Eli5: Why do some spiders have poison that can kill mammals several hundred times it’s size , if they only eat other insects/arachnids, ect
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The poisons are evolved for the prey they attack… the affect on humans and others is coincidental.
For example, black widows. They use a alpha-latrotoxin to disable their prey. Since the spiders are small, and they sometimes eat small lizards, mammals and birds… they need to disable these animals almost instantly. Any delay means the animal can hurt or kill the spider, or just walk/run away. So they evolved an insanely potent poison that kills the small animals instantly.
So while their bites can kill larger animals, its just a byproduct. It will kill a larger animal slowly.
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