Silke Cleuren, a dedicated researcher, is making significant strides in understanding the evolution of snake fangs and biting techniques among venomous species. Her latest research was conducted at Venomworld in Paris. Specifically, it calculated the strike times of 36 snake species, revealing some stunning speeds and novel adaptations for catching prey. Describing and developing methods to deconstruct the incredibly complex and agile movements of snakes, this research reveals how different snakes hunt in unique ways.
Out of the species we studied, the Australian rough-scaled death adder (Acanthophis rugosus) stood out as the most extreme case. This invader hits faster than the speed of light. It accomplishes this by taking only 30 ms to strike at a maximum speed of 2.21 m/s. On an allergic reaction Thomas pretty darn quickly because these snakes can grab a meal in as little as 100 milliseconds on average. That’s almost three times faster than a human eye blink! This rapid strike ability highlights the direct evolutionary advantages these snakes have while in pursuit of prey.
Of the snakes studied, the Levantine viper, Macrovipera lebetinus, was the fastest. From its trained stance, it fired a remarkable shot in only 21.7 milliseconds. These are some of the fastest reflexes among snakes. They leverage this incredible speed to use their venom effectively, securing dinner before their prey has time to respond.
Insights from Venomworld
To do this, Silke Cleuren hit the road to Venomworld in Paris to collect qualitative data from these one-of-a-kind scaly participants. The team used a high-speed camera to analyze the strikes of 36 species from viper, elapid, and colubrid families. Our incredible diversity of snakes includes some that you may recognize. Among them are the broad-tailed western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) and the west African carpet viper (Echis ocellatus). Vipers completely overshadowed the survey, making up 31 of the 36 species studied. Their adaptations, enormous range, and ecological dominance really are remarkable even compared to this extraordinary group of mammals.
They pointed out that elapid snakes, including the rough-scaled death adder, have relatively short fangs compared to vipers. As a result, these snakes need to sneak up on their prey before repeatedly puncturing it to administer venom. The mangrove or gold-ringed cat snake (Boiga dendrophila) is a member of the family Colubridae. It was the only non-viper species included in the study.
Surprisingly, the study showed that virtually all the snakes that took part were impressively efficient hunters. They accomplished this through exploiting the “mammalian startle response.” Mammals have a fast response to surprise. That brings to light just how quickly these snakes are able to strike!
Key Findings on Speed and Technique
These results indicate that peak strike velocity improved linearly across a three-strike series. It would begin at 1 m/s and max out at 3.2 m/s. This quickness speaks to the inherent evolutionary adaptations that make snakes incredible predators in their various ecosystems.
Dr. Jackson, a prominent advocate for snake research, emphasized the value of Cleuren’s research. He continued, “There’s a real proof of principle here. He continued that having strong quantitative analysis to back up our gut feelings is important for moving the field of venomous snake biology forward. Moreover, Dr. Jackson noted, “Death adders strike extraordinarily quickly and are very much in the viper range … these are incredibly fast strikers.” He noted that death adders were the second-fastest species overall recorded in the study.
Here, Professor Evans interpreted some of what these findings mean. He remarked, “Your brain tells your muscles to move, so less than 100 milliseconds is much, much faster than the mammalian startle response, particularly for large mammals like us.” It just further confirms how incredible snakes are at catching prey quickly.
Implications for Future Research
We’re grateful for Cleuren’s work, which lays the groundwork for other researchers to continue exploring venomous snake biology and behavior. Professor Evans stated, “One of the interesting findings of the paper was how different families of snakes use their venom in different ways.” Yet as sad as we were to hear that, this observation indicates that there’s still so much more to learn about snake biology.
The current study was limited by the species that were available in Paris. Cleuren and her co-authors hope that this research can serve as an important foundation for more future studies on snake predation. Professor Evans acknowledged this by saying, “We were limited by what they had in Paris. But it’s at least the start.”
