Good Morning Watershed Explorers,
This short post was sparked by a conversation that I had with our fourth-grade neighbor Lucas. He asked about the red-spotted newt being toxic, and we had an interesting discussion about animals that are poisonous versus animals that are venomous. The very simple difference is that poisonous animals excrete their toxins through glands on their bodies or from their skin, while venomous creatures bite or inject their venom into their prey.
Here are just a few of the animals that fit into each category:
Poisonous animals include:
Poison dart frog
Asian tiger snake (this snake is both venomous and poisonous) Not only does this snake have a venomous bite, but it also excretes toxins from its skin from the food it eats, DOUBLE WHAMMY!!!
Hooded Pitohui
Cane toad
Poison dart frog
Comb stars
Rough-skinned newt
Venomous animals include:
Gila monster
Brown recluse spider
Southern short-tailed shrew
Duck-billed platypus
Beaded lizard
Blue-spotted stingray
Lionfish
Viper
Scorpion
I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about the difference between poisonous and venomous, maybe now you can educate others.
Happy Exploring Scientists,
Mrs. Morissette