**2. Snake venoms**

Snake venoms are versatile and sophisticated weapons used for prey capture and defense by venomous snakes [17]. In all snakes considered to be venomous, the venom is made in a particular gland and usually released to the victim through modified teeth. Key among its functions includes facilitating the capture of preys *via* death or immobilization, aiding digestion in snakes, and acting as protective or defensive machinery against potential predators. Compositionally, nearly 90 to 95% of the total venom content in snakes is made up of proteins and peptides, described as biologically active, together with other elements that are nonprotein such as lipids, carbohydrates, inorganic salts, and amines. These proteins and peptides are classified as enzymes [such as snake venom metalloproteases (SVMP), snake venom serine proteases (SVSP), phospholipase A2 (PLA2), L-amino acid oxidases (LAAO)] or non-enzymes [such as three-finger toxins (3FTx), Kunitz peptides (KUN), and disintegrins (DIS)]. The constitution of snake venoms differs based on diverse factors, including among other things snake family, geographical location, genus, species, age, conventional prey preference, and snake size. For example, whereas SVMP, SVSP, and PLA2 are the most common in vipers, venoms of Elapids are generally predominated by 3FTx and PLA2, with the former basically absent in vipers [18].
