why do some small spiders have powerful enough venom to kill 4 elephants when they mostly eat small insects?

Question

why do some small spiders have powerful enough venom to kill 4 elephants when they mostly eat small insects?

In: 1

Answer 1

Spiders have venom of varying potency. However, what matters to a particular spider species is that its venom’s potency allows it to capture sufficient prey so that it lives long enough to reproduce. If the potency of a spider’s venom exceeds this threshold, even by a substantial margin, it will not affect the spider’s ability to reproduce unless the potency is so excessive that it kills off its entire food supply.