Prior studies have shown that activation of these receptors does reduce pain, but there are currently no drugs on the market which work through that mechanism. The compound works by activating a specific subtype of somatostatin receptor, resulting in pain reduction. There are some paralytics, but the compound we looked at, we think it inhibits the prey from feeling pain and thereby trying to escape,” Safavi said. “The cocktail given together leads to a very slow death. Scientists were interested in one compound in particular, the one which they believe allows for this slow hunting strategy. The team found roughly 200 separate compounds which all come together during their killer strike. Venom was harvested from the snails and analyzed using mass spectrometry. Most cone snails stay attached to their prey and consume them almost immediately after the strike, but something in the rolani venom allowed them the benefit of patience. It’s that slow reaction time that got researchers interested in this particular species. They use a very slow predation strategy,” Safavi told SYFY WIRE. They wait up to three hours until the fish no longer moves and then come in and swallow it up. “These particular snails are very unusual in the way they inject their venom into the prey and retract into their shells. Their findings were published in the journal Science Advances. Helena Safavi from the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, and colleagues, studied the venom of the species Conus rolani in search of new pain medications which could be better than opioids like morphine. But taken into the laboratory, they could be the basis for a new class of pain medications. In nature, those compounds paralyze or otherwise disable prey long enough for the snails to swallow them whole. Scientists are interested in cone snail venom for the hundreds of compounds they contain. The internet’s immortal assassin snail meme might seem silly, but if it’s a cone snail we’re talking about, then we should take it seriously. Deepwater cone snails pack an array of venoms which vary from species to species and help them to consume prey which is much larger and faster than you might expect. You’re probably not picturing snails, but you should be. The bite site might be painless and still be lethally toxic.When you imagine a superpowered predator, you might conjure images of lions or bears, or maybe anthropomorphic aliens who hunt humans for sport. Always seek an evaluation at the nearest emergency department.
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