Sean Carroll writing for The New York Times has a good article all about venomous snakes, specifically the King Cobra. I have long found snakes, especially of the venomous varieties, quite fascinating creatures. But, I think that the focus that Mr. Carroll takes in his piece, looking at how other animals avoid a grim end due to snake venom, might be even more interesting.
I am particularly interested in the ground squirrels described because simple regional differences are enough to make members of the same species react differently to the rattlesnake venom. This is such a strong case for the current occurence of evolutionary selection. Life wants to survive and if there is a specific regional risk life will do what it can to avoid falling prey to it.
Really fascinating stuff. Oh, and for anyone who has never gottena chance to see a king cobra in a zoo or elsewhere, it is totally worth it. It really is amazing how large they are. Furthermore, I have found that elapid snakes seem to be more active and intelligent appearing than the other serpent families.
