What’s the Difference Between Venomous and Poisonous?

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Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. </div> <div class="label mt-20 mb-10">Select Citation Style</div> <select class="js-citation-format-select form-select"> <option selected value="mla">MLA</option> <option value="apa">APA</option> <option value="chicago">Chicago Manual of Style</option> </select> <div class="citation font-serif border rounded p-15 mt-20" data-authors="John P. Rafferty" data-title="What’s the Difference Between Venomous and Poisonous?" data-published-date="11 Sep. 2017" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-venomous-and-poisonous" > <div class="citation-text"></div> </div> <button class="js-copy-citation-button mt-20 btn btn-xs btn-outline-blue border shadow-sm pr-10" > <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="file_copy"></em> <span class="js-citation-status-text">Copy Citation</span> </button> </div> </div> </div> <div> <button class="js-share-modal-button js-modal gtm-topic-tool btn btn-xs btn-outline-blue border shadow-sm pr-10" data-modal=".md-share-modal"> <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="share"></em> Share </button> <div class="md-share-modal size-lg d-none qa-share-modal"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif d-flex align-items-center pb-15 border-bottom"> <em class="material-icons text-blue mr-10" data-icon="share"></em> Share </div> <div class="label my-20">Share to social media</div> <div class="md-social-toolbar-circle d-flex align-items-start inverted" data-value="share" title="What’s the Difference Between Venomous and Poisonous?" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-venomous-and-poisonous" > <a class="social-icon facebook justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>Facebook</span></a> <a class="social-icon x justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="x" href="https://x.com/britannica" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>X</span></a> </div> <div class="label pt-20 mt-20 mb-5 border-top">URL</div> <a class="font-serif text-truncate d-inline-block" href="https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-venomous-and-poisonous">https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-venomous-and-poisonous</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing font-12"> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/editor/John-P-Rafferty/6747" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">John P. Rafferty</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">John P. Rafferty writes about Earth processes and the environment. He serves currently as the editor of Earth and life sciences, covering climatology, geology, zoology, and other topics that relate to...</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> John P. Rafferty</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div></div> </div> <article class="topic-content content mt-20"><figure class="md-assembly md-feature-assembly print-false" data-type="3" data-descid="7"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="video" video-id="204195"><a data-id="204195" class="gtm-assembly-link d-flex justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9" href="/video/animals-difference/-"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/95/204195-138-319F4F3D/animals-difference.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop" alt="Demystified Video poisonous and venemous snake" loading="lazy"><script type="application/json"> { "sources": [ { "file" : "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/HlSvRWBy.m3u8" } ], "image": "https://cdn.britannica.com/95/204195-138-319F4F3D/animals-difference.jpg" ,"tracks": [ { "file" : "//assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/tracks/yuYLT5j1", "label": "English" } ] ,"adfile": "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/0hnfy4Ex.m3u8" } </script><div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em></div></a></div><figcaption class=""><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><cite class="credit d-block mt-5">Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.</cite></figcaption></figure><p class="topic-paragraph">When people talk about <a href="https://www.britannica.com/list/9-of-the-worlds-deadliest-snakes" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">dangerous snakes</a> like black mambas and cobras, at least one person in the conversation will ask whether the snake is poisonous. Bolstered by medical references and haphazard mentions on television and elsewhere in the mass media, the phrase “poisonous snake” has been drilled into our collective consciousness. But this phrase is not technically correct—strictly speaking, most dangerous snakes are venomous.</p><span class="MOD1"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">According to biologists, the term <em>venomous</em> is applied to organisms that bite (or sting) to inject their toxins, whereas the term <em>poisonous</em> applies to organisms that unload toxins when you eat them. This means that very few snakes are truly poisonous. The vast majority of snake toxins are transferred by bite. One exception is the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/garter-snake" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">garter snake</a> (<em>Thamnophis</em>), which is small and harmless in terms of its bite but is toxic to eat because its body absorbs and stores the toxins of its prey (newts and salamanders).</p><span class="MOD2"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Poisonous animals include most <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/amphibian" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">amphibians</a> (that is, frogs, toads, salamanders, etc.), which carry around some amount of toxins on their skin and within their other tissues, such as the highly toxic poison secreted by various <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/poison-frog" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">poison dart frogs</a>. These chemicals are strong enough that they can be deadly to humans, so you would be wise to keep these creatures off your menu.</p><span class="MOD3"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Along with snakes, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/list/9-of-the-worlds-deadliest-spiders" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">dangerous spiders</a> are also generally venomous. Some lizards are venomous as well; the potency of lizard venom ranges from relatively mild, such as that of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/Gila-monster" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Gila monster</a> (<em>Heloderma suspectum</em>) and various species of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/iguana-lizard-grouping" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">iguana</a>, to the witches’ brew of toxins and bacteria injected into the prey of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/Komodo-dragon" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Komodo dragon</a> (<em>Varanus komodoensis</em>). In addition, other animals (such as bees, ants, and wasps) are venomous even though they do not contain fangs per se. The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/platypus" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">platypus</a> (<em>Ornithorhynchus anatinus</em>) is probably the best-known venomous mammal. Male platypuses have a fanglike spur on the inner side of each ankle that is connected to a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/venom" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">venom</a> gland located over the thighs. The spurs can be wielded in defense, and the venom is potent enough to kill small animals and to cause intense pain in humans if the spur penetrates the skin. Similarly, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/cnidarian" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">cnidarians</a> (jellyfish, corals, and sea anemones) have capsules called <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/nematocyst" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">nematocysts</a> (which may be tiny, elongated, or spherical) that contain coiled, hollow, usually barbed threads, which can be turned outward to ward off enemies or capture prey. These barbed threads often contain toxins.</p><span class="MOD4"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">When it comes to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/list/7-of-the-worlds-deadliest-plants" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">plants</a>, things get a little fuzzy. Several plants, such as deadly nightshade (<em>Atropa belladonna</em>) and castor beans (<em>Ricinus communis</em>), are poisonous and thus should not be consumed. In addition, while plants do not have formal teeth, ankle spurs, or nematocysts, some have similar structures that can transmit toxins to unsuspecting victims that brush against them. One of the most familiar toxic plants is <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/poison-ivy-plant" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">poison ivy</a> (<em>Toxicodendron radicans</em>); nearly all parts of the plant contain urushiol, a substance that can produce a severe itchy and painful inflammation of the skin known as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/contact-dermatitis" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">contact dermatitis</a>. Yet it would be quite a stretch to call poison ivy <em>venomous</em> (and anyway, we’d have to start calling it “venom ivy,” wouldn’t we?). On the other hand, nettles, a group of about 80 species belonging to the genus <em>Urtica</em>, might actually qualify as venomous. These plants have raised structures called trichomes that are capable of stinging animals that brush against them. In the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/stinging-nettle" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">stinging nettle</a> (<em>Urtica dioica</em>), the trichomes of the leaves and stems have bulbous tips that break off when an animal passes by, revealing needlelike tubes that pierce the skin. They inject a mix of acetylcholine, formic acid, histamine, and serotonin, causing an itchy burning rash in humans and other animals that may last up to 12 hours. Granted, these toothlike (or needlelike) structures aren’t technically fangs, but they provide a very similar defensive function.</p><span class="MOD5"></span><span class="AM-END-OF-ARTICLE am-inline"></span></article> </div> </div> </div> <aside class="cm-rightrail d-none d-md-block ad-rail"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div class="grid gx-0"> <div class="col"> <div class="md-loading hidden display-4 font-weight-normal"></div> <div class="text-center my-20 mb-100"> <button class="md-infinite-load-next btn btn-blue" data-value="next-page">Load More</button> </div> </div> <div class="col-md-da-320 hidden-xs"> </div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Story","templateName":"DEMYSTIFIED","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":10,"pageId":6334,"pageLength":null,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/story-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"B","adLeg":"B","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Story","pageSubtype":"DEMYSTIFIED","articleTemplateType":null,"gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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What’s the Difference Between Venomous and Poisonous? | Britannica