Why are snake and spider venoms so powerful when their normal victims are so small?
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In the snake world, their prey tends to be a lot faster than them in terms of running. Sure, snakes can strike fast but they are not necessarily the best sprinters or fast movers.
This presents an issue. A snake can either choose to bite, hold on and try to overpower it’s prey, like the various species of constrictors such as pythons and boas. This presents a risk to the snake as the prey can bite/scratch the snake or snap a fag, which can injure it. The reward is your prey cannot escape and you get to eat it without having to deal with your own venom too.
Snakes with potent venom bite their prey and then let go, because they know their venom will subdue their prey after it has escaped some distance away. They then use their scent organs to track down the prey and then eat it. The risk? The prey runs off too far and the snake loses scent, having spent valuable venom on it. The reward? Less likelihood of being injured by prey.
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