Omar, it looks like the thread was removed on the hognose, but I did want to reply about the dentition. I dont know if the e was an accident, but homodont dentition means all the teeth are the same size...which is clearly not the case. Aglyphous also means lacking the enlarged rear fangs with any significant groove. Both Heterodon and Xenodon are opisthoglyphous heterodonts (even if they dont have quite the tooth variety humans do, there is still a substantial difference in the function of the venom delivering teeth and say the front teeth). Also, while Heterodon and Xenodon do both prey on toads, it is meerly coincidence the teeth might help in the deflating. Toads not being their exclusive diet and many other snakes having similarly enlarged rear teeth which do not eat toads shows this is not an example of a similar structure evolved for very different tasks. The teeth are totally designed to deliver venom. I am hesitant to consider it an example of either convergent or divergent evolution because they are using the teeth to deliver venom, just like all the other snakes that have them.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 06:28:17 +0000
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