How the snake got its venom

The venom of advanced snakes is a mixture of dozens of different proteins and is an example of an evolutionary innovation – a novel trait that has arisen in a particular animal group and which has contributed to their success. Understanding how these innovations come about is vital to understanding larger patterns of animal evolution and can shed important light on the genetic basis of differences between species, with clear implications for the effectiveness of treatment of victims of bites by venomous snakes, where venom composition varies both within and between species.

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