Venomous snake

[1] Snake venom is modified saliva used for prey immobilization and self-defense and is usually delivered through highly specialized teeth, hollow fangs, directly into the bloodstream or tissue of the target.

[2] Similarly, certain garter snakes from Oregon can retain toxins in their livers from ingesting rough-skinned newts.

The result obtained depends on which of the four delivery sites is used for the injection: subcutis (SC), vein (IV), muscle or peritoneum (IP).

the most applicable to actual bites as only vipers with large fangs (such as large specimens from the genera Bitis, Bothrops, Crotalus, or Daboia) are capable of a truly intramuscular bite, snakebites rarely cause IV envenomation, and IP envenomation is even rarer.

[8] Studies on mice[9][10][11] and human cardiac cell culture[6][12][13] show that venom of the inland taipan is the most toxic among all snakes.

The toxicity of snake venom, based on laboratory tests conducted on mice, is sometimes used to gauge the extent of danger to humans, but this is not enough.

[15] A number of other factors are also critical in determining the potential hazard of any given venomous snake to humans, including their distribution and behavior.

[16][17] For example, while the inland taipan is regarded as the world's most venomous snake based on LD50 tests on mice, it is a shy species and rarely strikes, and has not caused any known human fatalities.

In addition, some species, such as the black mamba and coastal taipan, occasionally show some aggression, generally when alarmed or in self-defence, and then may deliver fatal doses of venom, resulting in high human mortality rates.