Surviving the Unthinkable: The Remarkable Tale of an Unlikely Amphibian
Researchers have discovered that caecilians, legless amphibians, have developed unprecedented resistance to snake venom. The rise of elapid snakes, such as cobras and coral snakes, posed a significant threat to caecilians, which were easy prey. However, caecilians evolved multiple ways to fight back, including blocking toxins from reaching receptors, changing the shape of receptors, and using electromagnetic repulsion. The study, which involved sequencing a part of the neuromuscular receptor, found that resistance to elapid snake venom neurotoxins has evolved at least 15 times. This research provides insights into predator-prey interactions and showcases an important evolutionary phenomenon.