# Are there any poisonous animals besides snakes, jellyfishes, and scorpions? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 2, 2010, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991 "2010-05-02T01:22:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diamonds02](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Diamonds02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diamonds02)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/1 "2010-05-02T01:22:42Z")
Those are the only three I hear about. I’m sure there has to be more out there. Like, are there any poisonous mammals? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/2 "2010-05-02T01:26:34Z")
[Platypus.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platypus) [Venomous Mammals.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venomous_mammals) ETA:added second link. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/3 "2010-05-02T01:29:42Z")
[Gila Monster](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gila_monster#Venom) Actually this is easier: [Venomous Animals](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Venomous_animals) That article link has at least 8 venomous mammals in the list. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/4 "2010-05-02T01:30:23Z")
Spiders. The platypus, an Australian monotreme, has venom in the spurs of the male. The Gila monster, a lizard native to the US and Mexico, has venom. The Australian blue-ringed octopus. Some fish, like the scorpionfish and the stonefish. Some marine molluscs. The main one that comes to mind is the cone shell. Those are off the top of my head. I guess growing up in Australia puts this sort of stuff in your brain somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/5 "2010-05-02T01:43:09Z")
Other people have alluded to the difference but not explained it - things are poisonous if you eat it and you die. They’re venomous if they poison you by biting or finning or stabbing you. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/6 "2010-05-02T01:46:01Z")
Someone else will probably do it, so I’ll get it over with. In pedantic world: A poisonous animal’s toxicity is passive. A venomous animal’s toxicity is active. For example, something that bites you to poison you is venomous, while something you bite and poisons you is poisonous. Grr, Zsofia… ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/7 "2010-05-02T01:46:09Z")
spiders. black widows and brown recluses, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/8 "2010-05-02T03:14:49Z")
[Poison Dart Frogs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_arrow_frogs) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/9 "2010-05-02T03:15:09Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Other people have alluded to the difference but not explained it - things are poisonous if you eat it and you die. They’re venomous if they poison you by biting or finning or stabbing you. I like to say: poison is _ingested_, venom is _injected_. Though that probably doesn’t clarify that much if they don’t know the difference between those two words. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/10 "2010-05-02T03:29:18Z")
There are also some venomous centipedes (unlikely to kill a healthy adult, but it’s not impossible). ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/11 "2010-05-02T04:16:49Z")
Blowfish. Certain frogs. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/12 "2010-05-02T04:28:58Z")
ants (e.g., fire ants) bees ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/13 "2010-05-02T05:04:57Z")
Shrews. There’s not nearly enough to affect a human, but it works on the things it’s supposed to work on, like bugs and worms. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/14 "2010-05-02T05:34:55Z")
Stingrays (the fish things, that killed that tv guy.) Tris ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/15 "2010-05-02T06:05:07Z")
Various[poisonous birds](http://birds.suite101.com/article.cfm/poisonous_birds). ---
**Author:** ![arachnologus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dc4da7/32.png) [@arachnologus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arachnologus)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/16 "2010-05-02T06:16:30Z")
Although others have mentioned the distinction between venomous and poisonous, let me elucidate just a bit further. The difference is not just in what is done with the toxin, but also in the toxin’s chemical nature. The vast majority of animal venoms are peptides or proteins. If you eat them, you digest them and they’re perfectly nutritious. You’re in no danger unless you have an ulcer or a cut in your mouth. Thus, although practically all spiders are venomous, I know of no poisonous ones. Poisons, although toxic when ingested, are often if not always toxic when injected also, e.g. arrow-poison frogs. Poisonous animals typically depend on a distinctive warning coloration so that their predators will remember eating something they almost died from, and not try that again. Some venomous animals have warning coloration also e.g. black widow spiders. Various posters have been listing poisonous (e.g. blowflsh) and venomous (e.g. Gila monster) species in this thread without any distinction. There really is a distinction. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/17 "2010-05-02T06:30:17Z")
Wait. The duck-billed platypus? It’s poisonous?! Holy shit. This is Earth-shattering to me. ---
**Author:** ![vinylmatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/aca169/32.png) [@vinylmatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vinylmatt)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/18 "2010-05-02T06:35:17Z")
A komodo dragon in the wild will kill you with a bite due to a mouth full of nasty pathogens. Dunno if this makes him poisonous. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/19 "2010-05-02T06:35:28Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Wait. The duck-billed platypus? It’s poisonous?! Holy shit. This is Earth-shattering to me. You haven’t been listening, it’s venomous, not poisonous. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991/20 "2010-05-02T06:40:07Z")
Just for the literary reference, I will mention that Stephen Maturin is injected with venom by a platypus in Patrick O’Brian’s [_The Nutmeg of Consolation_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nutmeg_of_Consolation). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-poisonous-animals-besides-snakes-jellyfishes-and-scorpions/537991.md?page=2)