Snakes' Evolving Venom

 This is the Cottonmouth, also known as the Water Moccasin.

This is the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake.

Both of these snakes belong to the family known as pit vipers.  And it just so happens that the pit vipers' venom is rapidly evolving.  For years, those studying snakes thought that venom's primary use was killing prey for the snakes to feed on.  However now, it seems that the snakes' venom is evolving to fight off a predator.  Meet the opossum.

This creature is a marsupial, and is found in North America, the same place as the pit vipers.  Interestingly enough, this furry mammal feeds on the snakes.  The proof that the snakes' venom is evolving as a defensive mechanism, and not as a predatory tool, is found in opossums.  

When it was discovered that the venom of the pit vipers was evolving, and becoming more potent, research was put into place to study the animals that the snakes hunt.  The venom of the pit viper works by shutting down a particular protein of the prey animal.  Therefore, in order to counter the evolving snake venom, scientists were looking for the protein of the prey animals to evolve into a more resilient variation.  Instead, the research team found this resilience in the snakes' predators, the opossums.  This shows that the pit vipers' evolution of venom is in response to its predators, and not its prey.  

Whether you are on the side of the reptile or the mammal, a constant race has started, a race of evolution, between venom and resilience.  A war between the pit vipers and the opossums.

Snake photos from http://www.reptileknowledge.com/squamata/pit-vipers.php

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