Russell's Viper venom turns blood into jelly (Video)

This terrifying video shows the effect of just one drop of snake venom on blood - turning it solid within moments.

The clip shows a handler pinning down a dangerous Russell's viper, using a wooden stick on the back of its head.

The handler then encourages the viper to bite into the the lid of a vial, causing venom to drain from its fangs and collect in the glass container.

The shocking clip shows how an attack from the south Asian snake can leave prey dead or dying in seconds.

The Russell's viper is considered one of the deadliest snakes in the world, killing or severely injuring many people every year with its powerful poison.

But the fearsome creatures, which can grow to over five feet long, are only aggressive once disturbed.

A diluted version of the poison is sometimes used to stop uncontrolled bleeding in people suffering from haemophilia.

Hemotoxins, haemotoxins or hematotoxins are toxins that destroy red blood cells (that is, cause hemolysis), disrupt blood clotting, and/or cause organ degeneration and generalized tissue damage. The term hemotoxin is to some degree a misnomer since toxins that damage the blood also damage other tissues. Injury from a hemotoxic agent is often very painful and can cause permanent damage and in severe cases death. Loss of an affected limb is possible even with prompt treatment.

Hemotoxins are frequently employed by venomous animals, including vipers and pit vipers. Animal venoms contain enzymes and other proteins that are hemotoxic or neurotoxic or occasionally both (as in the Mojave Rattlesnake, the Japanese mamushi,[1] and similar species). In addition to killing the prey, part of the function of a hemotoxic venom for some animals is to aid digestion. The venom breaks down protein in the region of the bite, making prey easier to digest.

The process by which a hemotoxin causes death is much slower than that of a neurotoxin. Snakes which envenomate a prey animal may have to track the prey as it flees. Typically, a mammalian prey item will stop fleeing not because of death, but due to shock caused by the venomous bite. Dependent upon species, size, location of bite and the amount of venom injected, symptoms in humans such as nausea, disorientation, and headache may be delayed for several hours.

Hemotoxins are used in diagnostic studies of the coagulation system. Lupus anticoagulans is detected by changes in the dilute Russell's viper venom time (DRVVT), which is a laboratory assay based on—as its name indicates—venom of the Russell's viper.

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