These lizards have evolved to make snakes the snack

April 26, 2024 10:14 PM

Think snakes are scary? These lizards have evolved to make snakes the snack. Snakes and lizards in the Australian outback are locked in a battle of survival. Which is predator and which is prey comes down to strategies they've evolved to resist deadly venom, a study suggests.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (4 comments total)

If a snake got a bad bite from a lizard, could the snake go to an Australian ER?
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:58 AM on April 27 [2 favorites]

only if it transports itself in a lunch box!
posted by supermedusa at 10:20 AM on April 27 [1 favorite]

I’m a little disappointed by MetaFilter. I realize goannas don’t have the cute factor of quolls, but they are fascinating animals. In poking around for more information, I learned that the somewhat-related Komodo Dragon does not kill because its mouth is full of rotting meat, but instead has somewhat fastidious cleaning habits. I also learned that “goanna” comes from “iguana,” that their bite may be mildly venomous, and that, if you see someone pestering a goanna, you should admonish them from a distance, since agitated goannas lash their substantial tails wildly and may climb nearby humans, mistaking them for trees. Also that autocorrect hates “goanna”
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:15 AM on April 27

sounds like lots of things get mistaken for trees down under

D.R.E.A.M.T.I.M.E.
posted by supermedusa at 12:55 PM on April 27 [1 favorite]