Fang shape varies with ontogeny and sex in the venomous elapid snake Pseudonaja affinis.

A predator's preferred prey often changes over the course of its life as it grows from an inexperienced juvenile through to a sexually mature adult. For species with highly specialised feeding strategies, this may require its anatomy to change over the course of its life. The dugite (Pseudonaja affinis, Günther 1872) is a venomous snake from Australia that displays such a diet shift, with juveniles feeding on small reptiles, while adults mainly target mammals.

Plicidentine and the repeated origins of snake venom fangs.

Snake fangs are an iconic exemplar of a complex adaptation, but despite striking developmental and morphological similarities, they probably evolved independently in several lineages of venomous snakes. How snakes could, uniquely among vertebrates, repeatedly evolve their complex venom delivery apparatus is an intriguing question. Here we shed light on the repeated evolution of snake venom fangs using histology, high-resolution computed tomography (microCT) and biomechanical modelling.

Sharp and fully loaded: 3D tissue reconstruction reveals how snake fangs stay deadly during fang replacement.

Snake venom is produced, transported and delivered by the sophisticated venom delivery system (VDS). When snakes bite, the venom travels from the venom gland through the venom duct into needle-like fangs that inject it into their prey. To counteract breakages, fangs are continuously replaced throughout life.

Fang evolution in venomous snakes: Adaptation of 3D tooth shape to the biomechanical properties of their prey.

Venomous snakes are among the world's most specialized predators. During feeding, they use fangs to penetrate the body tissues of their prey, but the success of this penetration depends on the shape of these highly specialized teeth. Here, we examined the evolution of fang shape in a wide range of snakes using 3D geometric morphometrics (3DGM) and cross-sectional tooth sharpness measurements.

A universal power law for modelling the growth and form of teeth, claws, horns, thorns, beaks, and shells.

Background: A major goal of evolutionary developmental biology is to discover general models and mechanisms that create the phenotypes of organisms. However, universal models of such fundamental growth and form are rare, presumably due to the limited number of physical laws and biological processes that influence growth. One such model is the logarithmic spiral, which has been purported to explain the growth of biological structures such as teeth, claws, horns, and beaks.