Snake bites: How they do it
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 2-Nov-2025 15:11 ET (2-Nov-2025 20:11 GMT/UTC)
Few actions in nature inspire more fear than a snake bite. How different snakes do this is now revealed in Journal of Experimental Biology. Vipers strike within 100ms, before walking their fangs into position to inject venom. Elapids sneak up before striking and then bite repeatedly to squeeze venom into their prey. Colubrids sweep their jaws from side to side to tear a gash in their victim and deliver maximum venom.
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