"Venomous" Bites from "Non-Venomous" Snakes

"Venomous" Bites from "Non-Venomous" Snakes, Second Edition thoroughly  examines the potential hazards associated with bites by non-front-fanged  snakes (popularly, but inaccurately, called "rear-fanged snakes"). This  diverse group contains approximately 80% of living snake species  (approximately 2,900 species). A large proportion of these snakes were  previously assigned to the family Colubridae but, as a consequence of  expanding systematics investigations, have been split into multiple  families and subfamilies. Many of these snakes produce venoms or oral  secretions that contain toxins and other biologically active substances.  A large variety of non–front-fanged snakes figure in the pet industry,  yet little documented information or formal study of their potential  medical importance has been published. Therefore, although the possible  medical importance of many of these species has been subjected to  speculation since the mid-19th century, there is a limited amount of  useful descriptive information regarding the real hazard (or lack  thereof) of this wide variety of snakes.

The first edition of  this book provided "one-stop shopping" by offering information regarding  their possible toxicity and clinical relevance as well as  recommendations for medical management of their bites. The second  edition expands and updates the content with detailed information about  the effects and medical management of bites by a broad representation of  non–front-fanged species. The hypothetical venomous nature of some  lizards considered as non-venomous such as the Komodo monitor or dragon  and their allies, as well as the medical effects of their bites, is also  examined. The dynamic taxonomy of advanced snakes is updated, and the  bases for some of these fluid changes are discussed. Likewise,  terminology is also updated in order to reflect the ongoing debates  regarding the definition of "venom" and the balanced reinforcement of  nonmedical criteria used to define the biological basis of the term  "venomous."