Estimation by a new method of the amount of venom ejected by a single bite of Trimeresurus species.

A new procedure for determining the amount of venom ejected by a bite of a poisonous snake was established. The procedure consists of exposing a fresh piece of rabbit muscle to an attack by a poisonous nake, extracting the injected venom from the piece, determining the toxic activity of the extract and calculating the amount of venom ejected. We confirmed that about 90 % of the injected venom was recovered. We found that the average quantity of venom ejected by a single bite of Trimeresurus flavoviridis was 0.0802 ml (13.2 mg dry weight) or about 9.8 % of the total available venom ; the corresponding figures for Trimeresurus el egans were 0.0717 ml (11.4 mg dry weight) or about 6.4 %. The total amount of venom ejected by three successive bites was approximately the same as three times the amount ejected by a single bite. There was an apparent correlation between the body length of the snake and the total available venom.