Poison vs. Venom: What’s the Difference?

Both venomous and poisonous animals can be deadly. Though these words may seem interchangeable, they are different from each other. The toxins in poisonous and venomous animals are transmitted in different ways.

According to Live Science, venomous animals inject toxins directly, while poisonous ones passively transmit them via ingestion, inhalation, or direct contact.

Jason Strickland, a biologist from the University of South Alabama who also studies venom, says that if one gets sick after consuming an animal, the creature is poisonous. However, the animal is venous if a sting or bite leads to sickness.

Venomous Animals

The Australian Academy of Science notes that venomous creatures inject venom, a special poison, by stinging or biting their prey. Venom comprises large and small molecules. Hence, it can only enter the body via a wound. The toxins can also only be effective if they reach the bloodstream. Because of this, venomous creatures have more active defenses.

Examples of venomous animals are jellyfish and the taipan. Jellyfishes inject venom through structures like harpoons that release cells through their tentacles when these creatures are touched. On the other hand, taipans inject the toxin through their needle-like teeth.

According to Live Science, venom has evolved over a hundred times across various creatures, such as spiders, scorpions, and snakes. Moreover, around 15% of the earth's total animal species are venomous.

There are also a lot of these natural toxins that comprise compounds that have unique ways of working. For instance, hemotoxins, which may be found in the venom of copperhead snakes, target animal blood. On the other hand, neurotoxins, which can be found in the venom of the mamba snake, attack the creature's nervous system.

The venom of some Mojave rattlesnakes contains both of these toxins. Because of this, getting bitten by these potentially venomous creatures may lead to severely unpleasant consequences.

Poisonous Animals

On the other hand, Poisonous creatures lean toward passive aggression. They are not active in inflicting attacks on their prey. Rather than doing so, target poisoning results from being touched, eaten, or disrupted.

As per Britannica, most amphibians are poisonous. They carry certain quantities of toxins in their skin and other tissues. A concrete example of a poisonous creature is the cane toad. For the creature to be dangerous, it must be licked or ingested.

There are also poisonous animals that can induce instant death. An example of this is the poison dart frog from the Phyllobates genus. Such creatures have batrachotoxin. This toxin disrupts the body's electrical signals and effectively halts neural and cardiac activity. Predators that eat this frog end up dying.

There are also nontoxic animals that were able to cope with the presence of toxic companions. Opossums, for one, seemingly became resistant to the venom of snakes. Grasshopper mice could also experience pain relief from bark scorpion bites.

However, regardless of whether a toxin is injected or ingested, the best thing to do is to be cautious of possible venomous or poisonous animals in the area. As much as possible, these creatures must be avoided.

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