakens the heart, the lungs and the muscles first, and depending on this action mode scientists have identified poisonous snakes into kind that destroy blood vessels and start an unstoppable hemorrhage, venomous species that have a paralyzing effect on the heart and, last but not least, others that only cause excruciating muscle pain. The poisonous snakes with the most terrifying of reputations are corals closely followed by cobras.

The intricacies of snake venom still make the subject of comprehensive scientific studies. The only remedy for poisonous snakes bites is the emergency antivenin administration. Certain elements do increase or decrease the victim's chances of staying alive: thus, knowing the type of snake that caused the bite and its exact location prove crucial. If too much time lapses between the moment of the bite and the administration of the antivenin, serious health damage or even death could occur. Furthermore, there have been cases of patients who developed instant allergies to poisonous snake bites or to antidotes and died.

Rattlesnakes are the most common poisonous snakes in America, and they are the ones to cause most of the bites, yet lethal outcomes of such incidents have become a rarity these days since medical assistance is not a problem anymore. Other relatives of the rattlesnake include the water moccasin, the cottonmouth or the copperhead; they are highly poisonous snakes too that would surely mark the days of anyone who gets bitten. Stressful incidents involving snake attacks are often behind snake phobia or this excessive fear can be the result of sociological ancestral beliefs that are present even with people who have never felt threatened by a snake.

The snake is also a symbol not just an animal people feel afraid of. The representations of snakes in our arts and cultures draw their roots from the ancient mythical beliefs. Thus, regardless of the types of snake varieties, we are talking about important elements of ecosystems, with a well-determined function in the development of certain species, and secondly they are figurative spokesmen of deep meanings. Their feeding on mice and rats limits the risk of pest and prevents the over-breeding of these rodents. Yet, in the ancient traditions, types of snake worshiping were part of religious rites, with the serpent representing deities, or the immutable circle of life and death or wisdom.

All types of snake-related traditions have been discovered everywhere in the world: for the ancient Greeks the snake was the symbol of fertility; Mesopotamians and Semites considered this animal immortal because it shed its skin and it rejuvenated its look on a regular basis; Indians, Siamese and Burmese considered the snake the embodiment of a demon that is not entirely bad.