What is the evolutionary consequence of maintaining the general apparatus for venom production in cobras prior to the fang specialization?
Answer
It suggests the structural mutation for the redirected venom duct occurred later.
The text places the development of the specialized fang opening chronologically within the evolutionary history of cobras. Since the general apparatus for producing venom likely existed in the common ancestor of all cobras, the structural modification required for spitting—the redirection of the venom duct opening to a forward-facing slit—represents a later, derived trait. This specific mutation was then selected for because it conferred a significant survival benefit, likely by enhancing defense against predators in the niche occupied by the spitting lineages.
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Spitting cobras: the peculiar evolution of defensive venom in snakes
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