Carol Duke, age 11, of Mechanicsville,Virginia, for her question:

Where do snakes bet their poison?

This, you might say, is a do it yourself project. For each deadly snake manufactures his own poison, right inside his body. The poisonous venom is a mixture of his body fluids and very dangerous chemicals. The deadly brew is manufactured in special glands, one above each of his fangs. The venom is highly poisonous to the flesh of other animals, but obviously it does not harm the glands where it is made and stored.

Normally the fangs of a poisonous snake lie flat along his upper jaws. When he gets ready to strike, they are lowered down into position. This puts some pressure on the glands and there is more pressure when he jabs his fangs into his victim. The pressure squeezes out the stored venom, which drains down through the hollow fangs into the wound. A snake may have enough stored venom to inflict several deadly bites. Then his supply is used up and the venom glands may need several days to manufacture a new supply.