# Animals recently found to be venomous **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 23, 2017, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600 "2017-02-23T23:41:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/1 "2017-02-23T23:41:28Z")
I was just reading about the garter snake; long thought to be nonvenomous, it was recently (I do not know how long ago) found to have mild venom, not harmful to humans. This interesting factoid made me wonder – how many other animals, say like in the last thirty years or so, have been found to be venomous? ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/2 "2017-02-23T23:46:26Z")
Apparently all snakes are venomous to a greater or lesser degree. > [@](#): > > Professor Bryan Fry of the University of Queensland showed that even snakes that kill by constriction have them, but they’ve been ‘repurposed’ by evolution to make mucus to lubricate the passage of the prey they swallow. But the mucus still contains small amounts of venom. Fry comments: ‘Their toxins are the equivalent of a kiwi’s wing or the sightless eyes of blind cavefish—defunct remnants of a functional past.’ > > [http://qi.com/infocloud/snakes](http://qi.com/infocloud/snakes) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/3 "2017-02-23T23:55:13Z")
[The Komodo Dragon](http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/06/27/the-myth-of-the-komodo-dragons-dirty-mouth/). ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/4 "2017-02-24T01:23:45Z")
> **[Pitohui](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitohui)** > > The pitohuis /pɪtoʊˈwiː/ are bird species endemic to New Guinea. The onomatopoeic name is thought to be derived from that used by New Guineans from nearby Dorey (Manokwari), but it is also used as the name of a genus Pitohui which was established by the French naturalist René Lesson in 1831. The unitalicized common name however refers to perching birds that belong to several genera of multiple bird families. The genera include Ornorectes, Melanorectes, and Pseudorectes apart from Pitohui. > The Pi... > [@](#): > > The skin and feathers of some pitohuis, especially the variable and hooded pitohuis, contain powerful neurotoxic alkaloids of the batrachotoxin group (also secreted by the Colombian poison dart frogs, genus Phyllobates). These are believed to serve the birds as a chemical defence, either against ectoparasites or against visually guided predators such as snakes, raptors or humans.[2] The birds probably do not produce batrachotoxin themselves. The toxins most likely come from the beetle genus Choresine, part of the birds’ diets.[3] > > The birds’ bright colours are suggested to be an example of aposematism (warning colouration), and the similarity of the hooded pitohui and some forms of the variable pitohui might then be an example of Müllerian mimicry, in which dangerous species gain a mutual advantage by sharing colouration, so an encounter with either species trains a predator to avoid both.[4] ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/5 "2017-02-24T01:25:26Z")
I think having venom is now believed to be a primitive characteristic of all lizards, including the subclade which are snakes. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/6 "2017-02-24T01:28:14Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [The Komodo Dragon](http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/06/27/the-myth-of-the-komodo-dragons-dirty-mouth/). I saw this link and immediately thought that Komodo Dragons don’t have venom, they have dirty mouths that act kinda like venom, and that’s been known for more than 30 years (I learned it when I was a kid). Then I read your link and discovered that what I had read was completely wrong, and was only discovered to be wrong in 2009. Wow! Thanks for the link. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/7 "2017-02-24T06:43:06Z")
Since the OP didn’t specify “living animals”, let me add [Euchambersia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euchambersia). Was thought to be venomous, then not, and this year, [confirmed](https://www.wits.ac.za/news/latest-news/in-their-own-words/2017/2017-02/technology-confirms-theory-about-earths-oldest-venomous-species.html) to be venomous (oldest venomous land animal, in fact). ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/8 "2017-02-24T08:00:59Z")
I think all spiders are venomous,too. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/9 "2017-02-24T15:41:22Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > I think all spiders are venomous,too. That’s been known since forever, not discovered in the past 30 years. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/10 "2017-02-24T15:54:08Z")
To forestall a pedantic nitpick, there are some that claim that “poisonous” applies only to plants or animals that have toxic compounds in their tissues, while “venomous” should be restricted to animals that inject toxic compounds. I’ve never found a basis for the former technical distinction. “Poisonous” can be applied to both organisms that are themselves toxic, and those that inject venom. “Poisonous snake” is a perfectly valid description. In present usage, however, “venomous” is usually restricted to organisms that inject toxins. One would not speak of a “venomous plant,” for example. However, there is precedent for a broader use; Shakespeare spoke of the “venomous toad.” But that use today is somewhat archaic. According to this, birds like the pitohoui would typically be called poisonous rather than venomous. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/11 "2017-02-24T16:22:04Z")
Venomous animals are dangerous if they bite you, poisonous animals are dangerous if you bite them. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/12 "2017-02-24T16:33:32Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Venomous animals are dangerous if they bite you, poisonous animals are dangerous if you bite them. As I said, that’s not true. It’s perfectly correct to refer to snakes as being poisonous as well as venomous. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/13 "2017-02-24T16:54:52Z")
> [@astro](#): > > [Pitohui - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitohui) Wow! That’s pretty neat! ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/14 "2017-02-24T16:57:05Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Since the OP didn’t specify “living animals”, let me add [Euchambersia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euchambersia). Was thought to be venomous, then not, and this year, [confirmed](https://www.wits.ac.za/news/latest-news/in-their-own-words/2017/2017-02/technology-confirms-theory-about-earths-oldest-venomous-species.html) to be venomous (oldest venomous land animal, in fact). Fascinating! ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/15 "2017-02-24T16:59:04Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > As I said, that’s not true. It’s perfectly correct to refer to snakes as being poisonous as well as venomous. [No](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science/whats-difference-between-poisonous-and-venomous-animals-180956186/), [it](https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/questions/can-snakes-die-their-own-venom) [isn’t](http://io9.gizmodo.com/venomous-vs-poisonous-explained-with-adorable-talk-1607387829). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/16 "2017-02-24T17:21:09Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [No](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science/whats-difference-between-poisonous-and-venomous-animals-180956186/), [it](https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/questions/can-snakes-die-their-own-venom) [isn’t](http://io9.gizmodo.com/venomous-vs-poisonous-explained-with-adorable-talk-1607387829). Yes it is. It’s an artificial distinction not supported by dictionaries. There’s no real scientific basis for it. It’s one of those bogus distinctions like the assertion that only members of the Hemiptera can be referred to as “bugs,” Merriam Webster. > [@](#): > > Definition of poisonous > 1 : destructive, harmful > 2 a : having the properties or effects of poison \ > b : producing a toxic substance that causes injury or death when absorbed or ingested \; also : **venomous \** > 3: spiteful, malicious Collins English Dictionary. > [@](#): > > poisonous > /ˈpɔɪzənəs/ > adjective > > 1. having the effects or qualities of a poison > 2. capable of killing or inflicting injury; **venomous** > 3. corruptive or malicious Cambridge English Dictionary > [@](#): > > poisonous > adjective UK ​ /ˈpɔɪ.zən.əs/ US ​ /ˈpɔɪ.zən.əs/ > ​ > B2 very harmful and able to cause illness or death: > poisonous chemicals > > B2 A poisonous animal or insect uses poison in order to defend itself: > **a poisonous snake** > > very unpleasant and unkind: > He said some poisonous things to me. > [@](#): > > The Free Dictionary > poisonous (ˈpɔɪzənəs) > adj > > 1. (Medicine) having the effects or qualities of a poison > 2. (Medicine) capable of killing or inflicting injury; **venomous** > 3. corruptive or malicious MacMillan Dictionary > [@](#): > > poisonous > > 1 containing poison > poisonous gases/plants > > a. capable of producing poison > **a poisonous snake** Bolding mine. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/17 "2017-02-24T17:25:48Z")
Male platypuses are venomous. I seem to recall that that fact was relatively recently discovered (like in the 90s). ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/18 "2017-02-24T17:31:03Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > One would not speak of a “venomous plant,” for example. What about nettles? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/19 "2017-02-24T17:32:37Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Yes it is. It’s an artificial distinction not supported by dictionaries. There’s no real scientific basis for it. It’s one of those bogus distinctions like the assertion that only members of the Hemiptera can be referred to as “bugs,” To [borrow a quote](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=19989024&postcount=75) from another recent thread, that is why we don’t let dictionary editors teach science classes. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600/20 "2017-02-24T17:51:30Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > Male platypuses are venomous. I seem to recall that that fact was relatively recently discovered (like in the 90s). Okay, I was wondering how long we had known about that. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-recently-found-to-be-venomous/780600.md?page=2)