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Venom from snakes like the Jameson’s mamba, seen here in Cameroon, may soon combat heart disease.
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Venom expert Zoltan Takacs grabs a yellow-lipped sea krait in Fijian waters. This snake’s toxic bite causes paralysis, which keeps its strong and speedy eel prey from escaping.
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It’s hard to see—but essential to avoid—a stonefish on a Pacific reef. If venom from its dorsal spines doesn’t kill you, the pain is so great that you may find yourself begging for the affected limb to be cut off.
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The element of surprise gives this rhino viper in Cameroon an edge over prey. Quick-kill venom finishes the job. Vipers provide valuable toxins, including those used in drugs for hypertension and heart disease and to control bleeding during surgery.
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Bitten by a venomous krait as he slept in his home in rural Vietnam, Can Van Thanh, 20, lies paralyzed in Hanoi’s Bach Mai hospital. Takacs’s team had antivenom flown in from Thailand, and he recovered.
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The hollow fangs of the Jameson’s mamba deliver toxins that can lead to respiratory paralysis—and a person’s death within hours.
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This cobra, known to spit its venom, is one of numerous snakes farmed in concrete bunkers in Le Mat Village, Hanoi. Cobras in Vietnam and many other snakes are traded within Southeast Asia for consumption.
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A snake farmer displays one of his prize king cobras, bred in his backyard pen. The economy of his village, which is near Hanoi, relies heavily on the snake trade.
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Barefoot and bare-handed, 59-year-old Huang Van Tan searches for snakes—preferably cobras—in a rice field near his village. He uses a long pole to wrangle a snake into a bag tucked into the back of his pants. He keeps a few snakes for his family to eat and sells the rest to a local restaurant or an exporter. A cobra can bring a hundred dollars—a lot in rural Vietnam.
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Snakes, snake eggs, and lizards infuse rice wine in bottles at a restaurant in Le Mat Village. Locals say that drinking these concoctions eases pain, keeps organs healthy, and boosts virility.
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The evening drink special at a Le Mat restaurant in Vietnam is king cobra in rice wine. Venomous reptiles are cooked to order to satisfy discriminating diners. Cobra dishes are expensive, so most patrons order less costly meals, perhaps with a shot of cobra wine on the side.
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