[stevenwoo]

Maybe a better way to frame it is over time, there's some genetic sequence that gave the snake a preference for eating this newt in particular out of all potential prey and some other genetic sequence that gives them a bit of resistance so they can store the poison inside them. Those snakes that eat more of them with that genetic makeup, up to a point, are better able to reproduce. Run a few thousand years of iterations over this process, where the snake and newt are in a red queen situation, both running faster and faster just to keep up. It is possible to look at this as situation where neither the snake or newt is conscious of the choices or there is no ability to make decision, there is only following the built in behavior.