The study found that on islands with more space and more competition, rattlesnake venom became more specialized rather than more complex.
Notes on verification
Confirmed by peer-reviewed study (Hirst et al. 2025, Evolution) and corroborated by university press release and multiple independent science outlets with consistent wording and interpretation. [cascade flags: aggregator_dropped_primary_exists | tier=silver indep_score=1.0 clusters=3 claim_tier=notable | kind=empirical eligibility=high]
Sources
- What rattlesnake venom can teach us about evolution: New USF study | ScienceDaily (seed:animals_and_wildlife)
- https://www.usf.edu/news/2025/what-rattlesnake-venom-can-teach-us-about-evolution.aspx (corroboration)
- https://academic.oup.com/evolut/article/79/8/1419/8118642 (corroboration)
- https://www.popsci.com/environment/rattlesnake-venom-evolution/ (corroboration)
- https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/11086/ (corroboration)