Contact: Dr. Andreas Battenberg
battenberg@zv.tum.de
49-892-891-0510
Technische Universitaet Muenchen

Venom Groove in the Tooth of a Banded Snake

Caption: Like a drop on a wine glass the venom tear runs down the groove. The surface tension acting on the venom is the dominant physical force underlying envenomation. And venom is a non-Newtonian fluid. It sticks when necessary while waiting for prey whereas any break in the prey's skin acts as a venom attractant and soaks the venom into the deeper tissues.

Credit: Bruce A. Young, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

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Related news release: Poisonous tears