From birth to bite: the evolutionary ecology of India's medically most important snake venoms.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Snake venoms can exhibit remarkable inter- and intraspecific variation. While diverse ecological and environmental factors are theorised to explain this variation, only a handful of studies have attempted to unravel their precise roles. This knowledge gap not only impedes our understanding of venom evolution but may also have dire consequences on snakebite treatment. To address this shortcoming, we investigated the evolutionary ecology of venoms of Russell's viper (Daboia russelii) and spectacled cobra (Naja naja), India's two clinically most important snakes responsible for an alarming number of human deaths and disabilities.

Methodology

Several individuals (n = 226) of D. russelii and N. naja belonging to multiple clutches (n = 9) and their mothers were maintain

SUBMITTER: Senji Laxme RR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11287890 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature