To the human eye, many edible plants have a poisonous plant look alike. We can distinguish the two after research and learning but how do animals just know the difference?
In: Biology
Hey,[I made a quick video to answer your question! (With a banging joke at the end too)](https://youtu.be/7jhgWCSdHzI)
If videos aren’t your thing I’ll summerise my answer here.
* Animals don’t always know what to eat/not eat. There are small pointers in nature that help them.
* Monarch butterflys are aposematic, meaning they display bright patterns or colours to warn off predators. If a bird was to eat this butterfly, they’d then fall ill due to it. They’d then make the connection between the patterns and the illness, stopping them from chomping on more.
* Animals adapt too, parsley contains psoralens which cause photsynphesis. It also makes it easier to sunburn due to this chemical. Insects that eat parsley have adapted, and have been seen to hide in shade for hours after consuming parsley.
* Some plants that are poisonous contain Tannin which makes the plant taste bitter. Antelope and other animals are seen to nibble plants, it’s thought that this is to see if the plant is edible. If it’s bitter they will steer clear.
* Natural selection plays a big part too, over generations and time animals that find poisonous plants tasy will stop having offspring and the species will eventually stop eating those plants.
Hope that helped, have a great day!
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