Why don’t poisonous animals poison themselves? - Rebecca D. Tarvin
TED-Ed・2 minutes read
Animals like bombardier beetles and venomous snakes utilize different strategies to survive their own toxins, including storing venom in separate chambers and evolving resistance through genetic changes. This results in an evolutionary arms race where the most toxic animals and resistant predators pass on their genes for future generations.
Insights
- Bombardier beetles protect themselves by storing poisonous liquid in separate chambers and shielding their internal tissues with a hardened chamber, showcasing an intricate defense mechanism against their toxins.
- The evolutionary arms race between toxic animals and resistant predators highlights how genetic changes due to exposure to toxins can drive the survival of the fittest, shaping future generations' ability to resist or produce toxins.
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Recent questions
How do bombardier beetles defend themselves?
By spewing hot, bitter fluid.
What are some examples of toxic animals?
Jellyfish and venomous snakes.
How do predators and prey develop resistance to toxins?
Through genetic changes.
What is the outcome of an evolutionary arms race?
Survival of the most toxic and resistant.
How do animals evolve resistance to their own toxins?
Through genetic changes altering alkaloid-binding site.
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