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Could being a toxic or venemous creature be bad for survivability of a species in the long term if smarter creatures discover you’re lethal and thus become dete

Could being a toxic or venemous creature be bad for survivability of a species in the long term if smarter creatures discover you’re lethal and thus become determined to kill your kind on sight?

chrisweekly 1y ago
I'm curious about the broader concept of species intentionally killing other species for reasons other than food.
- AbortedLaunch 1y ago
  Intraguild killing (such as lions killing leopards or cheetahs) has been described in multiple species. Perhaps interesting; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34816428/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34816428/ (Still need to read it)
- im3w1l 1y ago
  Territorial animals will kill to protect their turf. A successful species could conceivably kill off a less successful one by conquering all its territory.
- tim333 1y ago
  Cats kill things for I guess what you'd call fun, although it is food related as they hone their skills for when they may need them.
James_K 1y ago
What would be the advantage of that? Killing the animal comes with the risk of being poisoned, and no reward. It's best to just ignore them.
- fwip 1y ago
  In theory, you're killing a species that competes with your preferred prey species for habitat or food, which could mean more abundant food for you and your kin in the future. I am not aware of any species besides humans that do this, though.
lupusreal 1y ago
Most people who get bitten by venomous snakes were fucking with the snake. It's a bad strategy, much better is to leave the snake alone.
- SoftTalker 1y ago
  Wolves and other predators were hunted to near extinction in North America on this rationale. My mother in law kills all spiders and snakes she can on sight.
  - lupusreal 1y ago
    Guess she doesn't know what snakes eat. Usually if there are snakes around it's because you have rodents. If you're smart you leave the snakes to their business and try to address the rodent problem instead. Same deal with spiders, they're obligate carnivores. If there are spiders around, that's because there are other bugs about. Honestly I understand wolf culls a lot more. I don't agree with them, but I understand the rational motive of people who have livestock, pets, or even children.

Could being a toxic or venemous creature be bad for survivability of a species in the long term if smarter creatures discover you’re lethal and thus become determined to kill your kind on sight?

chrisweekly 1y ago

I'm curious about the broader concept of species intentionally killing other species for reasons other than food.

AbortedLaunch 1y ago
Intraguild killing (such as lions killing leopards or cheetahs) has been described in multiple species. Perhaps interesting; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34816428/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34816428/ (Still need to read it)
im3w1l 1y ago
Territorial animals will kill to protect their turf. A successful species could conceivably kill off a less successful one by conquering all its territory.
tim333 1y ago
Cats kill things for I guess what you'd call fun, although it is food related as they hone their skills for when they may need them.

James_K 1y ago

What would be the advantage of that? Killing the animal comes with the risk of being poisoned, and no reward. It's best to just ignore them.

fwip 1y ago
In theory, you're killing a species that competes with your preferred prey species for habitat or food, which could mean more abundant food for you and your kin in the future. I am not aware of any species besides humans that do this, though.

lupusreal 1y ago

Most people who get bitten by venomous snakes were fucking with the snake. It's a bad strategy, much better is to leave the snake alone.

SoftTalker 1y ago
Wolves and other predators were hunted to near extinction in North America on this rationale. My mother in law kills all spiders and snakes she can on sight.
- lupusreal 1y ago
  Guess she doesn't know what snakes eat. Usually if there are snakes around it's because you have rodents. If you're smart you leave the snakes to their business and try to address the rodent problem instead. Same deal with spiders, they're obligate carnivores. If there are spiders around, that's because there are other bugs about. Honestly I understand wolf culls a lot more. I don't agree with them, but I understand the rational motive of people who have livestock, pets, or even children.