Garden slugs and snails could now be considered venomous, study finds
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The garden-variety slugs and snails we didn’t know were venomous
- Scientists are proposing a new, broader definition of venom, moving beyond the traditional understanding of bites from snakes and spiders.
- A paper published in journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution, and led by the Natural History Museum’s venom expert Dr Ronald Jenner, redefines venom as any internally delivered secretion used by one organism to physiologically manipulate another against its interests.
- This new definition classifies tens of thousands of additional species as venomous, including common garden snails, slugs, aphids, and various insects.
- Examples include insects injecting toxins into plants to disable defences, mosquitoes suppressing immune systems for blood meals, and slugs and snails injecting toxins into potential partners during sexual courtship.
- Researchers hope this redefinition will foster interdisciplinary collaboration and enhance the understanding of venom biology as a widespread evolutionary strategy.