Just skylarking: - Spiders have huge litters. - It may be that the evolutionary path is more driven by the enzyme chemistry than the efficacy of the venom. Mi

Just skylarking: - Spiders have huge litters. - It may be that the evolutionary path is more driven by the enzyme chemistry than the efficacy of the venom. Mighta come up with a nasty version and then change more or less stopped, purely by accident. Evoluton arrives at solutions, not optima. - Given the general proximity these spiders tend to have with humans, their prevalence could be completely accidental. See also grackles, other creatures that are symbiotes to us. Now I wonder what the metabolic load from producing venom in venomous creatures works out to.