Overview
- Vipers reached prey within about 100 milliseconds in most trials, with the fastest bites recorded near 22 milliseconds and peak speeds exceeding 4.5 meters per second.
- Elapids typically crept closer before delivering repeated bites to squeeze venom, whereas rear‑fanged colubrids sawed or rotated their jaws to open crescent wounds for delivery.
- Two synchronized cameras at 1,000 frames per second enabled 3D reconstructions of more than 100 strikes on warmed ballistics or medical gel that mimicked prey.
- Footage showed vipers repositioning hinged fangs mid-bite before injection, and recorded a blunt‑nosed viper snapping a fang during a misjudged strike.
- Published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, the study provides the largest controlled comparison to date but skews toward vipers, prompting calls for broader taxonomic and ecological sampling.