different organisms having different types of defense mechanisms.one of the major important character of defense is related to their own poison .the poison have very important of their fitness and survival value.

2. More than 100,000 species of animals have evolved
to produce venom ,the glands to secrete it and
the apparatus to do so.
Certain invertebrates and vertebrates produce venom
It is believed that there are 2,00,00,000(20 m) kinds
of animal toxins.
But only up to 10,000 kinds are known and 1000 in
detail
Every venom is not lethal.

3. INVERTEBRATES
Many Invertebrates produce poison.
E.g: caterpillars,cone shells, physalia, blue
ringed octopus, jellyfish, sea cucumber, star fish,
spiders, scorpions, ants, bees, wasps and
centipedes.

4. 1. CATERPILLARS
Many secrete poisonous liquid
Causes eye inflammation and irritatiin to
mucous membranes.

5. 2.CONE SHELLS
Marine shells of genus Conus
Venom produced in long tubular duct
Venom paralyses the prey.
Venom composes peptide toxins.
Elicit behavioral and physiological responses
affecting various ion channels in the body

6. Cone shell

7. 3.PHYSALIA
Colonial coelenterate armed with
nematocysts.
They contain mixture of phenols and
proteins
It causes respiratory distress.
Sting is dangerous to children, asthmatics
and allergic persons.

8. Physalia

9. 4.BLUE- RINGED OCTOPUS
Small animal whose venom is present in its
saliva
Venom is produced by a pair of glands.
Its bite is painless, but releases neuromuscular
paralyzing
venom.
Victims suffer numbness and paralysis later
Death is usually of respiratory failure so victim
must be saved
before cyanosis

10. Blue Ringed Octopus

11. 5. BOX JELLYFISH
Scientific name: Chironex
Venom is cardio toxic, neurotoxic and
highly dermatonecrotic.
If injected, venom gets easily absorbed
into the circulatory system and causes
severe pain.
While injecting, the tentacles adhere to
the victim’s body, so, any attempt to
dislodge them would only worsen the
sting and thus greater injury occurs.
Severe sting results in necrosis of that
area.

12. Box jellyfish

13. 6666. SEA CUCUMBERS
They possess a vivid organ called Cuiverian organ
It contain toxins which are usually expelled through
evisceration.
Inside water, this organ splits into sticky threads that
adhere to the victim’s or enemy’s body.
Its venom weakens the muscles.
The venom is very strong so that many aboriginals of
South Pacific Islands are known to use this viscera to
poison fish
Also if these Cuiverian tubules gets in contact with eyes,
it leads to permanent blindness.

15. 777
77. STARFISH
Starfish possess venomous skin that covers
sharp spines which when gets into contact
with any wound, can cause swelling and
nausea

16. Starfish

17. 8. SPIDERS
Spider venom usually cause necrotic wounds, in some
cases, death.
Four species of spiders have potentially lethal bites.
The venom is either neurotoxic, or necrotic.
The venom of the famous Black Widow Spider contains
latrotoxins which promotes the release of acetylcholine
that results in muscular contractions.
It leads to abdominal pain and affects respiration.
The venom of Australian Funnel-web spider and Mouse
spider results in excessive neural activity.
That of Brazilian wandering Spider contains high level
of serotonin.
Spiders of family Sicariidae have necrotic venom

18. Black Widow
Spider
Australian
Funnelweb Spider

19. Brazilian Wandering
Spider

20. 9. SCORPIONS
All scorpion species are poisonous .
It’s venom is formed of neurotoxins, histamine, serotonin,
enzymes and enzyme inhibitors.
Local reaction of sting is intense pain and slowly gaining
numbness, tenderness.
Some species inject large amount of venom. they cause
excessive salivation, nausea, fever or even coma.
Heart failure or respiratory failure can become lethal.

21. Scorpion

22. 10. ANTS
Some ant species also have powerful sting at the tip of their
abdomen.
Army ants, driver ants and Australian Bulldog ants cause
very painful wounds
Fire ant’s sting creates a pus filled bump which is prone into
further infections.
Rash, swelling, wheezing etc are local reactions but shock,
cardiac arrest and even death may occur to allergic persons.

23. Fire ant

24. Driver ant

25. 11. HONEY BEE
Bee poison is known as apitoxin
Only worker bees sting and only for defense.
It may cause a sharp pain, reddening or swelling of
that area.
But if the sting gets into the blood vessels especially
of face or neck, poisoning occurs.
Vomiting, increased heart frequency are the
reactions of poisoning.

26. Honey bee

27. 12. WASPS
many wasp species have powerful venom.
The sting apparatus of a wasp includes a venom sac and an
egg laying tube which acts like a hypodermic syringe.
Wasp venom contains norepinephrine and hyaluronidase.
Norepinephrine stops blood flow
Hyaluronidase allow membrane degrading elements to move
into cells and leads to swelling and redness
Death may cause to allergic persons

28. wasp

29. 13. CENTIPEDE
scientific name: Scolopendra
Its venom contains acetylcholine, histamine,
serotonin.
Poisoning always follows a local sharp pain,
swelling, chills, fever etc..

30. Scolopendra

31. VERTEBRATES
The following vertebrates are venomous/poisonous:
FISH
Lion fish
Scorpion fish
Sting rays
Stone fish
AMPHIBIANS
Poison dart frogs
salamander
REPTILES
Snakes
Gila monster
MAMMALS
Platypus
soricids

32. FISHES
 LION FISH
• They have venomous dorsal fins that can puncture
wounds.
• Victim feels strong pain, rapid swelling, nausea, breathing
difficulties , convulsions or even paralysis.
• The venom remains active even for days, so, discarded
spines are too to be take care of.
 SCORPION FISH
• also have variable number of dorsal spines carrying venom
glands.
• spines are covered with thick skin.
• it usually gives mild stings but some species can cause
severe pain

33. Giant sea
scorpion
Lion fish

34. STING RAYS
• sting rays have terminally tapering tails armed with saw
edged venomous spines.
• Its sting cause severe bleeding and intense pain that may
last for months with large swellings.
• Death may occur if a person is stabbed on chest or
abdomen.

35. The tail of Stingray

36. STONE FISH
• It is the most venomous fish known to man.
• Thirteen dorsal spines are seen projecting from venom
glands on its back.
• When pressure is applied on the gland, venom is expelled
out.
• The sting causes intense pain and swelling.
• Severity depends on the number and degree of penetration of
spines

37. Stone Fish

38. AMPHIBIANS
 POISON DART FROGS
• These live in Central and South America
• Their skin glands produce one of the most poisonous toxin
in the world.
• The main toxin is called batrachotoxin.
• It is a nerve poison affecting the transmission of nerve
impulses and hence heart may stop functioning.
 SALAMANDERS
• they secrete poisonous liquid containing the toxin
salamandrin when threatened or teased.
• It is a strong neurotoxin that elicits convulsions.

39. Orange blue poison
dart frog
Salamander

41. REPTILES
1. SNAKES
• They are the most popular venomous creatures.
• Their venom is the highly modified saliva produced by labial glands.
• They are channeled through a fang that injects the venom just like a hypodermic
syringe.
• Snake venom contains proteins and enzymes.
• There are three types of venom here:
 Haemotoxic
 Neurotoxic
 cytotoxic

42.  PROTEROGLYPHOUS SNAKES
• Their venom is neurotoxic in action..
• The immediate effect is respiratory paralysis.
• The bite of any proteroglyphous snake is deadly.
• E,g. bungarus, cobra
 VIPER
• Viper venom is haemotoxic.
• It acts on the circulatory system and coagulates
the blood.
• The pain at the wound is very intense. Followed
by swelling vomiting or even diarrhoea
• African vipers cause immediate fatal bites.

44. African bush Viper
Russell’s Viper

45. GILA MONSTER
• Scientific name: Heloderma suspectum
• Its bite is not much fatal but causes severe pain.
• They have large and grooved teeth which ensures the entry of venom to the
victim’s wound..
• Its venom can be as toxic as that of a Diamondback Rattlesnake, but the amount
of venom is small in heloderma.
• Its venom can stabilize blood sugar levels

46. Gila monster

47. MAMMALS
PLATYPUS
• Duck-billed platypus have calcaneal spurs on their hind
limbs through which venom is delivered.
• Venom is produced in crural glands.
• Only male platypus is venomous
• Its venom causes intense pain and some tissue damage.
• It may also cause paralysis and the victim may not be able to
move its limbs for days.
 SORICIDAE
• They are poisonous mammals that are related to mole.
• Only three species are poisonous they are:N.American
Blarina brevicula and the European Neamys anomalus
Neomys fodiens
• Their poison is on their front teeth and flows out by bite
which can cause paralysis or even death to small

48. Duck billed
platypus