If you are bitten by a very venomous snake or spider, what exactly happens to your body that kills you?
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There are actually a lot of different kinds of venom and they can kill you in different ways. Some cause destruction of skeletal muscles (myotixon), some causes destruction of the heart (cardiotoxins), some cause destruction of the circulatory system by constricting blood vessels or by making it so blood can’t clot (hemotoxins), and some cause nerve damage or paralysis (neurotoxins). So the way someone dies depends on the type of venom and the potency. For example, rattlesnakes are mostly hemotoxic. The venom of rattlesnakes and other pit vipers damages tissue around the bite. Venom may cause changes in blood cells, prevent blood from clotting, and damage blood vessels, causing them to leak. These changes can lead to internal bleeding and to heart, respiratory, and kidney failure. The bites are also incredibly painful and cause dramatic swelling. That gets worse as the effects of the venom spread throughout the body, so it is critical to get to medical care as soon as possible. With neurooxic snakes (like cobras), your body can become paralyzed. Usually people die because they can’t breath and the lack of oxygen causes the tissues in the body to die from lack of oxygen. This is also how the wandering spider venom kills people. So, how you die depends on the venom of the specific animal.
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