TED-Ed: Why don't poisonous animals poison themselves? - Rebecca D. Tarvin

The video explores how animals like the bombardier beetle, jellyfish, snakes, and poison dart frogs use toxic chemicals for defense. It explains two main strategies: storing toxins securely or evolving resistance. Bombardier beetles store poison in separate chambers, while snakes and frogs develop biochemical resistance. The evolutionary arms race between toxic animals and their predators is highlighted, showing how both evolve over time to survive and thrive.

What did Charles Darwin find under the old bark of a tree?

What are the two basic strategies toxic animals use to survive their own secretions?

How does the bombardier beetle defend itself?

How do poison dart frogs avoid poisoning themselves?

What evolutionary relationship exists between toxic salamanders and their predators?

What is the significance of genetic changes in the context of resistance and toxicity?

What remains a mystery regarding the toads that consume bombardier beetles?