03/30/2025
We’re kicking off the weekend the right way—with another post! 🐍🥳❤️
Have you heard that juvenile venomous snakes have more potent venom or can’t control how much they inject, making their bites more dangerous than adult venomous snakes? This is a common belief that many of us grew up hearing and may continue to live by—but let’s break it down!
While young snakes have less-developed venom glands and may be less precise at controlling their venom output (a process called venom metering), this doesn’t mean their outflow of venom is excessive. In fact, adult snakes have fully developed venom glands, allowing them to store and deliver larger amounts of venom more efficiently than juveniles. But here’s the kicker—25–50% of adult rattlesnake bites are "dry bites" where no venom is injected at all! Since venom takes about three weeks to replenish, an adult rattlesnake *could* deliver a more dangerous bite, but it can decide to conserve its venom, so it doesn’t go weeks without a much-needed meal!
As for potency, juvenile and adult venomous snakes often have different venom compositions suited to their prey. For example, young rattlesnakes have venom specialized for immobilizing frogs and lizards, while adults venom targets mammals like rodents. But this doesn’t mean juveniles are more potent to humans—just different! Instead of comparing juvenile to adult snakes on venom potency, comparing species would show a greater distinction!
Thanks to years of scientific studies, we’re able to separate fact from fiction and explore the complex layers of life. Hopefully these discoveries help ease some of the fear surrounding venomous snakes! 🐍✨
📸: A juvenile cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) by iNaturalist, Vicki Miller
