Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: neilep on 17/03/2009 23:20:55

Title: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: neilep on 17/03/2009 23:20:55
Dearest Academical Luffleys Of knowledgeable Stuff & General Klevernuss,

See this Eel ?

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Nice eh ?..as far as Eels go, this one's a real looker !!

Eels are like long thin swimmy fishy snakes yes ?

..but unlike some snakes that have poisonous venom, I heard that Eels have toxic blood !!...what's that all about  ?

Is toxic blood common amongst other animals ?..Why does an Eel have blood so that if ewe or I swallowed it , it would make us sickypoos ?



I would like to know in case I accidentally swallow some Eel blood...it happens ewe know !



If I knew the answer to this then it would up my stakes amongst the klevur eel fraternity and this is important to me.

I hope ewe can help


hugs & shmishes

mwah mwah mwah



neil
My Name Rhymes With Eel
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



Title: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 18/03/2009 00:30:17
Coz they live off crap?
Title: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: neilep on 18/03/2009 02:39:30
Coz they live off crap?



Well................I'm convinced !!   [;)]



What about Prawns and Lobsters ?...they live off crap too don't they ?...there's one in my loo and one sitting in the kitty litter tray right now !
Title: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 18/03/2009 04:57:04
Coz eels don't want to be eaten?
Title: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: RD on 18/03/2009 06:15:19
Creatures which are poisonous when eaten are another phenomenon explained by the gene centered view of evolution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene-centered_view_of_evolution#Individual_altruism.2C_genetic_egoism): an individual member of a species must die to deliver the poison, but in doing so they will prevent/deter a predator from attacking other members of the their species. Being poisonous doesn't do an individual member any good (they must die to deliver it) but it is beneficial for their species. Their genes, shared with other members of the same species, are more likely to survive as a result of creating vehicles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Selfish_Gene#Organisms_as_survival_machines) which are poisonous.
Title: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: neilep on 18/03/2009 11:32:03
Coz eels don't want to be eaten?


Thank you Chemistry4me...... What creatures have a desire to be eaten ?  [;)]
Title: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: neilep on 18/03/2009 11:35:02
Creatured which are poisonous when eaten are another phenomenon explained by the gene centered view of evolution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene-centered_view_of_evolution#Individual_altruism.2C_genetic_egoism): an individual member of a species must die to deliver the poison, but in doing so they will prevent/deter a predator from attacking other members of the their species. Being poisonous doesn't do an individual member any good (they must die to deliver it) but it is beneficial for their species. Their genes, shared with other members of the same species, are more likely to survive as a result of being poisonous.

Thank you RD but how does a poisoned predator then pass on that knowledge to it's kin ?
Title: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: RD on 18/03/2009 12:11:47
Innate (inherited) phobias to spiders and snakes (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080227121840.htm) may be psychological countermeasures to poisonous creatures, passed on to predator progeny.

Those who have an (innate/genetic) fear of snakes and spiders (some of whom have deadly poison) are more likely to survive to adulthood and reproduce than those who don't fear these potentially poisonous creatures, and pass on this life-saving reflex to their offsping.
Title: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: dlorde on 18/03/2009 21:36:23
Thank you RD but how does a poisoned predator then pass on that knowledge to it's kin ?
It's not strictly necessary for the predator to pass on the knowledge directly to their kin, although there is  evidence in some species that this does happen - the pregnant female 'primes' the young with her food preferences somehow.

Outside of this, if the predator bites something unpleasant, they are unlikely to repeat the experience. This experience is likely to happen in early life as part of learning edible from inedible. Clearly, if the predator is fatally poisoned, that is the end of it. If there is some genetic component in the predator's food preferences, fatal poisoning in early life will act as a powerful selection against that preference. Severe indigestion won't necessarily act as a direct selection pressure, but is likely to interfere with overall efficiency, allowing populations that don't have such damaging preferences to outcompete them, or selecting for individuals with more robust digestions, or with different food preferences.

However, it's worth bearing in mind that predator and prey will often (generally?) evolve together, each imposing selection pressures on the other, so you may be more likely to find prey that have evolved increasingly nasty poisons being preyed on by predators that have evolved increasing resistance to those poisons.
Title: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 19/03/2009 09:35:45

What about Prawns and Lobsters ?...they live off crap too don't they ?...there's one in my loo and one sitting in the kitty litter tray right now !

I don't think you're being entirely honest, are you.
Title: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: LeeE on 20/03/2009 11:30:39

What about Prawns and Lobsters ?...they live off crap too don't they ?...there's one in my loo and one sitting in the kitty litter tray right now !

I don't think you're being entirely honest, are you.

It could be true if Neilp was referring to crap, not prawns or lobsters.

Hmm...  perhaps Neilp forgot to include the string " as traps, but they haven't caught any prawns or lobsters yet" before the shriek (!)
Title: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: lyner on 20/03/2009 15:29:22
If their blood is toxic, how come I can eat eel? It's yummy.
Title: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 20/03/2009 23:48:31
The toxic protein it contains is destroyed by cooking.
Title: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: lyner on 21/03/2009 09:54:13
Ahh. That makes sense.
But otters eat a lot of eels!
Title: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 21/03/2009 10:01:39
(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freesmileys.org%2Fsmileys%2Fsmiley-confused013.gif&hash=396386a856152a890252526964cc44dd) (http://www.freesmileys.org)
Title: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: Bored chemist on 21/03/2009 18:22:39
It's possible that otters' digestive systems are able to digest the protein before it does any harm.
Title: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: lyner on 22/03/2009 00:16:30
So how toxic is it? Would I need to eat a little or a lotto?
Title: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 22/03/2009 03:08:22
(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freesmileys.org%2Fsmileys%2Fsmiley-confused013.gif&hash=396386a856152a890252526964cc44dd) (http://www.freesmileys.org)
Title: Re: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: Tomm0 on 20/12/2012 05:07:13
Cooking or digestion both destroy the toxin.
As long as you don't take the eel blood and inject it into yourself, you'll be fine.
(this is exactly what scientists (injected it into dogs) while studying anaphylaxis.
Title: Re: Why Is Eel Blood Toxic ?
Post by: evan_au on 22/12/2012 10:03:30
Quote
how does a poisoned predator then pass on that knowledge to it's kin ?

Predators which raise their little ones would presumably train them to find prey which didn't give them a severe stomach ache later.