Not all snakes have fangs. Snakes that have fangs also have other solid teeth; fangs are merely a pair or more of teeth that have adapted to assist the animal with hunting. Fangs take several forms, known as solenoglyphous (found mostly in viperids), proteroglyphous (found in elapids), and opisthoglyphous (in some colubrids). There is a great deal of variation among species as to mechanism and use. There are also venomous lizards which envenomate by capillary action, rather than musculature pressure. Fangs are replaced periodically, and a “spare” set of fangs may sometimes be seen behind the first ones.
This lesson is part of Certified Herpetological Guide. Enrollment is self-paced, with no deadline to finish (about 50 hours).
