科學圖說

泰雅鈍頭蛇捕食蝸牛(Atayal Slug -Eating Snake)

泰雅鈍頭蛇主食為蝸牛和蛞蝓，蝸牛有殼保護，蛞蝓會分泌旺盛黏液，為了攝食這兩類動物，鈍頭蛇演化出特殊的覓食機制。以蝸牛為例，自然界中大部分的蝸牛殼都是「右旋」的方向，為有效取食螺肉，鈍頭蛇必須用上下頷固定螺殼，藉著左右不對稱的齒列，將螺肉慢慢拉出取食。所以右側的牙齒數量通常多於左側，這種特殊現象，是掠食者與獵物共同演化的結果。

The Atayal slug-eating snake (Pareas atayal) feeds mainly on snails and slugs. As snails have a protective shell and slugs secrete large quantities of mucus, this snake has developed unique foraging mechanisms. Taking snails as an example, in the natural world most snail shells spiral in a clockwise direction. To obtain snail meat, this snake uses its jaws to hold the shell in place, then slowly pulls out the meat using its teeth, of which there are more on the right side than on the left. This is an outcome of the coevolution of predator and prey.