Cannibalism Makes Evolutionary Sense

The act of cannibalism makes no sense from an observatory position. Researchers from the University of Sydney wanted to know who was responsible for the depletion of toad eggs. To their surprise, the researchers found out that tadpoles were the culprits. According to the article, the act of cannibalism makes “evolutionary sense”. As for the example of the tadpoles eating the eggs of a toad, the eggs are deemed as a potential rival for the tadpoles. The more toads habituating an area result in competition for male toads. In the case for the missing toad eggs, the tadpoles worked together to successfully eliminate competition. Another example for cannibalism for evolutionary purposes would be that of the redback spider. Similarly to the black widow, the female eats the male spider after it is done with the mating process. The chances for a male redback spider ever finding female spider to mate with in its lifetime is slim to none. The male redback willingly offers itself as a sacrifice because his mission is over; there is no more purpose for being in existence.