It's very interesting, and sadly something many people don't realize or care to recognize. When I was writing up a species account for the red diamond rattlesnake at work, I was asked to include information about why rattlesnakes are important. They probably originally were thinking in terms of ecology and rodent control, but it prompted me to do some more research. Guess what I found?
Rattlesnake venom is currently being used in medical studies to treat cancer.
http://www.koat.com/news/new-mexico/...z/-/index.html
What better reason to protect and respect a hated and maligned species?
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