Snakes can be deadly-but they can also save lives

Most people wouldn't go near dangerous snakes. But a man named Jim Harrison goes near reptiles everyday. I learned about Jim Harrison when I went to the Kentucky Reptile Zoo. Snakes may be some of the world's best-known venomous creatures. But they aren't the only ones. Some jellyfish, snails, stingrays, scorpions, insects, spiders, and even a few mammals make venom. Many animals, including snakes, use their venom to catch animals to eat. Others, such as stingrays, use it to defend against attackers. Different venoms work in different ways. It all depends on the mixture of toxins each venom contains. In the U.S., venomous snakes bite 7,000 to 8,000 people every year. Almost all of these victims survive, thanks to a lifesaving treatment called antivenom. Antivenoms are custom-made to stop a specific venom's effects. To create them, scientists need the venom collected by people like Harrison at the Kentucky Reptile Zoo. Scientists are finding that some toxins in venom can be used to treat disease and life-threatening conditions. For example, the large doses in a snakebite are dangerous. But in smaller doses, they can stop blood clots that can cause strokes or heart attacks. A lot of people are afraid of snakes but little do people know is that snakes can actually be beneficial to our health.




Vocabulary

reptile: cold-blooded animal with a backbone

mammal: warm-blooded animal whose young feed on milk produced by their mother

toxin(s): poisonous chemical made by a living thing

antivenom: medicine used to treat venomous bites or stings

stroke: occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain stops

Vocabulary Exercise:

1. It only takes harmful ________ out of the body.
2. ____________ is a medicine used to block off venom.
3. A ____________ is cold-blooded.
4. A ______________ is warm-blooded.
5. My grandfather had a ___________ due to a problem with the blood flow towards the brain.

Grammar Point: A sentence must have both a subject and a predicate. A subject is the part of the sentence that tells whom or what the sentence is about. The predicate is the part of the sentence that tells what the subject is or does. 

Grammar Exercise: Draw a line between the subject and predicate in each sentence.

1.Most people wouldn't go near dangerous snakes.
2. Snakes may be some of the world's best-known venomous creatures.
3. Some jellyfish, snails, stingrays, scorpions, insects, spiders, and even a few mammals make venom.
4.  Antivenoms are custom-made to stop a specific venom's effects.
5. Scientists are finding that some toxins in venom can be used to treat disease and life-threatening conditions.