I feel like if evolution is correct (I’m confident it is) then it must be evolutionarily advantageous to have the capacity to kill a herd of elephants with one’s toxin, assuming all animals in the group have that capacity.
A lot of people think of “venomous” as being a one-dimensional property like strength or speed that you have to build your way up towards. But really it’s just how this substance your body produces that reacts with another substance in another creature who evolved on a whole other continent to you.
There doesn’t need to be a strong evolutionary imperative to be able to kill a herd of elephants, it’s enough for there to not be a strong disincentive not to produce enough venom to do it.
right but if I’m thinking correctly (maybe not) then if it “merely” wasn’t harmful, wouldn’t there be room for variation within the species of toxicity?
I feel like if evolution is correct (I’m confident it is) then it must be evolutionarily advantageous to have the capacity to kill a herd of elephants with one’s toxin, assuming all animals in the group have that capacity.
A lot of people think of “venomous” as being a one-dimensional property like strength or speed that you have to build your way up towards. But really it’s just how this substance your body produces that reacts with another substance in another creature who evolved on a whole other continent to you.
There doesn’t need to be a strong evolutionary imperative to be able to kill a herd of elephants, it’s enough for there to not be a strong disincentive not to produce enough venom to do it.
right but if I’m thinking correctly (maybe not) then if it “merely” wasn’t harmful, wouldn’t there be room for variation within the species of toxicity?
Basically it means the animal’s prey(/predators for defensive toxins) has evolved a massive resistance to the toxin that elephants haven’t.