The toxic Rubbish bird: By evolution, or design?
Many animals are venomonous as a defense against predators.
Most animals living on earth are hunted by predators. That’s why most species have one or more defense mechanisms, which help to protect them from dangerous animals. These defense mechanisms differ from one animal to the next, and many of them are very interesting. Bold and colorful markings in some animals, such as insects (especially butterflies), and frogs, are thought to be aposematic: visually striking in order to warn off would‐be predators. Some animals have toxins on their skin that protect them from predators. Sharp spines serve as effective protection for many animals. Some animals use camouflage to help them blend in with their surroundings and avoid detection. A fascinating additional phenomenon sometimes arises among aposematic species—occasionally unrelated but distasteful species converge upon each other’s appearance, presumably enhancing their cumulative “advertising” effectiveness, a phenomenon called Müllerian mimicry. Several animals wear armors. Many animals try to trick predators into thinking they’re dangerous. Loud sounds are frightening to many predators, and some animals use this to their advantage. If nothing else works, some animals deter predators by playing dead.
https://animals.net/nine-awesome-defenses-animals-use-to-avoid-predators/
Yuck! Rubbish-bird! Pit-oou-i! Did you ever think that there are birds with that special feature? While working in New Guinea, ornithologists Jack Dumbacher and Bruce Beehler learned of birds that the native people of New Guinea knew as distasteful “rubbish‐birds,” not to be eaten unless specially prepared. They also noticed burning and numbing sensations in their own noses, lips, and tongues after handling these same birds. As it turns out, several members of the genus Pitohui from New Guinea carry potent neurotoxic alkaloids in their feathers. These species are also black, reddish brown, and orange, coloration very typical of other aposematic animals. Members of this genus vary in their toxicity, and also in their orange to reddish brown and black coloration.
The Hooded Pitohui (Pitohui dichrous) is one of three known poisonous bird species, containing a neurotoxin in their feathers (homobatrachotoxin). This same toxin, which is derived from their diet, is also found in New World poison dart frogs (family Dendrobatidae).
By evolution, or design ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjTOJ6zIbys
Many animals are venomonous as a defense against predators.
Most animals living on earth are hunted by predators. That’s why most species have one or more defense mechanisms, which help to protect them from dangerous animals. These defense mechanisms differ from one animal to the next, and many of them are very interesting. Bold and colorful markings in some animals, such as insects (especially butterflies), and frogs, are thought to be aposematic: visually striking in order to warn off would‐be predators. Some animals have toxins on their skin that protect them from predators. Sharp spines serve as effective protection for many animals. Some animals use camouflage to help them blend in with their surroundings and avoid detection. A fascinating additional phenomenon sometimes arises among aposematic species—occasionally unrelated but distasteful species converge upon each other’s appearance, presumably enhancing their cumulative “advertising” effectiveness, a phenomenon called Müllerian mimicry. Several animals wear armors. Many animals try to trick predators into thinking they’re dangerous. Loud sounds are frightening to many predators, and some animals use this to their advantage. If nothing else works, some animals deter predators by playing dead.
https://animals.net/nine-awesome-defenses-animals-use-to-avoid-predators/
Yuck! Rubbish-bird! Pit-oou-i! Did you ever think that there are birds with that special feature? While working in New Guinea, ornithologists Jack Dumbacher and Bruce Beehler learned of birds that the native people of New Guinea knew as distasteful “rubbish‐birds,” not to be eaten unless specially prepared. They also noticed burning and numbing sensations in their own noses, lips, and tongues after handling these same birds. As it turns out, several members of the genus Pitohui from New Guinea carry potent neurotoxic alkaloids in their feathers. These species are also black, reddish brown, and orange, coloration very typical of other aposematic animals. Members of this genus vary in their toxicity, and also in their orange to reddish brown and black coloration.
The Hooded Pitohui (Pitohui dichrous) is one of three known poisonous bird species, containing a neurotoxin in their feathers (homobatrachotoxin). This same toxin, which is derived from their diet, is also found in New World poison dart frogs (family Dendrobatidae).
By evolution, or design ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjTOJ6zIbys
