Mysterious answers about snakes and canines

Scientists in search of answers to the question of snakes' evolutionary teeth have revealed how deadly sharp teeth evolved from ordinary teeth and allowed snakes to become How invincible predators are.

Evolution of the fangs of snakes

Research shows that both the front and rear canines in venomous snakes develop from isolated tooth-forming tissues on the back of the mouth, unlike the case of teething snakes without venom or teeth. of human. The findings, detailed in the July 31 issue of Nature, may explain why snakes flourished from about 60 million years ago, soon after the dinosaurs were not extinct.

Main researcher Freek Vonk of Leiden University, Netherlands, said: 'Snake venom system is one of the most advanced biological weapon systems in the natural world. There is no complicated, progressive structure such as a rattlesnake's venom and venom glands.

The snake living on the Asian tree (Aheatulla prasina) has rear fangs.The extended teeth in front of the jaws are not fangs, they are used to grab prey such as nimble lizards.(Photo: © Freek Vonk)

Snake's fangs

The snake's fangs are very sharp, the extended teeth are located along the upper jaw both in front and behind the mouth is connected to the venom gland. Only venomous snakes, considered progressive snakes, have such fangs. While non-venomous snakes like pythons are only equipped with normal teeth.

Sometimes a poisonous snake can give a prey to its ' dry ' prey, not the venom.

Most poisonous snakes, including the grass snake, have fangs located at the back of the mouth . While some species, including rattlesnakes, vigorous and vipe, have fangs that grow in the upper jaw in front of their mouths.

Replying to LiveScience, Vonk said: ' If you want to eat a very dangerous prey, such as a large mouse with sharp teeth like a raft, having a canine in front of your mouth will give you more advantage to The snake can snap quickly and release it instead of biting the mouse and hold it in its mouth to chew on the venom that has been infected with the tissues because the mouse can completely bite the snake '.

Freek Vonk biologist "confronts" the world's longest venomous snake - a snake that bears the lord bear (Ophiophagus hannah) in Indonesian rainforests.(Photo: © Freek Vonk)

The process of development of canines

To find out how the two types of fast teeth evolved from snakes without canines, Vonk and his colleagues investigated the development of canine teeth in 96 embryos of 8 current snakes. Here are their names:

Night vipe solid embryos are rhombic for 18 days after the egg is laid.(Photo: © Freek Vonk and Michael Richardson)

Snake without venom

• Water Python (Liasis mackloti)

Venomous snakes, front fangs

• Indonesian vipe snake or Hageni snake (Trimeresurus hageni)

• Vipe snakes active during the night (Causus rhombeatus)

• Snake vipe Malayan (Calloselasma rhodostoma)

• Asian venom-spitting cobra (Naja siamensis)

• Coral snake (Aspidelaps lubricus infuscatus)

The venomous snakes, fast behind

• Snake ((Elaphe obsolete)

• Grass snake (Natrix natrix)

The Asian venomous snake snake (pictured above) has a relatively small fixed fangs in front of its mouth, while the live vipe snake on the Hageni tree (pictured below) possesses a long and portable fast power on the side. before the upper jaw.(Photo: Freek Vonk and Michael Richardson)

Analysis of the group showed that the front and rear canines formed from isolated teeth-forming tissues at the back of the upper jaw. For all of the frontal venomous snakes, the fast forward moves forward during embryonic development thanks to the rapid development of the upper jaw of the embryo. And the rear fangs remain where they form.

This process is not the same as the development of human teeth and non-toxic snakes, such as pythons. When at the embryonic stage, all human teeth in the upper jaw erupt from a tooth-forming tissue while all the lower teeth develop from other tooth-forming tissues.

Vonk said: 'The posterior part of the tooth-forming tissue evolves in a close relationship with the venom, thereby forming a complex relationship between fangs and venom. The two non-matching teeth create conditions for this to happen because the posterior part of the tooth-forming tissue is not restricted to the front part. '

Freek Vonk and snake carrying Indonesia (Naja sputatrix).It can spray venom through modified fangs into the eyes of someone who intends to attack it.(Photo: © Freek Vonk)

The extraordinary snake species

According to Vonk, it is the independent development of tissue behind that that plays an important role in the ability to form 3,000 snake species worldwide today.

David Kizirian, a reptile researcher at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, was not involved in the study - said: 'The study sheds light on one of the tough questions in reptile research: How does the diversity of snake canines evolve? '

The research was funded by the Dutch Research Organization, Dutch Government, Dutch Technology Foundation, Curatoren Foundation, LUSTRA Foundation, Australian Research Council, Australian Institute of Science, Whitman University and Leiden University Foundation. .