Why is there serotonin in snake venom if that chemical is the chemical that makes us happy?
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Venom is evolved from an animals stomach acids or saliva (varies), and serotonin is already heavily involved in digestion for most (if not all) animals. The majority of it is even produced by symbiotic bacteria that grows in our digestive systems.
Serotonin is there because it was already there before the snake started using it as venom.
Serotonin itself controls a lot of things, but most relevantly muscle contractions in your digestive system. So when the snake bites you it causes your muscles to contract, causing pain and moderate debilitation.
Remember, a snakes goal with its venom is to escape, not to kill you, so giving you really bad cramps in whatever limb it’s bitten is actually a pretty decent way to go about that.
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