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Researchers find snake venom complexity is driven by prey diet – Phys.org
Diversity in diet plays a role in the complexity of venom in pit vipers such as rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths.
Diversity in diet plays a role in the complexity of venom in pit vipers such as rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths.
But new collaborative research by Clemson University scientists found the number of prey species a snake ate did not drive venom complexity. Rather, it was how far apart the prey species were from each other evolutionarily.
“It’s not just diet that drives the variation in venom across snakes. It’s the breadth of diet,” said Christopher Parkinson, a professor in the College…
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