Spitting Cobra Venom Didn t Evolve to Kill – Just to Put Us in a World of Pain
22 JANUARY 2021
Like pappy used to say: if you see it writhe and hiss, give it a miss. Humans have passed on similar nuggets of wisdom since time immemorial, giving us a healthy (and sometimes less than healthy) respect for backing away from snakes.
Yet the fact snake bites hurt is usually an accident of nature – virtually every single species of snake evolved the ability to inject venom to catch prey, rather than for defence. But there are exceptions to the rule – new research shows some snakes actually evolved their venom specifically to drive away potential predators, including us. And it s excruciatingly painful for good reason.