Description
Envenomation is the process by which venom is injected. An Evenomator is any snake capable of injecting venom. Envenomators: The Venomous Snakes of North America tells the story of the four venomous snakes indigenous to North America: Copperhead, Cottonmouth, Coral and Rattlesnake.
Venomous Snakes. The words themselves inspire fear and even horror. They’re slimy and evil and many a viper would enjoy biting you and injecting you with a powerful dose of venom that would send you to your death bed. You’re not alone in your thinking. These snake stereotypes are common—and wrong. This exhibition is designed to promote understanding and clarify the misunderstandings that much of the public has about this intriguing and beneficial group of animals. Visitors to the Exhibit will explore the surprising secret lives of these venomous beauties whose reputations are unfortunately based more on fear than fact.
The Exhibit is divided into four parts. At the entrance visitors will encounter two stone walls on which are various symbols that man has created throughout time to record his interaction with and response to snakes. In this first section of the Exhibit the visitor is introduced to the ancient beliefs and cultural relationships that many peoples have held through the centuries. Hopi Indians, Aboriginal tribesman and Indian Snake Charmers all dressed in traditional costumes, are seen performing activities that depict the individual cultural relationship with these potentially deadly animals.
The second part of the exhibit focuses on the four types of venomous snakes native to North America: Copperhead, cottonmouth, coral and rattlesnake. Visitors are introduced to these snakes through living dioramas, numerous interactive stations, and bold interpretive text panels. Visitors can test their courage by being given the option of walking on a swinging suspension bridge over a rock arroyo filled with live rattlesnakes or they can step inside the dark recesses of a rattlesnake winter den and be surrounded by live rattlesnakes.
The third area discusses how snakes are among the most evolutionarily successful vertebrates on Earth and have compensated for the absence of limbs with thermal vision, complex venom-delivery systems and constriction and expandable jaws that allow them to swallow prey many times larger than their own heads. Displays showing defense methods, sensory perception and other special attributes create awareness and new understanding of these much-feared yet fascinating creatures. There is a 25-foot model of a diamondback rattlesnake that kids can crawl through, a “simulated bite station” that allows you to test your reflexes against the speed of a striking rattlesnake, and a display that lets you see the world through infrared snake vision.
The last exhibit area is dedicated to the realities of living in the same world with these wonderful and beneficial creatures and attempts to turn our fears of snakes into respect for them. Many myths about venomous snakes are discussed. For example did you know that in the United States, you have a better chance of being hit by lightning than of having a fatal encounter with a venomous snake. In some parts of the world, however, fear of venomous snakes is based on daily reality. In India, for example, 10,000 to 15,000 people each year die from snakebites, as opposed to 9 to 15 annual fatalities in the United States. The subjects of snakebite prevention, first aid measures and antivenin are also explained in depth.
