The difference between “poisonous” and “venomous”
The difference between “poisonous” and “venomous”
Bite or be bitten.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Transcript
OK, pop quiz. Which of these snakes is the most poisonous? The King Cobra, the Black Mamba, the Banded Krait, or the Garter snake? Before you answer, let's think about that question. Which snake is the most poisonous? Is that the same thing as asking which snake is the most venomous? I'm pretty sure poison and venom are different, right?
We hear about poisonous snakes and poisonous spiders all the time. But usually what people mean is venomous. Venomous animals inject toxins into their victims, while poisonous animals are toxic when they're eaten.
So which snake is the most poisonous? Not the Cobra or the Mamba or the Krait? They're all deadly, but they're all venomous. The only poisonous snake here is the normally harmless Garter snake.
If something's dangerous because of a toxic bite or sting, well, that's what scientists call venomous. The snake with the world's deadliest venom is the Inland Taipan, also called the Western Taipan, or the fierce snake. Fierce is right because this snake's fangs can deliver a deadly combination of neurotoxins, procoagulate, and myotoxins that can quickly kill a human who doesn't receive medical treatment.
And it's not just snakes and spiders that have venom. Venomous animals include stingrays, scorpion fish, gila monsters, bees, scorpions, and jellyfish among others. There are even cute, furry animals that happen to be venomous. The male platypus has fang-like spurs on its ankles that inject a painful venom.
Poisonous animals are a little different. A poisonous animal doesn't make you sick by biting you. It makes you sick when you bite it. Poisonous animals have toxins in their skin or other tissues that attack a predator's body when touched or ingested. These toxins may not be injected into you the way that venoms are, but they can still be deadly.
Poisonous animals include most amphibians, such as frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders. Those newts and salamanders, by the way, happen to be the reason that the Garter snake won our little competition earlier. Garter snakes eat these poisonous amphibians, and their toxins build up in the Garter snake's body. Hey, waste not, want not, right?
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We hear about poisonous snakes and poisonous spiders all the time. But usually what people mean is venomous. Venomous animals inject toxins into their victims, while poisonous animals are toxic when they're eaten.
So which snake is the most poisonous? Not the Cobra or the Mamba or the Krait? They're all deadly, but they're all venomous. The only poisonous snake here is the normally harmless Garter snake.
If something's dangerous because of a toxic bite or sting, well, that's what scientists call venomous. The snake with the world's deadliest venom is the Inland Taipan, also called the Western Taipan, or the fierce snake. Fierce is right because this snake's fangs can deliver a deadly combination of neurotoxins, procoagulate, and myotoxins that can quickly kill a human who doesn't receive medical treatment.
And it's not just snakes and spiders that have venom. Venomous animals include stingrays, scorpion fish, gila monsters, bees, scorpions, and jellyfish among others. There are even cute, furry animals that happen to be venomous. The male platypus has fang-like spurs on its ankles that inject a painful venom.
Poisonous animals are a little different. A poisonous animal doesn't make you sick by biting you. It makes you sick when you bite it. Poisonous animals have toxins in their skin or other tissues that attack a predator's body when touched or ingested. These toxins may not be injected into you the way that venoms are, but they can still be deadly.
Poisonous animals include most amphibians, such as frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders. Those newts and salamanders, by the way, happen to be the reason that the Garter snake won our little competition earlier. Garter snakes eat these poisonous amphibians, and their toxins build up in the Garter snake's body. Hey, waste not, want not, right?
[MUSIC PLAYING]