It should be stressed that poisonous snakes cannot be made harmless by removing the fangs. The poison glands and ducts remain and other teeth can still scratch the skin, allowing entrance of the venom. Also, “reserve” fangs are normally present. These are immature fangs lying along the upper jaw bone. At intervals a reserve fang grows down beside a fang which has been used for some time. The old fang is shed and a new sharp “hypodermic needle” is in position. Thus, snakes are sometimes found with three or four fangs. [Illustration: Skulls] DUCT POISON GLAND FANG SHEATH TONGUE SKULLS NON-POISONOUS POISONOUS REPLACEMENT FANGS Snake venom is used to manufacture _antivenin_, which is injected into snakebite victims to help counteract the effects of the poison. The venom is injected in graduated doses into horses, which build up an immunity to the venom. Blood is withdrawn from the horse and the serum is processed to produce antivenin. How To Tell A Poisonous From A Non-Poisonous Snake In Kansas The features given here apply only to Kansas snakes and may not be applicable elsewhere. Even in Kansas, there are some non-poisonous snakes which exhibit either the tail or eye characteristics given for poisonous snakes, but none have the pit. It probably need not be pointed out that these features can be seen only when the snake can be examined closely. Certainly, every snake should not be picked up to look for these characteristics! A warning is necessary at this point—reflex action can cause an apparently “dead” snake to bite, so do not handle “dead” snakes with the hands; use a stick. The best way to be able to identify a poisonous snake is to know _all_ of the venomous snakes of your region by sight. Color and pattern are distinctive and are easily learned. POISONOUS [Illustration: POISONOUS] 1. Pupil of eye elliptical (cat-like) 2. Pit between eye and nostril 3. Two enlarged teeth (fangs) in front of the upper jaw 4. Scales on underside of tail in a single row NON-POISONOUS [Illustration: NON-POISONOUS] 1. Pupil of eye round 2. No pit between eye and nostril 3. All teeth of upper jaw approximately same size 4. Scales on underside of tail in a double row Key To Kansas Poisonous Snakes