Primate-snake arms race?

[Infinity Blade]

This is a recent video from PBS Eons about how Afro-Asian primates and venomous snakes might have been locked in an arms race that prompted them to evolve better defenses against each other. In particular, primates becoming better adapted to visually detect snakes, and snakes evolving novel and more potent venom defenses.




Here, in fact, is one recent paper on the subject: bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12915-021-01195-x


What do you guys think?

[Supercommunist]

Yeah I read that research before. Since most venomous snakes aren't large enough to eat most species of primates or even their infants I am really not sure I buy the idea that primates developed a greater resilience to venom due to predatory pressure. I wonder if our resilence towards venom could actually be attributed by the fact that primates have a propensity for revenge and would mistake venemous snakes for young pythons/boas (species of snakes actually big enough to eat most primates) in an effort to reduce predatory pressure.