1.Poisons are found in all kinds of living things- plants, animals, bacteria,protozoans and fungi.
2.Non-living substances can be poisonous too. Minerals like mercury, lead and radioactive elements like radium and uranium are good examples. Even minerals like salt can be poisonous in large enough doses.
3.Mercury poisoning causes mad hatter disease.From the 1700s through the early 1900s, hat-making factories used a poisonous compound containing mercury. Long-term exposure caused insane or “mad” behavior like tremors and extreme irritability — similar to the Mad Hatter’s in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
4.Some substance may be harmless to one species and poisonous to another.Theobromine is poisonous for dogs.Chocolate may be a treat for humans, but it can be deadly for dogs! Theobromine is the ingredient in chocolate that gives humans a pleasant boost. For dogs, theobromine causes seizures and vomiting.
5.Poisons can protect an organism from getting eaten. In the natural world, poisons are just one of many tools of survival.Organisms use poisons to survive. Some use poison to capture prey and others use poison to defend themselves.
6.The leaves of the passionflower are poisonous.Longwing caterpillars have evolved the ability to eat passionflower leaves. When longwing caterpillars eat the leaves,they survive and become toxic butterflies.Their bodies chemically change the poison in the plant before it can harm them. The poison stays in the caterpillar’s body — even when it becomes a butterfly — and protects them from predators.
7.Most poisonous snakes deliver venom with different kinds of toxins. Each poison affects the body in different ways. Hemotoxins attack the blood.Hemotoxins are blood poisons. The hemotoxin in viper venom prevents blood from clotting, so the victim bleeds uncontrollably. For this same reason, viper venom has also led to anti-clotting drugs that keep a patient’s blood flowing.
8.Do you know how poisonous snakes like the gabon viper get their poison?
Yes,They get their poison by making their own venom.Some poisonous animals get their poison through their diet, but most, like snakes, have special glands to make their own poison. These animals also have something sharp to inject the venom, like fangs, stingers, or spines.
9.Most poisonous snakes deliver venom with different kinds of toxins.Poisons in pufferfish and snakes can cause temporary paralysis, making it impossible to move a muscle. Each poison affects the body in different ways. Hemotoxins attack the blood. Hemotoxins are blood poisons. The hemotoxin in viper venom prevents blood from clotting, so the victim bleeds uncontrollably. For this same reason, viper venom has also led to anti-clotting drugs that keep a patient’s blood flowing.
10.Cone snails produce a neuro toxin that can paralyze prey by affecting nerve cells. These same toxins can be used as pain relievers.By blocking signals in the nervous system, these neuro toxins can relieve pain. Cone snail toxins are also being studied to develop potential medicines for epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease.
2.Non-living substances can be poisonous too. Minerals like mercury, lead and radioactive elements like radium and uranium are good examples. Even minerals like salt can be poisonous in large enough doses.
3.Mercury poisoning causes mad hatter disease.From the 1700s through the early 1900s, hat-making factories used a poisonous compound containing mercury. Long-term exposure caused insane or “mad” behavior like tremors and extreme irritability — similar to the Mad Hatter’s in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
4.Some substance may be harmless to one species and poisonous to another.Theobromine is poisonous for dogs.Chocolate may be a treat for humans, but it can be deadly for dogs! Theobromine is the ingredient in chocolate that gives humans a pleasant boost. For dogs, theobromine causes seizures and vomiting.
5.Poisons can protect an organism from getting eaten. In the natural world, poisons are just one of many tools of survival.Organisms use poisons to survive. Some use poison to capture prey and others use poison to defend themselves.
6.The leaves of the passionflower are poisonous.Longwing caterpillars have evolved the ability to eat passionflower leaves. When longwing caterpillars eat the leaves,they survive and become toxic butterflies.Their bodies chemically change the poison in the plant before it can harm them. The poison stays in the caterpillar’s body — even when it becomes a butterfly — and protects them from predators.
7.Most poisonous snakes deliver venom with different kinds of toxins. Each poison affects the body in different ways. Hemotoxins attack the blood.Hemotoxins are blood poisons. The hemotoxin in viper venom prevents blood from clotting, so the victim bleeds uncontrollably. For this same reason, viper venom has also led to anti-clotting drugs that keep a patient’s blood flowing.
8.Do you know how poisonous snakes like the gabon viper get their poison?
Yes,They get their poison by making their own venom.Some poisonous animals get their poison through their diet, but most, like snakes, have special glands to make their own poison. These animals also have something sharp to inject the venom, like fangs, stingers, or spines.
9.Most poisonous snakes deliver venom with different kinds of toxins.Poisons in pufferfish and snakes can cause temporary paralysis, making it impossible to move a muscle. Each poison affects the body in different ways. Hemotoxins attack the blood. Hemotoxins are blood poisons. The hemotoxin in viper venom prevents blood from clotting, so the victim bleeds uncontrollably. For this same reason, viper venom has also led to anti-clotting drugs that keep a patient’s blood flowing.
10.Cone snails produce a neuro toxin that can paralyze prey by affecting nerve cells. These same toxins can be used as pain relievers.By blocking signals in the nervous system, these neuro toxins can relieve pain. Cone snail toxins are also being studied to develop potential medicines for epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease.
