Collection
Venomous and Poisonous
Venomous and poisonous are not the same thing, and the difference is simple. A venomous animal injects its toxin by bite, sting or spur, while a poisonous one is dangerous to eat or to touch. A rattlesnake is venomous; a cane toad is poisonous. This collection covers both, and says which is which for every animal in it.
All 16 animals in this collection, from the cobra to the yellowjacket. Most of them live in Asia and North America.
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Cobra
Naja (Indian cobra: Naja naja)
Venomous. Injects neurotoxin through fixed fangs at the front of the mouth.
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Frog
Anura (order, about 7,500 species)
Poisonous in some species. Poison dart frogs take their toxins from their diet.
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Gila Monster
Heloderma suspectum
Venomous. Venom runs along grooved teeth as it chews, rather than being injected.
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Jellyfish
Scyphozoa (true jellyfish, about 200 species)
Venomous. Stinging cells fire on contact, and still work after the animal dies.
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King Cobra
Ophiophagus hannah
Venomous. A single bite delivers enough neurotoxin to kill an elephant.
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Komodo Dragon
Varanus komodoensis
Venomous. Glands in the lower jaw stop a wound from clotting.
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Newt
Pleurodelinae (subfamily, about 100 species)
Poisonous. A rough-skinned newt holds enough toxin to kill an adult human.
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Nudibranch
Nudibranchia (order, about 3,000 species)
Venomous with stolen weapons: stinging cells taken from the prey it eats.
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Rattlesnake
Crotalus and Sistrurus (two genera, about 30-50 species)
Venomous. Hinged fangs fold flat against the roof of the mouth until it strikes.
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Scorpion
Scorpiones (emperor scorpion: Pandinus imperator)
Venomous. The sting is in the tail, never in the claws.
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Spider
Araneae (garden orb-weaver: Araneus diadematus)
Venomous. Nearly every spider has venom, and very few can harm a person.
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Toad
Bufonidae (true toads, about 600 species); order Anura
Poisonous, not venomous. Glands behind the eyes make it dangerous to eat.
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Urchin
Echinoidea
Venomous in some species. Pincer organs between the spines carry the venom.
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Viper
Viperidae (family, more than 300 species)
Venomous. Folding fangs, and venom that wrecks blood and tissue rather than nerves.
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Xingu River Ray
Potamotrygon leopoldi
Venomous. The tail spine is defensive, and its venom weakens as the ray ages.
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Yellowjacket
Vespula and Dolichovespula (genera in the family Vespidae)
It keeps its stinger, so unlike a honey bee it can sting again and again.
No animals match those filters.