Poisonous animals and the role of poison in their lives. The only poisonous mammal in the world: truth and fiction Poisonous marine animals

Poisonous mammals May 10th, 2016

We have somehow become accustomed to fearing snakes, insects and arachnids for their poisonousness. It will surprise no one if a snake or spider is poisonous. These animals are not subject to the presumption of innocence; rather, on the contrary, they are automatically considered poisonous, unless you are a specialist who can identify the species and know its properties. However, I think I will surprise many of my readers by stating that mammals can also be poisonous. Yes Yes! These cute fluffy animals are not worse than spiders capable of inflicting painful death on their victims, acting as gloomy poisoners in their habitat...

Let's start with shrews. These small, but very agile and evil creatures are poisonous. Their saliva contains toxins that can kill prey comparable in size to the host of the poison. Fortunately for us, these animals are small - up to 10 cm and up to 15 g. For example, in the United States and Canada there are several species of shrews that have toxic saliva.

Southern short-tailed shrew (Blarina carolinensis)

If I had known that there was a poisonous monster in Haiti, I would have been less careless about walking barefoot through the jungle. I was aware that there were no poisonous snakes on the island, and therefore I wandered quite calmly through the thickets of the tropical forest. Who would have thought that it was on this island that the mysterious gaptooth was hiding, which, unlike American shrews, reaches a mass of 1 kg, and this is no longer a small poisonous “cutie”, but a full-fledged toxic killing machine! Amazingly, unlike snakes, slittooths are not immune to their own poison, and therefore simply die in skirmishes with each other. However, despite such an original weapon, the animal is rapidly losing the war for survival to species brought to the island by humans: cats, dogs, rats and mongooses. Alas, if action is not taken quickly, the days of this amazing creature will soon be numbered. :(

On the eastern Canary Islands There is a relative of the American shrews - the Canarian shrew. This small but very proud agile animal is the most ferocious (because the only) predator of the islands that it inhabits. Its saliva contains a neurotoxin that immobilizes the victim for a day. The places there are harsh, there is little food, so the shrew hunts for future use, and if it finds a victim at a time when it is not hungry, it can bite it and hide it for half a day until it gets hungry, and the paralyzed victim will doomedly wait in the wings.

The further into the forest, the thicker the monsters. What will you do if you are attacked by a poisonous shaggy hamster? Right! - Run! Fortunately for humans, these animals, which are more reminiscent of a skunk or porcupine than a hamster, do not attack us. For a long time it was believed that special glands of this animal on its sides secrete poison that protects it from predators, however, it has recently become clear that this is not entirely true. The shaggy hamster peels off the bark of the Abyssinian acocanthera, which contains poisonous glycosides, and then licks its fur, rubbing toxic chewing gum into it. The ouabain contained in the bark causes cardiac arrest and has long been used by the natives to poison arrows. It is not clear how, but this hamster managed to adapt and chew the poisonous bark without harm to itself, but predators, including quite large ones, die if they bite the shaggy inventor.

Then everything gets weirder and weirder... Who would have thought that such funny little animals as the platypus have poisonous weapons in their stash? Nevertheless, it is so! On hind legs males have one and a half centimeter horny spurs, which are connected to special femoral glands that produce a complex poison during the mating season. The poison is powerful enough and is enough to kill such a formidable enemy as a dingo. So if you suddenly see this cute animal, don’t rush to cuddle it.

Well, this concludes my short essay – loris! Yes, yes, there are poisonous species among primates too. It would seem - what could be more harmless than the slow loris? Look at this cutie? How can it be slow loris from the genus of slow lorises be dangerous? It turns out it can! A special gland on the elbow secretes a secretion that, when mixed with saliva, becomes poisonous. Like a shaggy hamster, a loris, when licking itself, coats its fur with a layer of protective poison. In addition, the poison remains on the animal’s incisors, and in self-defense it can make a poisonous bite.

This is how the review of poisonous animals turned out. These are not all types, but the majority. By the way, such animals are found not only beyond the seven seas. We have them too, literally under our feet. Our ordinary moles' saliva is also poisonous, like those of the shrews I talked about at the beginning. So guys, be careful with moles. Well, that's all I have for now. See you again in my corner of science. :)

Some animals have amazing ability kill with toxic chemicals, or poison. This method is considered one of the most cowardly, insidious and effective. In this article, you will discover 11 poisonous animals in the world that can easily kill an adult.

There are "passively" venomous animals (which transmit their venom by being eaten or attacked by other animals) and "actively" venomous (they inject venom into their victims using stingers, fangs or other devices.

The most poisonous amphibian: The terrible leaf climber

Lives only in rainwater tropical forests western part of Colombia. The poison of one frog can kill from 10 to 20 people. (Only one type of snake Liophis epinephelus, is resistant to the poison of the terrible leaf climber, however, if exposed to a sufficiently large amount of toxin, the reptile may die).

Interestingly, the terrible leaf climber produces its poison from its diet of native ants and beetles; specimens kept in captivity and feeding on fruit flies and other common insects are completely harmless.

Most poisonous spider: Brazilian wandering spider

If you suffer from arachnophobia (fear of spiders), there is good and bad news for you about the Brazilian wandering spider. Good news is that these spiders live in the tropics of South America, and do not always inject a full dose of poison during a bite, and also rarely attack people; The even better news is that an effective antidote (if administered quickly) can prevent death. The bad news is that the spider's venom contains powerful neurotoxins that slowly paralyze and suffocate its victims, even in microscopic doses.

Men bitten by Brazilian wandering spiders often experience painful erections.

Most Poisonous Snake: McCoy's Taipan

The venom of this Australian snake is the most powerful among land snakes. Toxic substances contained in one individual can kill hundreds of adults. (Its venom consists of neurotoxins, hemotoxins, mycotoxins, and nephrotoxins. This means it can dissolve your blood, brain, muscles, and kidneys before you hit the ground.) Fortunately, this venomous snake rarely comes into contact with humans. and even when this happens (if you know how to interact with her), she becomes quite meek and easily tamed.

The most poisonous fish: Wart

This fish lives in shallow waters in the South Pacific Ocean. It looks ominously like a rock or piece of coral (the camouflage is meant to ward off predators) and if stepped on, the wart injects a powerful dose of toxins into the person's foot.

Australian authorities are actively replenishing supplies of antidotes, so there is a high probability of saving lives (provided that the antidote is administered in a timely manner).

Most Poisonous Insect: Maricopa Ant

Maricopa Ants ( Pogonomyrmex maricopa) enough dangerous insects. About 300 bites of these ants can cause death in an adult. Their venom is much stronger than that of hornets and honey bees. One bite of such an ant causes acute pain that lasts about 4 hours.

Fortunately, it is virtually impossible to accidentally step on a Maricopa ant colony and end up getting stung by hundreds; These insects are known to build nests with a diameter of about 9 m and a height of up to 2 m!

The most poisonous jellyfish: Sea wasp

Box jellyfish (jellyfish characterized by a rectangular bell shape) are by far the most dangerous invertebrate animals in the world, and the sea wasp ( Chironex fleckeri) is considered the most poisonous looking jellyfish on the planet. The tentacles of the sea wasp are covered with nematocytes - stinging cells, which, upon contact, cause burns.

Most people who come into contact with a sea wasp's tentacles experience excruciating pain, but a close encounter with this species can kill you in five minutes.

Most poisonous mammal: Platypus

Of course, platypus venom will not cause death to a person, but it will bring severe pain and swelling. Its poison is capable of killing small animals. On the hind limbs of males there are spurs (about 15 mm long) that contain poison. Most often, males use these spurs to fight each other during the breeding season.

Other venomous mammals include: 3 species from the shrew family and the Cuban slittooth ( Solenodon cubanus).

The most poisonous mollusk: Marble cone

If you've never used the phrase "predatory sea snail," then you clearly don't know enough about the sea creatures that can kill you with a single bite. This mollusk is capable of paralyzing its prey (including other snails of the genus Conus) using a toxic poison that can easily kill an unwary person.

Unfortunately, no one has ever calculated how much poison can harm an adult.

Most poisonous bird: Bicolored blackbird flycatcher

The bicolored blackbird flycatcher from New Guinea contains a powerful poison called batrachotoxin. It is found in the skin and feathers of birds and can cause mild numbness and tingling in humans, but is much more dangerous for small animals. (Apparently, thrush flycatchers synthesize poison from beetles that are part of their diet (these beetles are also part of the diet of dart frogs).

Another famous poisonous bird is common quail, the meat of which (if the bird consumed the plant certain type), can lead to a non-fatal disease for humans called coturnism.

Most poisonous octopus: Blue-ringed octopus

Blue-ringed octopuses live in Indian and Pacific Oceans and have rather modest sizes (the largest individuals rarely exceed 20 cm). Their bite is almost painless, but the venom causes paralysis and can kill an adult within just a few minutes.

There is currently no antidote for blue-ringed octopus bites.

Most poisonous turtle: Hawksbill

Unlike some of the other animals on this list, the hawksbill turtle is not miniature: adults weigh about 80 kg, about the same as the average person. These turtles are distributed throughout the world, and individuals from South-East Asia who eat toxic algae have poisonous meat that can cause poisoning in humans (symptoms of poisoning: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and other intestinal ailments).

These turtles are endangered and protected by law.

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Everyone has heard about poisonous plants, spiders or snakes. But have you heard about poisonous mammals? This question is more complicated...

According to paleontologists, millions of years ago our planet was inhabited by a large number of poisonous mammals. Experts came to this conclusion after partially reconstructing the remains of a prehistoric animal known as bisonalveus brownie, which lived about 60 million years ago. It was found that the lower fangs were endowed with special channels through which poison penetrated the victim’s body.

Only a few species of poisonous mammals, which are considered lateral branches of evolution, have survived to this day.

Outwardly, the shaggy hamster looks like a porcupine rather than a rodent, since its back, along the ridge, is adorned with a hard, bristly mane. The shaggy hamster lives in the forests East Africa. Lead by mammal night look life, spends the day in burrows, and at night makes forays in search of food - leaves, fruits, young roots and shoots.

The shaggy hamster is a rather slow animal, so it protects itself from predators with cunning tricks. Firstly, it has odorous glands on its sides, which emit a specific pungent odor in case of danger. Secondly, the shaggy hamster has a raised mane, which makes it very similar to a porcupine. Thirdly, rodent fur is poisonous. As it turned out, the hamster rips off the toxic bark of the Acokanthera shimperi tree and smears its fur with it. One contact with a hamster's fur is enough to cause severe poisoning, and subsequently death.

Platypus

Perhaps everyone knows this ridiculous animal - a kind of pinniped beaver with a wide duck beak. However, the platypus surprises not only with its outlandish appearance. This is one of the few poisonous mammals.

IN at a young age Males and females of the platypus have horny processes called spurs on their hind legs. In females they disappear over time, but in males, on the contrary, they become stronger and continue to grow. At the time of puberty, the spurs will be filled with a mixture of poisons. The poison can kill a wolf, fox or wild dog; it is less dangerous for humans - the toxin will only cause severe pain and swelling of damaged tissues.

Slow lorises

Wise Mother Nature has endowed some animals with significant physical strength and sharp teeth, which serve as a means of protection against enemies (or are used to obtain food). Others use powerful poisons as weapons when attacking prey or for defense. A striking example is the platypus, which lives in Eastern Australia and on the island of Tasmania. This animal is often called the only venomous mammal in the world. Is it really? Let's find out!

The very fact that the platypus is dangerous already seems incredible. After all, he looks surprisingly harmless. It has a soft beak, similar to a duck's, and its tail resembles that of a beaver. The body is covered with thick fur. Interestingly, the platypus lays and incubates eggs like a bird, but feeds the young with milk.

However, no matter how cute the platypus is, you should still be wary of it. This concerns mainly male platypuses. These creatures have special glands that secrete poison, and they are located near the thighs. The poison travels through the tubes from the glands to a special appendage on the hind legs. During the mating season, male platypuses use it to fight rivals. Platypus venom can kill small animals.

Is the platypus the only venomous mammal in the world? The answer is definitely negative! There are, of course, extremely few poisonous mammals on Earth, besides the platypus, but nevertheless they exist. Among them are some species of shrews: the short-tailed shrew and the water shrew. The latter, by the way, lives on the shores of Russian reservoirs.

There is also another animal on Earth that secretes poison and is periodically mistakenly called the only poisonous mammal in the world. The name of this creature is not familiar to many. This is a gaptooth - the owner of toxic saliva, which, paradoxically, can kill him. Such incidents usually occur during fights between relatives. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to meet this animal, since the slit tooth is at the top of the list of endangered species.

As you can see, the platypus is not the only poisonous mammal in the world, although it is undoubtedly very interesting. Speaking of interesting things, get to know these representatives of the earth’s fauna, which are recognized as the most poisonous!

The most poisonous animals in the world - who are they?

Stonefish will never participate in a beauty pageant, but she still received worldwide fame like the most poisonous fish. It contains its poison in the spines on its back. Toxic substances are a means of defense against predators. The stone fish lives in tropical climate Pacific and Indian oceans.

The box jellyfish secretes the most deadly poison in the world, which affects the cardiovascular and nervous systems and skin. It causes hellish pain. The box jellyfish lives in the seas of Asia and Australia.

The king cobra is the longest venomous snake in the world, measuring over five meters in length. She feeds on other snakes. One cobra bite can kill a person. This snake can even destroy an elephant. can release a lot of poison at one time, 5-6 times more than others Poisonous snakes. It is often found in Asian mountain forests.

Scorpio Leirus is the most dangerous look scorpions, since their deadly poison has a strong paralyzing effect. Leiruses live in and in the Middle East.

The taipan genus includes two species, the coastal taipan and the fierce snake. One bite from the coastal taipan contains venom that can kill more than a hundred people or more than two hundred thousand mice. It is extremely neurotoxic, but there is an antidote. Taipans are mainly found in Australia.

Tree frog, or lives in Central and South America. It is very bright and attractive, but under no circumstances should you pick it up. Previously, the Indians smeared arrowheads with poison from frogs.

He was included in the list of record holders because it was his fault that he died more people than due to other representatives of arachnids. These spiders are also dangerous because of their behavior, since they are constantly on the move and do not weave webs, but travel along the ground. They can be found everywhere: in buildings and cars, on clothes and shoes, so the risk of being bitten unexpectedly increases.

The blue ringed octopus is a small but highly poisonous animal that lives off the coast of Australia. If no immediate action is taken after a bite, the person will have problems with breathing, speech and vision. After this, paralysis and death may occur.

The ball fish, or puffer fish, ranks second among the most poisonous vertebrates on earth after the poison dart frog. An interesting fact is that fugu meat is considered a delicacy in the countries of the Rising Sun, but it is important to remember that the skin of the fish and some of its internal organs contain poison. The most poisonous animals in Russia live in the south of the country. You also need to beware of the viper, their bite is fatal. The most common venomous snake in Russia is the viper.

Everyone knows that there are poisonous snakes, insects, spiders, many have heard about poisonous fish, plants, but few people know that there are also poisonous mammals. The first mammals on Earth, at least some of them, were poisonous. Paleontologists from the University of Alberta, Canada, came to this conclusion, which allows us to take a fresh look at the theory of evolution. Researchers were able to partially reconstruct the skull and lower jaw of a small carnivorous mammal, known as Latin name"bizonalveus brownie" who lived in North America and became extinct more than 60 million years ago. It was established that the lower fangs of the fossil animal had special grooves along which poison was injected into the body of the victim.

Only a few species of poisonous animals, representing lateral, “random” branches of evolution, have survived to this day.

American short-tailed shrew

American short-tailed shrews are a group of relatively large venomous shrews with relatively short tails found in North America. The saliva of these animals is toxic and is used to kill prey (for example, they attack snakes). Her poison is produced in the submandibular salivary gland, and when bitten it enters the wound of the victim. Influencing nervous system prey, it allows these small animals (the body length of the American short-tailed shrew is 8–10 cm, and the weight is 15–30 g) to cope with animals larger than them in size.

Haitian snaptooth

The Haitian snaptooth lives exclusively on the island of Haiti. Their venomous apparatus is somewhat reminiscent of a snake's: toxic saliva is produced by the submandibular salivary gland; The duct of the gland opens at the base of the deep groove (cleft) of the second lower incisor. It is paradoxical that gaptooths are not immune to their own poison and die even from light bites received during fights among themselves. Snaptooths are small in number and are listed in the International Red Book with the status of “endangered”. The reason for this is the low rate of reproduction combined with the destruction of the usual habitat (forests) and attacks by introduced predators: rats, dogs, cats, and especially. Before European colonization, gaptooths had almost no natural enemies, so they have not developed means of defense against predators; They are quite slow and clumsy, and when in danger they sometimes simply freeze instead of fleeing. The Haitian snaptooth is rapidly becoming extinct; the Cuban was thought to be extinct until a living specimen was captured in 2003. Another Haitian snaptooth, Solenodon marcanoi, is known only from skeletal bones; Obviously, it became extinct at the beginning of European colonization of the island.

Platypus

Young platypuses of both sexes have the rudiments of horny spurs on their hind legs. In females to one year old they fall off, and in males they continue to grow, reaching 1.2-1.5 cm in length by the time of puberty. Each spur is connected by a duct to the femoral gland, which produces a complex “cocktail” of poisons during the mating season. Males use spurs during mating fights. Platypus venom can kill dingoes or other small animals. For humans, it is generally not fatal, but it causes very severe pain, and swelling develops at the injection site, which gradually spreads to the entire limb. Painful sensations (hyperalgesia) can last for many days or even months.