Venom, Genes and a Limbless Body: teacher key

King Cobras, grade 10 edition, written for 10th grade. King cobra venom is a complex mixture of toxins, and the snake's genome shows how it came to be. Scientists also ask why different studies report different numbers.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. How do field scientists often describe the king cobra?
   • As a fast swimmer
   • As a placid snake (answer)
   • As a night hunter
2. What do neurotoxins in king cobra venom act on?
   • The nervous system (answer)
   • The stomach
   • The skin
3. Why did different venom studies report different numbers?
   • Snakes change venom daily
   • Scientists never repeat studies
   • Sampling and methods differed (answer)
4. What does the Hox gene finding suggest about the king cobra?
   • It cannot grow
   • It still carries most limb-building instructions (answer)
   • It lives in trees only
5. In this book, what does accessory gland mean?
   • The main venom gland
   • A gland in a nest
   • An extra gland that works differently (answer)

Words

• proteomic: protein-measuring
• accessory: extra, added
• genome: all its genes
• neurotoxins: nerve poisons
• placid: calm