# What venomous creatures live around you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 5, 2016, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951 "2016-05-05T00:03:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/21 "2016-05-05T06:09:58Z")
Southern England. Wasps (Vespula vulgaris) Hornets (Vespa crabro) Various bees A dozen species of spider (nothing with a bite that’s very dangerous to humans) Adders A few stinging jellyfish (and occasional Portuguese Portuguese man o’ war, which is not a jellyfish) Weever fish Water shrews (a mammal with a venomous bite) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/22 "2016-05-05T06:14:20Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Southern England. > > Wasps (Vespula vulgaris) > Hornets (Vespa crabro) > Various bees > A dozen species of spider (nothing with a bite that’s very dangerous to humans) > Adders > A few stinging jellyfish (and occasional Portuguese Portuguese man o’ war, which is not a jellyfish) > Weever fish > Water shrews (a mammal with a venomous bite) Ignorance fought. I had thought the male platypus was the only venomous mammal. Edit - And upon reading further, I see that the water shrew and the platypus aren’t alone. > **[Venomous mammal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venomous_mammal)** > > Venomous mammals are animals of the class Mammalia that produce venom, which they use to kill or disable prey, to defend themselves from predators or conspecifics or in agonistic encounters. Mammalian venoms form a heterogeneous group with different compositions and modes of action, from four orders of mammals: Eulipotyphla, Monotremata, Primates, and Chiroptera. To explain the rarity of venom delivery in Mammalia, Mark Dufton of the University of Strathclyde has suggested that modern mammalian p... ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/23 "2016-05-05T10:51:37Z")
SE Minnesota. timber rattlesnakes are here, but are uncommon (I have seen one) There is also the eastern massasauga Looks like I might be too far north for brown recluses Various wasps, hornets, and bees (and of course industrial strength mosquitoes) Brian ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/24 "2016-05-05T16:52:37Z")
Southern New Mexico. When I was in college, I had a friend from Washington. He once told me, > [@](#): > > The big difference between Spokane and Las Cruces is not the heat, or the humidity, or the rain. It’s the bugs. > > In Spokane, there are bugs everywhere. Before you get into bed, you have to sweep out the daddy-longlegs that crawled inside during the day. > > Here in Las Cruces, you have hardly any bugs at all. But the ones you do have–wasps, scorpions, centipedes, black widows–they’re @#$%^&\* lethal! Wasps. Scorpions. Centipedes. Black Widow spiders. Rattlesnakes. Gila monsters are theoretically possible, but I have never seen one. Africanized bees have been recorded in the area. Brown recluse spiders are occasionally sighted, but they are not native to the area. They are usually transients who hitched a ride on truck or a railroad car. The actual venomous critters usually try to avoid humans. Disease-carrying rodents and mosquitos are a bigger threat. We have plague, hantavirus, West Nile virus, and we’re in the worry zone for Zika virus. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/25 "2016-05-05T17:05:50Z")
New England We’ve got rattlesnakes, supposedly. I’ve never seen one. black widow and brown recluse spiders wasps and bees. Jellyfish I’ve been stung by wasps many times, but that’s about it. Even when I lived out West, and was potentially prey for tarantulas, scorpions, Gila monsters, and various rattlers (especially when I was camping in Southern Utah) I was never even approached. The closest I came was seeing tarantulas – one in Southern Utah (where its ballet-like motions entranced by spider-phobic girlfriend) and one in a parking lot in Salt Lake City. No danger at all. To be serious, aside from a few wasp stings and jellyfish stings, my biggest problem with poisonous life has been an attack by Poison Sumac, which forced me to apply lotion every day for a couple of weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/26 "2016-05-05T17:45:45Z")
Portland, OR - just about the only thing I can think of is the Western Rattlesnake. I don’t even think black widows or brown recluses are around. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/27 "2016-05-05T17:48:17Z")
Portland, OR - the only thing I can think of is the Western Rattlesnake. I don’t even think we have black widows or brown recluses. ---
**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 5, 2016, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/28 "2016-05-05T19:23:52Z")
Washington DC – write your own joke. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/29 "2016-05-05T19:51:54Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Southern England. > > Wasps (Vespula vulgaris) > Hornets (Vespa crabro) > Various bees > A dozen species of spider (nothing with a bite that’s very dangerous to humans) > Adders > A few stinging jellyfish (and occasional Portuguese Portuguese man o’ war, which is not a jellyfish) > Weever fish > Water shrews (a mammal with a venomous bite) Apart from the Weever fish, and likely a slightly different mix of jellyfish, that’s the same for Scotland. Not venomous as such, but some bat species can carry a rabies variant, but human infection is really extremely rare - one domestic case in the last century rare. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/30 "2016-05-05T20:15:36Z")
> [@Khaleesi](#): > > not much that I know of in NJ. Brown recluse, wolf spiders (don’t know if they are poisonous) deer ticks out the wazoo. I’m sure there’s more, but I live in the “sticks” so I’d rather not know!! There are rattle snakes in western NJ. In the east, its mainly NYC Refugees. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/31 "2016-05-05T20:23:57Z")
> [@Khaleesi](#): > > not much that I know of in NJ. Brown recluse, wolf spiders (don’t know if they are poisonous) deer ticks out the wazoo. I’m sure there’s more, but I live in the “sticks” so I’d rather not know!! According to a snake book I recently read, the range for cottonmouths/water moccasins includes most of NJ – but I have yet to see one (and that’s okay!) I’ve encountered water and garter snakes and recently had a little funeral for a baby Eastern milksnake I found dead in the forest. Second on ticks and these spiders. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/32 "2016-05-05T20:28:24Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > According to a snake book I recently read, the range for cottonmouths/water moccasins includes most of NJ – but I have yet to see one (and that’s okay!) I’ve encountered water and garter snakes and recently had a little funeral for a baby Eastern milksnake I found dead in the forest. > > Second on ticks and these spiders. Correction: I think it’s the copperhead that, theoretically, can range to NJ. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/33 "2016-05-05T20:52:38Z")
There are three species of rattlesnake that live in New York. The copperhead lives downstate. The timber rattler lives throughout the state. The massasauga is the rarest and there are only two areas where it can be found - but one of them happens to be where I live. All three species are rare and I’ve never heard of anyone encountering a rattlesnake. Two species of yellow sac spiders (Cheiracanthium mildei and Cheiracanthium inclusum) are the only poisonous spiders that live in New York. There’s an ongoing dispute over brown recluse spiders; scientists say they don’t live in New York but many people report they’ve encountered them. My belief is most non-experts don’t know enough about spiders to make a definitive identification so I tend to believe the scientists. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/34 "2016-05-05T23:05:03Z")
Black widow & brown recluse spiders. Water moccasins & copperheads all around in the boonies. They SAY there are no rattlesnakes (I’m in Southern Indiana) but… just south of us across the Ohio River, there are rattlesnakes. Just North of us in Brown County, there are rattlesnakes. Why would there be a gap with no rattlesnakes? ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/35 "2016-05-05T23:20:41Z")
> [@PapSett](#): > > Black widow & brown recluse spiders. > > Water moccasins & copperheads all around in the boonies. They SAY there are no rattlesnakes (I’m in Southern Indiana) but… just south of us across the Ohio River, there are rattlesnakes. Just North of us in Brown County, there are rattlesnakes. Why would there be a gap with no rattlesnakes? NM, I misread ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/36 "2016-05-05T23:26:21Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Hummingbirds. Those fuckers are mean. I have to refill the feeder at night or they will be all over me. I hope you realize how close you just treaded to getting instabanned! 😃 (See post just before yours.) ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/37 "2016-05-06T00:01:11Z")
Around my house only black widow and brown recluse spiders, if I drive a few miles rattle snales and scorpions. Short tailed shrews are also venomous. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/38 "2016-05-06T00:13:19Z")
The only venomous creatures I know of are Trump supporters. ---
**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:** [May 6, 2016, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/39 "2016-05-06T01:14:32Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Hummingbirds. Those fuckers are mean. I have to refill the feeder at night or they will be all over me. > [@Senegoid](#): > > I hope you realize how close you just treaded to getting instabanned! 😃 (See post just before yours.) No, I agree completely. Hummingbirds are the meanest bastards in the animal kingdom. The Aztec’s god of war and blood sacrifice was the Southern Hummingbird. It was the most ferocious creature they knew. Why do you think I named myself after them.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951/40 "2016-05-06T02:07:16Z")
What Battle Pope said plus blue ringed octopus, various forms of jellyfish ranging from immediately lethal to painful, stonefish, cone shells, innumerable ants, wasps etc with non-lethal bites, various snakes including the two most deadly… … and drop bears. Many people don’t realise that drop bears are poisonous, because there are no recorded instances of them using their venom. This is thought to be because they find it more satisfying and quicker to shred you apart with their claws and fangs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-venomous-creatures-live-around-you/753951.md?page=3)