The researchers collected venom samples from 83 rattlesnakes, some of which measured up to four feet long.
Notes on verification
Confirmed directly by the peer-reviewed journal article (Hirst et al. 2025, Evolution) and corroborated by multiple independent sources including the USF dissertation and several science news outlets.
Sources
- What rattlesnake venom can teach us about evolution: New USF study | ScienceDaily (sciencedaily.com)
- https://www.usf.edu/news/2025/what-rattlesnake-venom-can-teach-us-about-evolution.aspx (usf.edu)
- https://academic.oup.com/evolut/article/79/8/1419/8118642 (academic.oup.com)
- https://www.popsci.com/environment/rattlesnake-venom-evolution/ (popsci.com)
- https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/11086/ (digitalcommons.usf.edu)