I think that it is a misconception that since they are called rear fanged that the food must go all the way to the back of the mouth in order to be envenomated. The "fangs" are actually located underneath the eyes which is only halfway down an open mouth. From what I've seen from Hognose feeding behavior (swinging their open mouth wildly) that it is not hard to get the fangs latched on if they get any grip at all.

>>Since hogs are rear-fanged...that the only way a hognose is going to get any significant amount of venom into a toad is by getting one hell of a good bite and chewing on it...in which case...it ain't gettin' away.
>>
>>If it bites and isn't able to hold on and chew...likely the toad isn't going to receive any venom and will live another day to hop out in front of a car or something.
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes

[ Hide Replies ]

• Hog "venom" vs. toad "poison" - Shaky, Wed Oct 15 07:08:36 2003
• RE: Hog "venom" vs. toad "poison" - snakeguy88, Wed Oct 15 15:25:45 2003
• RE: Hog "venom" vs. toad "poison" - Colchicine, Thu Oct 16 06:35:53 2003
• The reason I ask... - Shaky, Thu Oct 16 07:00:12 2003
• I would bet... - DeanAlessandrini, Thu Oct 16 15:34:21 2003
• PS... - DeanAlessandrini, Thu Oct 16 15:35:28 2003
• RE: PS... - meretseger, Thu Oct 16 19:59:05 2003
• Got an answer... - Shaky, Fri Oct 17 07:59:09 2003
• A clarification - Colchicine, Fri Oct 17 16:26:06 2003