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Study: Did cobras first spit venom to scare pre-humans?
A smart prey animal knows to avoid a predatory snake armed with deadly venom. But new research suggests that for some cobras, the venom evolved additional complexity to deter potential enemies – possibly including Homo erectus, humans’ extinct close relative.
In “Convergent Evolution of Pain-inducing Defensive Venom Components in Spitting Cobras,” published Jan. 22 in Science, an international team of researchers investigating the evolutionary origins of a novel defensive trait by snakes – venom spitting – offer the first evidence that snake venom evolution is associated with defense, rather than solely to help capture prey.