Australian skinks have evolved a remarkable defense mechanism against snake venom by shutting down their muscles, according to a new study by the University of Queensland. This discovery could potentially contribute to insights for future treatments for snakebite victims.
The research highlights that several species of Australian skinks have developed venom resistance through alterations in a critical muscle receptor.
In most animals, this receptor is targeted by venom neurotoxins, which can lead to rapid paralysis and death.
A co-author of the study, Prof Bryan Fry, who leads UQ’s adaptive biotoxicology lab, stated that when venomous snakes arrived in Australia from Asia 25 million to 30 million years ago, skinks would likely have been their prey, leading to evolutionary pressure favoring the evolution of venom resistance.
The researchers found that the mutations in Australian skinks that prompted venom resistance are similar to those in other venom-resistant animals outside of Australia, such as mongooses, which feed on cobras. The study analyzed 47 skink species and discovered that 13 of them are resistant to snake venom, with some species showing multiple types of resistance.
Dr Uthpala Chandrasekara, a fellow researcher from UQ, explained that their study used synthetic peptides and receptor models to observe the effects of venom at the molecular level, with some modified receptors showing no response to venom.
This research sheds light on nature’s ingenious ways of survival and shows that even a minor change in a protein can mean the difference between life and death in the face of a highly venomous predator.
The study has been published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/aug/06/research-into-australian-skinks-resistance-to-snake-venom-could-streamline-design-of-antivenoms
