"Uncovering the Lethal Mechanics: Slow-Motion Footage Reveals Snake Attack Strategies"
Scientist Bill Ryerson spent years filming slow-motion footage of snakes attacking their prey to reveal how they kill. His research using high-speed cameras showed that snakes are either "strikers" or "lungers," and their teeth shape, position, and size can predict the speed and direction of their strike. "Strikers" attack at lightning speed from above, impaling their prey with needlelike teeth before injecting venom or squeezing the animal to death, while "lungers" strike more slowly and make contact with both jaws simultaneously. Ryerson's work sheds light on how snakes' teeth are significant to their killing behavior and was recently published in a book on snake morphology and ecology.