Serpents are part of the Order Squamata and are found in almost every place on the planet, except in the polar ice caps. They are ectothermic animals, that is, they need external sources to maintain their temperature, inhabiting mainly tropical regions. In Brazil there are approximately 371 species, diversity resulting from the variety of ecosystems in the Brazilian territory.
Despite popular beliefs, not all snakes are venomous, that is, they have a substance capable of harming the organism to which they come in contact, through inhalation, ingestion or absorption. It is a fact, however, that some genera have venom and, for that, they have a venom, a toxic substance produced by a specialized gland. Therefore, these animals are divided into four groups according to their dentition:
1. Aglypha dentition: The teeth of the jaw are approximately the same size, solid, and not specialized for venom inoculation. Examples are the Boa constrictor – boa constrictor; Eunectes sp. – anaconda; Chironius sp. – Vine snakes.
2. Opistoglypha dentition: they have one or more pairs of larger teeth, in the posterior part, with a groove through which the venom runs. Examples are Philodryas sp. – Parelheiras; Oxyrhopus sp. and Erythrolamprus sp. – False corals.
3. Proteroglypha dentition: a pair of immobile teeth with grooves through which the venom located in the anterior part of the mouth flows. A significant genus is Micrurus sp. – all true coral snakes.
4. Solenoglypha dentition: pair of large, hollow movable teeth in the anterior part of the mouth, through which the venom flows. Examples are the genera Caudisona spp. – Rattlesnakes; Bothrops sp. and Bothiopsis sp. – jararacas and Lachesis muta – surucucu-pico-de-jaca.
Snakes are essential animals in nature, playing an important role in several food chains, being able to act as predators of mammals, birds, lizards, snakes, for example, and also as prey for seriemas, hawks, owls, other snakes, among others. This is extremely important, since one of the bases of ecological balance is the population control intrinsic to this type of ecosystem dynamics. When in disharmony, some biotic category can be overloaded due to a disproportion between the groups of consumers, producers and decomposers, which can lead to a significant increase or decrease in the population of some living being.
In addition, this category of animals is also responsible for great support to the medical and pharmacological industry. Snake venom has great potential benefits to humans, and can be the basis for the production of anti-ophidian serums used in medicine in emergency situations in which humans or animals have an accident with these reptiles. In addition, drugs such as Captopril can be synthesized through the venom. This drug is derived from a peptide isolated from the venom of Bothrops jararaca (Jararaca-da-mata) discovered in 1975, which, to this day, is widely used as an antihypertensive drug for human and veterinary use.
Snakes are fundamental to environmental balance. In addition to its importance for the balance of ecosystems, not all of them have the poison feared by many people, even though it is extremely useful and important to humans. In this way, it is essential that we value the conservation of these animals and preserve natural biomes in which their specimens are inserted.
REFERENCES
1. SILVA, Jean Carlos Ramos. Tratado de animais selvagens-medicina veterinária. Editora Roca, 2007.
2. DE PONTES, Bruna Elizabeth Silva et al. Serpentes no contexto da educação básica: sensibilização ambiental em uma escola pública da Paraíba. Experiências em Ensino De Ciências, v. 12, n. 7, p. 79-99, 2017.
3. Répteis - Serpentes. Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio). Disponível em <https://www.icmbio.gov.br/portal/faunabrasileira/estado-de-conservacao/2790-repteis-serpentes> Acesso em 11 de janeiro de 2022.
4. DOS SANTOS, Ilia Gilmara Carvalho; FORTES-DIAS, Consuelo Latorre; DOS SANTOS, Maria Cristina. Aplicações farmacológicas dos venenos de serpentes brasileiras enfoque para Crotalus durissus terrificus e Crotalus durissus ruruima1. Scien Amaz, v. 6, n. 1, p. 42-53, 2017.
5. LIRA-DA-SILVA, Rêjane M. et al. Serpentes de importância médica do nordeste do Brasil. Gazeta Médica da Bahia, v. 79, n. 1, 2009.