Is this Florida’s strangest delicacy? Here’s how it got so popular

Is this Florida’s strangest delicacy? Here’s how it got so popular

When looking at a rattlesnake, “Delicious” isn’t usually the first word that comes to mind. But that wasn’t always the case.In the 1930s, one Florida businessman made it his mission to kick off a consumer phenomenon centered around the slithery critters.According to state archives, that businessman — George K. End, of Arcadia — was helping his two sons skin a Diamondback rattlesnake they’d just killed when an idea struck him: What do rattlesnake…

Rattlesnake Venom Evolves and Adapts to Climate Change

Learn more about how shifting biodiversity has resulted in a surprising evolutionary change for rattlesnake venom.

What rattlesnake venom can teach us about evolution: New USF study

A new study found that some rattlesnakes are producing simpler venoms containing fewer and more focused toxin families than complex venoms -- a surprising discovery that challenges long-held ideas about how living alongside a variety of other species influences evolution in a world increasingly shaped by human activity.

Rattlesnakes may evolve specialized venoms

A longstanding theory in evolutionary biology is that venomous predators like rattlesnakes often develop complex venoms in order to immobilize the widest variety of prey. The more ecologically diverse a location, the more likely it is that native rattlesnakes will  feature a stew of deadly hemotoxins designed to keep their prey from escaping, disrupt blood clotting, and break down tissues. But recent fieldwork at a cluster of islands in the Gulf…

Deadly Simplicity: How Island Rattlesnakes Are Rewriting Evolution

On remote islands in the Gulf of California, scientists uncovered a surprising twist in rattlesnake evolution: simpler venom compositions emerged in more biodiverse environments, challenging the expectation that greater prey variety drives more complex venom. This unexpected finding hints at ecological specialization as a response to competition. Studying these island rattlesnakes offers critical insights into [...]

USF researchers find island snakes adapt venom

Scientists at the University of South Florida have discovered surprising new clues about how animals adapt to habitat loss by studying rattlesnake venom. Their study, announced Wednesday morning, found that rattlesnakes on larger islands with more biodiversity produce venom with fewer and more focused toxins. The results challenge long-held evolutionary theories. While the study occurred on remote islands off the California coast, the lead resea…