Seeing Snakes, Spiders and Scorpions Up Close to Save Someone
Erika Grasse (front left) keeps her distance as venomous reptile curator Dan Massey, PharmD, BCPS, shows her how to identify a Western Diamondback rattlesnake at the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center (AzPDIC) located in the College of Pharmacy.
The Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center (AzPDIC) in the UArizona College of Pharmacy is unlike any other poison control center in the country. As part of training future pharmacists and physicians on how to recognize various poisons, the center exposes them to the many venomous creatures native to the state by housing live animals right in the center.
At any one time, the AzPDIC can house several rattlesnakes, Gila monsters, Colorado River toads and spiders – all venomous animals Arizonans may encounter face to face. The live animals help the center’s staff better recognize and give advice to callers concerned about a possible envenomation. This information can be the difference between a trip to the emergency room or home treatment.
While only professionals who are licensed annually by the Arizona Game and Fish Department handle the animals, being around them makes an instant impact.
To learn more about how the AzPDIC uses live venomous animals to save lives in Arizona, click here.
A Tiger Rattlesnake is one of the reptiles currently housed at AzPDIC to train students and staff how to identify different types of poisonous reptiles and insects.
These display cases for the venomous snakes and insects are in the lobby of the AzPDIC offices in the College of Pharmacy. Dr. Dan Massey, the Poison Center’s venomous reptile curator, rotates the animals through the center from his collection at home.
Dr. Dan Massey, the Poison Center’s venomous reptile curator, uses snake hooks to handle the rattlesnakes when moving the venomous snakes in or out of their enclosures.
The Gila monster is one of two venomous lizards known to exist. It is believed that they use the venom for defensive purposes, not for hunting. Their bite is rarely fatal to humans, but can cause pain, edema, bleeding, nausea and vomiting.
Mike Cardwell, a consulting biologist at AzPDIC, holds a Gila monster so that it can not turn and bite, as Erika Grasse touches the bead-like skin of the lizard.
If you see a white 5-gallon bucket in AzPDIC, it is best not to open it. The buckets are used to transport venomous reptiles, like this Green Mohave rattlesnake.
While this desert tarantula is not poisonous to humans, it can frighten people who encounter it in the wild.