Powerful venom

Poisonous or venomous – what is the difference?

If we say an animal is venomous, we mean that the animal makes a toxic substance and injects it into another animal via a bite or sting. For example, a taipan, which injects venom through syringe-like teeth, is a venomous snake.

Poisonous animals are ones where the toxic substance must be eaten, or get in via the skin or lungs. A cane toad is a poisonous animal. It causes harm when licked or eaten. And there are a few animals which are both venomous and poisonous. The Blue-ringed octopus is one of those. It is venomous when it bites, and it is poisonous if it is swallowed.

So why do animals make these toxic chemicals?

Animals use them either to get food or defend themselves or their kin. From the animal’s perspective it is one part of staying alive long enough to have babies, which is what all animals must do for their species to survive.

Is it dangerous?

People often think that venomous means dangerous to humans. In fact, most of the world’s venomous organisms are completely harmless to humans, either because they rarely if ever bite or sting humans, or because when they do bite or sting it doesn’t cause much harm.

In most cases, the last thing the animal wants to do is waste its venom on biting or stinging a human, but it might have to do so if threatened or might do it by accident.

Is it useful?

In Australia we do have some spectacular venomous animals – and snakes and spiders would have to the top of that list.

Venomous native animals are the focus of scientific research about how they use venom and what other uses the chemicals in the venom might have for humans such as if they could be useful as medicines.