There are lots of venomous snakes, but very few poisonous snakes. One of the few poisonous snakes is the Tiger Keelback, which derives its toxicity from eating toads and sequestering toad defensive chemicals (called bufodienolides). Since 2008, we have known that mother snakes provide toxicity to their eggs giving some chemical protection to their offspring until they can find their own toads to eat. New research shows that breeding female keelbacks increase their toad consumption allowing them to impart greater toxicity to their offspring. What amazing moms!
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 04:41:23 +0000