eli5: Why do some tiny animals contain enough venom to kill thousands of humans, isn’t that just overkill?

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eli5: Why do some tiny animals contain enough venom to kill thousands of humans, isn’t that just overkill?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

It just happens that the mutation they came up with happens to be an effective neurotoxin and neurotoxins are very effective at killing pretty much anything.

Also you need to remember that these animals still have to deliver the venom to a potentially aggressive opponent. They are not always going to get a good bite or sting where they can deliver a full dose but they still want it to be a deterrent to stop and would be predator from continuing to attack them and would be prey from getting away. So having a strong venom is highly beneficial to survival and having enough venom for 2-3 attacks is good in case you miss or mess up.

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