Venom science: High-speed cameras reveal snakes’ secret strike

For more than 60 million years, venomous snakes have slithered across Earth, armed with a potent evolutionary advantage—the ability to strike fast and inject chemical weaponry before prey can flee.

Now, a study I coauthored reveals, in remarkable detail, how these lightning-fast bites actually work. Published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, it’s the largest study of its kind, using advanced video techniques to uncover how different snake species have evolved unique strategies to deliver their venomous blows.

There are roughly 4,000 snake species worldwide, about 600 of them venomous. Scientists first began visually recording snake strikes in the 1950s with early high-speed cameras, but the technology then offered only limited views. Most previous studies relied on a single camera, producing side-on shots of snakes that move in every direction and at relatively low resolutions due to poor lighting conditions. Many also focused on just one or two species, missing the bigger evolutionary picture.

For our new study, my colleagues and I examined the strikes of 36 venomous species representing the three main families: vipers, elapids, and colubrids. These included western diamondback rattlesnakes (Crotalus atrox), blunt-nosed vipers (Macrovipera lebetinus), and rough-scaled death adders (Acanthophis rugosus).

The snakes were housed at Venomworld, an institute in Paris, where we built a small plexiglass arena lined with cardboard flooring. Each snake was presented with a simulated food source—a cylindrical block of medical gel heated to 38°C, mimicking warm-blooded prey.

Two high-speed cameras recorded each strike from different angles at 1,000 frames per second. By combining footage from both cameras, we reconstructed the strike in 3D to analyse duration, acceleration, angle, and jaw movement. In total, we recorded 108 successful strikes—three per species.

The footage revealed striking differences among the three families.

Vipers proved the fastest, hitting speeds over 4.5 metres per second. Many reached their targets in under 90 milliseconds — faster than the average reaction time of a startled mammal, their preferred prey. Vipers often withdrew and reinserted their fangs for a better grip before injecting venom, closing their jaws only once the fangs were firmly anchored.

Elapids, such as the Cape coral cobra (Aspidelaps lubricus), crept closer before lunging, biting repeatedly and tensing their jaw muscles to release venom.

Colubrids, including the mangrove snake (Boiga dendrophila), which have rear-facing fangs, struck from farther away. With jaws clamped tight, they performed sweeping side-to-side motions, tearing gashes in the gel to maximise venom delivery.

Together, these contrasting attack modes reveal how evolution has fine-tuned venom delivery to match hunting styles and prey behaviour.

Our earlier research showed that the shape of snake fangs is closely linked to the type of prey they hunt. This new study adds the missing piece—showing how those fangs are wielded in the blink of an eye.

It’s a vivid reminder of how snakes, armed with precision, speed, and adaptability, have survived and dominated as nature’s silent assassins for tens of millions of years.

The Conversation