Many creatures that we are familiar with are venomous or poisonous. Perhaps because they have not produced a large number of human fatalities we are not warned of their dangers. Nevertheless it is wise to know what these creatures are capable of doing. This is a list of the 7 animals you didn’t know were venomous or poisonous. They are in no particular order.
7. Cuttlefish
The cuttlefish is closely related to the squid and octopus. It has 10 arms covered with tiny suckers and at the base is their beak. This beak injects a fast acting venom which is not harmful to humans. The venom works by attacking the victim’s nervous system.
6. Hooded Pitohui
A songbird from New Guinea. Its skin as well as feathers contain a very powerful poison called: homobatrachotoxin. This is the same poison found in the South American dart frogs, although it is severely less toxic then the frogs and a whole bird would have to be eaten for any real harm to occur. The poison is transferred easily to humans by merely touching or handling the bird.
5. Duck-Billed Platypus
The male platypus has a spur located on the heel behind each leg. Their venom is not known to be deadly to humans. The venom is produced only by mature males and is most potent during mating season, leading some researches to believe that it is used primarily against competing males.
4. Gila Monster
The Gila Monster is one of only two known venomous lizards; it can be found in southwest USA and Mexico. The Gila Monster’s venomous bite is different than most animals, in that most of its teeth have grooves that conduct the flow of the poison. Also rather than an injecting bite, the venom flows from these grooves and is injected through chewing. They are rarely fatal to humans.
3. Centipede
The centipede is very common in the US. Its body is made up of up to 150 segments with a pair of legs for each segment. The head has long antennae and a pair of large claw like structures. These claws carry the venom glands. While centipedes are for the most part not fatal to humans, some of the large or giant species can be very dangerous to children.
2. Millipede
Closely related the centipede, some millipedes emit poisonous liquid secretions or hydrogen cyanide gas through microscopic pores on their body. Some of these substances are caustic and can burn the exoskeleton of ants and other insect predators, and the skin and eyes of larger predators.
1. Cone Snail
The cone snail’s harpoon is a modification of the radula, an organ in molluscs which acts as both tongue and teeth. The harpoon is hollow and barbed, and is attached to the tip of the radula inside the snail’s throat. When the snail detects a prey animal nearby, it turns its mouth - a long flexible tube called a proboscis - towards the prey. The harpoon is loaded with venom and, still attached to the radula, is fired from the proboscis into the prey by a powerful muscular contraction. The venom paralyzes small fish almost instantly. The snail then retracts the radula, drawing the subdued prey into the mouth. The cone snail’s bite is similar to a bee sting, but the larger species are responsible for 30 known cases of human death.
