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Fang Development and the Origin of Venomous Snakes

Fang Development and the Origin of Venomous Snakes.

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Fang Development and the Origin of Venomous Snakes

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  1. Fang Development and the Origin of Venomous Snakes Like most other vertebrates, snakes replace their teeth continually throughout life. The tubular fangs of venomous snakes are no exception. At any time, a pair of “adult” fangs are firmly attached to the bones of the upper jaw; they act like hypodermic needles to efficiently introduce venom into a bite wound. Behind the adult fang is a series of partially formed fangs. The largest of these will replace the adult fang when the latter is shed. Visualizing the entire process of fang replacement with SEM has revealed how a fang grows. First, the smallest fang resembles the very tip of an adult fang. The new fang grows by accretion of material to its base, gradually increasing in length and forming the hollow centre, through which venom will flow. Growth series of the tubular, venom-conducting fang of the cobra, Naja melanoleuca, viewed with the environmental SEM maintained by Harvard’s Center for Nanoscale Systems. A fully formed adult fang is on the far right. Scale bar, 1 mm; anterior view. James Hanken, Harvard University Work performed at Center for Nanoscale Systems -Harvard NNIN_Nuggets.ppt

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