This article is about animals that inject venom. For animals poisonous on contact or when ingested, seelist of poisonous animals.
Many venomous animals, such as thisgreater blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata), are brightly colored or can display bright colors to warn potentialpredators
Numerous animal species naturally produce chemical toxins which are used to kill or incapacitate prey or as a defense against predators. Venomous animals actively deliver their toxins (calledvenom) into their target through a specially designed mechanism, such as abite orsting, by using avenom apparatus, such asfangs or astinger, in a processes calledenvenomation.[1][2] They are often distinguished frompoisonous animals, which instead passively deliver their toxins (calledpoison) to their victims upon contact such as through inhalation, absorption through the skin, or after being ingested.[1][2][3] The only difference between venomous animals and poisonous animals is how they deliver the toxins.[3] This list deals exclusively with venomous animals.
Venoms have adapted to serve a wide variety of purposes. Their intended effects can range from mild fleeting discomfort to paralysis and death, and they may be highly selective in which species they target, often making them harmless to all but a few specific organisms; what may be fatal to one species may be totally insignificant to another species. Because the definition of "venomous" can be extremely broad, this list includes only those animals with venom that is known or suspected to be medically significant for humans or domestic animals.
Strictly speaking, all spiders and scorpions possess venom, though only a handful are dangerous to humans. Spiders typically deliver their venom with a bite from piercing, fang-likechelicerae; scorpions sting their victims with a long, curvedstinger mounted on thetelson.
Allwidow spiders (Latrodectus spp.), including the black widows, button spiders, Australianredback spider (L. hasseltii), and the endangeredkatipō of New Zealand (L. katipo)
Of more than a thousand known species ofscorpion, only a few dozen have venom that is dangerous to humans,[6] most notably thebark scorpions, including:
TheremipedeXibalbanus tulumensis is a centipede-likecrustacean that lives in undergroundanchialine caves of Mexico and Central America. Although blind, it is a formidable predator and feeds on the shrimp that share its underground pools.[7]
Cone snails of the familyConidae are a diverse group of predatory marinegastropods, mostly tropical in distribution, which hunt and immobilize prey using a modified harpoon-likeradular tooth that can deliver neurotoxicconopeptides. All cone snails are venomous, though the danger posed to humans varies widely by species.
Theblue-ringed octopodes (Hapalochlaena spp.) producetetrodotoxin, which is extremely toxic to even the healthiest adult humans, though the number of actual fatalities they have caused is far lower than the number caused by spiders and snakes, with which human contact is more common.[8]
Jellyfish sting using microscopic cells callednematocysts, which are capsules full of venom expelled through a microscopic lance. Contact with a jellyfish tentacle can trigger millions of nematocysts to pierce the skin and inject venom.[9]
Chaetognathans, known as arrow worms, use the grasping spines in front of their mouth to catch prey and inject them withtetrodotoxin produced by symbiotic bacteria.[11][12]
Glyceridae, also called bloodworms, is a family of carnivorouspolychaete worms which have an eversible proboscis equipped with four jaws connected to venom glands, used for killing the invertebrates they feed on.[13]
Synanceia verrucosa, a species ofstonefish, is lined with dorsal spines that deliver an intensely painful and lethal venom. It is sometimes called the most venomous fish in the world.
There are at least 1,200 species of venomous fish, including:
Though there are numerouspoisonous amphibian species capable of secreting lethal toxins through their skin, relatively few amphibians are truly venomous.
Only a few modern mammal species are capable of producing venom; they are likely the last living examples of what was once a more common trait among the mammals. The definition of "venomous" becomes less distinct here, however, and whether some species are truly venomous is still debated.
^abGupta, Ramesh C. (24 March 2017).Reproductive and developmental toxicology. Saint Louis. pp. 963–972.ISBN978-0-12-804240-3.OCLC980850276.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^abChippaux, JP; Goyffon, M (2006). "[Venomous and poisonous animals--I. Overview]".Médecine Tropicale (in French).66 (3):215–20.ISSN0025-682X.PMID16924809.
^Gianechini, F.A., Agnolín, F.L. and Ezcurra, M.D. (2010). "A reassessment of the purported venom delivery system of the bird-like raptorSinornithosaurus."Paläontologische Zeitschrift, in press.doi:10.1007/s12542-010-0074-9
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