Serpentarium - what is it and why did they come up with it

Many of us have often heard about the terrarium and the serpentarium, that these are some rooms or containers in which contain tropical insects and amphibians. And what is their purpose? Let's figure it out. The meaning of the word "serpentarium" is associated with the Latin lexeme serpens, which means "snake".

Where to take care of reptiles

Directories often define a serpentarium as one of the terrarium species. It creates optimal conditions for the life and reproduction of reptiles in order to use their "gifts" - poison and skin. So it is quite possible to say about a room or park called "serpentarium", that this is a real snake nursery. In many such establishments, you can admire the reptile and even hold it in your hands.

Why do we need their poison

In Europe, the first public serpentarium appeared in 1849 on the territory of the London Zoo, which is located in Regent's Park. In 1899 in Brazil, in the city of Sao Paulo, opened a major institute that studies snakes. In his bowels was built a snake farm, which supplies scientists with various poisons for research.

Snake farms are now popular all over the world as a source of priceless components for serums and medicines. One of the ways of snake milking is massaging the poisonous glands of a reptile. A new method is the extraction of poison by electric current. The mucous membranes of the mouth of the reptile are affected by electrodes with a low voltage, which makes the snake instantly extract the contents of its glands.

Siberian discoveries

In Russia, the Large Novosibirsk Serpentarium is famous. What is this herpetological center? Since the end of the last century, this most useful "poison factory" was engaged in trapping snakes and manufacturing special toxins for pharmacology. They discovered their own ways of breeding and growing useful reptiles, create medications based on snake venom, and are engaged in research in the field of biology, medicine and veterinary medicine. The Novosibirsk serpentarium is the only one in Russia to grow vipers and deliver poison to Nizhny Novgorod, where it is used in the production of anti-inflammatory ointment Viprosal. And in the laboratories of the center they came up with their own recipe for vodka with a green tint and "bitterness", after which, according to its creators, there is no hangover.

A bowl of poison and ... meat

In the Chinese village of Zisiqiao, which is also called the "City of Snakes", nearly three million snakes are being grown for sale. Inhabitants of the Celestial Empire use not only their poison, they consider the meat of these reptiles to be unusually refined and tasty.