Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
(A)
(B)
(C)
Plate 2.7
(A-C) West African Gaboon viper (
Bitis rhinocerous
).
Probably the most
heavy-bodied viper, this viperine viperid has the longest fangs (
6 cm) of any venomous
snake, and can produce large volumes of toxic venom. The almost hook-like, mobile fangs
(“solenoglyphous” dentition; see
Plate 2.7B and C
) are often used in the manipulation of prey
during deglutition. Popular in private collections in the USA and Europe, bites from this
species are life threatening, with well-documented fatalities. This taxon is also medically
important in its range, as is the East African form,
B. gabonica
.
Photos copyright to David A. Warrell.
2.2 Overview of Hypotheses for the Evolution of
Venom-Delivery Systems
Changes in ophidian morphology (e.g., increasing appearance of slender body forms)
during the Miocene, concomitant with decreasing reliance on constriction for prey sub-
jugation, have been presented as contributing selection pressures for the development
of venom-delivery systems (Savitzky, 1980). The evolution of venom and an apparatus
for its delivery has been the subject of speculation, hypothesis, and scholarly research
for several hundred years and has been reviewed by a number of authors. Recent contri-
