How snakes got their fangs
Ever wondered how deadly snakes evolved their fangs? The answer lies in particular microscopic features of their teeth, research led by Flinders University and the South Australian Museum suggests......»»
New technique zeros in on the genes that snakes use to produce venom
Only about 10% of the world's roughly 4,000 snake species have venom strong enough to seriously hurt a human, but that's enough for snake bites to be an important public health concern. To help better understand how snakes make their venom and how ve.....»»
Japanese island eradicates rabbit-killing mongoose
Japan has wiped out all mongooses on a subtropical island, officials said, after the animals ignored the venomous snakes they were brought in to hunt and preyed on endangered local rabbits instead......»»
New fossil snake species provides insight into reptile social behavior and development
A newly discovered snake species, Hibernophis breithaupti, provides rare insight into the social behavior of snakes and fills some gaps in our knowledge of the evolution of boas, or boidae. The quartet of fossilized snakes discovered in western Wyomi.....»»
Snakes on a plate: Pythons touted as protein alternative
In a warehouse in the lush humid farmlands of central Thailand, thousands of pythons lie coiled in containers, rearing and striking at the glass as people pass by......»»
Animals use physics? Let us count the ways
Cats twist and snakes slide, exploiting and negotiating physical laws. Enlarge (credit: Fernando Trabanco Fotografía via Getty Images) Isaac Newton would never have discovered the laws of motion had he studied only cats.....»»
Fossils show huge salamanderlike predator with sharp fangs existed before the dinosaurs
Scientists have revealed fossils of a giant salamanderlike beast with sharp fangs that ruled waters before the first dinosaurs arrived......»»
Fossils show huge salamanderlike predator with sharp fangs existed before the dinosaurs
Fossils show huge salamanderlike predator with sharp fangs existed before the dinosaurs.....»»
Dice snakes found to use a variety of techniques to more effectively fake their own deaths
A pair of biologists at the University of Belgrade, in Serbia, has found that dice snakes use a variety of techniques to fool predators into believing they have died. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, Vukašin Bjelica and Ana G.....»»
Collecting live snakes in remote Amazon regions for study is no easy task—here"s how we do it
Brazil records an average of 29,000 snakebites a year, leading to around 130 deaths. And it is in the Amazon that the greatest number of cases occur. This region is home to 38 of the 75 species of venomous snakes recorded in Brazil......»»
Discovery of new ancient giant snake in India
A new ancient species of snake dubbed Vasuki Indicus, which lived around 47 million years ago in the state of Gujarat in India, may have been one of the largest snakes to have ever lived, suggests new research published in Scientific Reports. The new.....»»
It"s snake bite season in Georgia. What you need to know
With spring in full swing and everyone spending more time outdoors, one thing we should all be looking out for is snakes. More specifically, the venomous variety......»»
Venomous snakes could start migrating in large numbers if we hit 5ºC warming, predict scientists
A global group of scientists has predicted that climate change may cause dramatic movements in venomous snake populations across many countries in Africa. The scientists took into account climate change predictions about changes to the current habita.....»»
Two coral snakes recorded battling for prey in a scientific first
Two red-tailed coral snakes have been observed competing over a caecilian in the first documented wild case of kleptoparasitism within the family Elapidae......»»
How lizards avoid being killed by venomous snakes
A University of Queensland-led study has shed light on how some lizards have evolved to resist deadly neurotoxins from Australia's most venomous snakes......»»
Rice paddy snake diversification was driven by geological and environmental factors in Thailand, molecular data suggest
A University of Kansas study of rice paddy snakes in Southeast Asia gives key details to their diversification and natural history, adding molecular evidence that the rise of the Khorat Plateau and subsequent environmental shifts in Thailand may have.....»»
Snakes do it faster, better: How a group of scaly, legless lizards hit the evolutionary jackpot
More than 100 million years ago, the ancestors of the first snakes were small lizards that lived alongside other small, nondescript lizards in the shadow of the dinosaurs......»»
Universal antivenom for lethal snake toxins developed by researchers
Scripps Research scientists have developed an antibody that can block the effects of lethal toxins in the venoms of a wide variety of snakes found throughout Africa, Asia and Australia......»»
New species of 65 million year old fossil shark discovered in Alabama
A team of scientists has discovered a new fossil shark species from Alabama. The shark is a new species of Palaeohypotodus, which means "ancient small-eared tooth," in reference to the small needle-like fangs present on the sides of the teeth......»»
From embryo to evolution: Insights from the head of lizards and snakes
The evolution of animal heads is a remarkable example of how various anatomical features co-evolved to adapt to different ecological niches, behaviors and functions. But the intricate details of why vertebrate head shapes vary so greatly have remaine.....»»
World"s smallest "fanged" frogs found in Indonesia
In general, frogs' teeth aren't anything to write home about—they look like pointy little pinpricks lining the upper jaw. But one group of stream-dwelling frogs in Southeast Asia has a strange adaptation: two bony "fangs" jutting out of their lower.....»»