This three-fanged venomous snake may be the ‘world's most dangerous death adder’

In a remarkable discovery, a death adder has been discovered with three razor-sharp, venomous fangs where there should have been two. This remarkable mutation has fascinated the scientific world and could revolutionise the knowledge of these deadly venomous snakes.
This three-fanged death adder is a unique and interesting exhibit of the unpredictability of nature, and its venomous sting may render it one of the most lethal snakes on the planet. Although the reason for the mutation is still unclear, the find highlights the intricacies of fang replacement and the genetic variation of venomous species.

According to Live Science, at the Australian Reptile Park, home to the snake, park manager Billy Collett expressed his amazement,"This is something we've never seen before," he explained. The snake had been on their venom program for seven years, but they only just recently discovered the third fang. At first, Collett assumed it would shed off after some time, but a year passed and it remained.
This third fang, positioned close to one of the other fangs on the left side of the snake's mouth, is functional and also secretes venom. Therefore, this snake inflicts a much greater venom yield per bite than other death adders, greatly enhancing its threat.

Death adders (Acanthophis) are one of the most venomous snakes in the world, found in Australia and New Guinea. They are known for their very rapid strikes, with the ability to bite and inject venom within 0.15 seconds. Death adder venom is made up of neurotoxins, which lead to paralysis and, in extreme cases, death if left untreated. Death adder bites prior to the invention of antivenom had a 50% mortality rate.

According to Collett, this three-fanged death adder may well be the deadliest death adder in the world, with its enhanced venom production. The additional fang is a novel genetic mutation that has never been seen before in this species.
This snake is included in the Australian Reptile Park's antivenom production program, and the third fang was discovered when the snake was milked for venom—a process where the snake bites a collection container, and its venom is slowly drawn out of the glands.

This three-fanged death adder has also been discovered to generate much more venom than two-fanged death adders. It produces around twice the venom that a normal death adder would, but it's still not known whether this higher production is a result of the third fang itself or if this snake just naturally produces more venom.
At the Australian Reptile Park, which has been milking snakes for more than 20 years and has milked hundreds of thousands of them, this three-fanged find is a first. A park representative confirmed that while other three-fanged snakes have been discovered in Australia, no three-fanged death adders had ever been found before.

In death adders, fangs are replaced constantly if one fang is lost, another one behind it develops and migrates forward to replace the lost one, keeping the snake in possession of viable fangs to inject venom at all times. The emergence of a third fang may be associated with the replacement mechanism, but why this mutation has occurred is still not known.
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