ABOVE: The front set of legs of centipedes such as Scolopendra subspinipes have evolved into venom-injecting pincers..
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The paper
S. Yang et al., “Target switch of centipede toxins for antagonistic switch,” Sci Adv, 6:eabb5734, 2020.
While it’s handy to be able to neutralize prey or would-be predators with a bite or sting, being a venomous animal can be dangerous. Usually critters avoid the effects of their own venom “by keeping it in glands where it doesn’t go into the bloodstream and doesn’t affect them,” explains evolutionary biologist Kevin Arbuckle of Swansea University in the UK. But because accidents happen, it’s also advantageous to be able to survive exposure to one’s own toxic concoction—often by lacking the receptors the venom’s components bind to.
The centipede Scolopendra subspinipes both kills prey with its venom and uses it to temporarily stun conspecifics during fights for dominance. Ren Lai of the ...
