Why snake venom may have evolved to catch dinner, not for defence

By Bálint Üveges, Research Fellow, Centre for Ecological Research; Bangor University
Wolfgang Wüster, Professor of Zoology, Bangor University

In the animal kingdom, any hunt for a meal or encounter with a predator is a matter of life and death. To survive both, animals have evolved a multitude of weapons, of which venoms may be one of the most widespread and effective.

But building a chemical weapon presents an evolutionary dilemma. Should venom be optimised to disarm prey, or to cause rapid pain to deter predators? Our new study suggests that in snakes,…

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