In the evolutionary arms race between rattlesnakes and their prey, rodents, birds and other reptiles develop resistance to the snakes’ deadly venom to survive. But new research led by the University of Colorado Boulder and University of Texas at Arlington sheds light on how snakes manage to keep the upper hand: They maintain a broad and diverse toolkit of genes that encode snake venom, allowing them to adapt as local prey and conditions change.
Click here for original story, To keep up with evolving prey, rattlesnakes tap genetically diverse venom toolbox
Source: Phys.org