RE: Quick question about evolution
August 28, 2016 at 4:35 pm
(This post was last modified: August 28, 2016 at 4:42 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
(August 28, 2016 at 3:27 pm)Yoo Wrote: Yeah I do get the basic reasoning, I just see a few practical issues. Back in evolutionary time when the spiders were just about to become venomous, they probably hunted by ambushing and jumping their prey. (not sure about this, but I think ambushing was there before venom or making a web was.) Now if you've ever seen a spider catch a prey there's not a lot of a fight going on between it and its prey. So that's why I have some doubts about the whole "weakening the prey is a real advantage" claim.Any advantage is a "real advantage" if the subject is evolution. That being able to weaken prey is an advantage isn't a claim...it's an observation of reality. Sure, it may be overkill in some cases...but you don't want to risk losing a limb in an unexpected struggle with a particularly nasty snack..not like they have an ER to go to, no such thing as a spider leg brace, eh? Even if you're many times bigger and tougher than a spider... a komodo for example, you don;t want to -have- to fight tooth and nail to eat (or to keep from being eaten). One bite...then wait. One bite, then run. Bonus points if your venom helps you to digest your dinner (as it does in the case of many spiders).
At the population level, the less likely you are to die in any engagement..be it offensive or defensive...the more offspring you are likely to produce.
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