By catalyzing limited proteolysis or extensive degradation, proteolytic enzymes determine the fate of most proteins in an organism. In the evolutionary process of snake venoms, genes encoding proteinases were tailored to generate potent toxins to target key physiological proteins and thereby play a critical role in prey capture, immobilization and defense against predators. In Bothrops jararaca, metalloproteinases and serine proteinases are among the most abundant toxins both in newborn and adult venoms. In this review, we examine the proteinase-rich venom proteome of B. jararaca and how the proteinases act in a complex and heterogeneous fashion to exert their deleterious local and systemic effects.