Venom Files - Anatomy of a Snake Bite

In rural India, there is one snake everyone tries to avoid. King cobra venom is devastating, not because of its potency, but rather the sheer volume. The biggest venomous snake on earth can inject 7 millilitres of venom in a single bite - enough to kill a human in 15 minutes, or an elephant in hours. It needs such a formidable weapon so it can kill and swallow other large venomous snakes whole.

The Indian spectacled cobra is also a lethal hunter in its own right, and its venom is neurotoxic. This is some of the fastest acting venom on earth, and if bitten, it immediately attacks the nervous system. That means headaches, dizziness and laboured breathing. Muscles in the chest slow breathing down, ultimately causing heart failure. Death can come within the hour. The cobra needs this deadly cocktail to hold its own against rivals like the king cobra.

Over on the African continent, a black mamba rears aggressively. One of the most dangerous snakes on earth is poised to strike. If it bites a person, what happens? Real-time effects are tracked using CGI. A bite anywhere near the centre of the body from this snake is usually a death sentence. Acute abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting come within minutes. Then suffocation and cardiac arrest. Why have these snakes evovled to have such an impressive defense system? Both the black and green mambas eat birds. If your prey can fly away, you need a venom to act quickly so that victims literally fall where they’re bitten. They can then be consumed at leisure.