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Venom
Historical and Modern Uses
Presented by Erin Hill
Basilisk
 Greek Origin
 Possible distortion
of cobra or asp
 Giant serpent or
serpentine rooster
 Immensely
venomous!
Overview
 Venomous Creatures
 Ancient Uses
 Science
 Modern Uses
Venomous Creatures
Insects
 Wasps
 Sting is similar to bees’

Not fatal, but painful, swollen bites
 Termites
 Explosive chemical warfare!

Some soldiers can “self-detonate” to take out enemies
 Centipedes
 Females more poisonous than males
 Ants
 Possibly fatal in allergic persons
Scolopendra (technically not an insect)
Bee
Ant
Termite
Arachnids
 Black Widow
 Bite is rarely fatal
 Spider is generally non-aggressive
 Brown Recluse
 Fatal bites are rare
 Tarantula
 Again, rarely fatal
 Scorpions
 1050 species dangerous to humans
Tarantula
Brown Recluse
Black Widow
Scorpion
Marine
 Jellyfish
 Tentacles armed with nematocysts
 Lionfish
 Immediate pain from sharp spines
 Stingray
 Few fatalities

Result from a tail impact to chest area
 Cone Shell
 Highly toxic snails
Stingray
Lionfish
Jellyfish
Cone Shells
Amphibians
 Poison Arrow/Dart Frogs
 Famous
for vibrant colors and toxicity
 Gather toxins from digested insects
 Salamanders
 Like
frogs, secretes poison through skin
 NOT a danger to humans
Poison Arrow/Dart Frogs
Reptiles
 Gila Monster
 Bite hard and HANG ON
 Rattlesnake
 Not as highly toxic as cobras

VERY aggressive nature
 Coral Snake
 Follow red-yellow-black color pattern
 Sea Snake
 Closely related to cobras
Coral Snake
Rattlesnake
Gila Monster
Sea Snake
Mammals
 Soricidae
 Related
to moles
 Poison flows through front teeth during
biting
 Platypus
 One
of two oviparous mammals
 Males possess sharp, poisonous spurs on
their inner hind legs
(detail of Platypus spur)
Platypus
Soricidae
Ancient Uses
Healing and Religion
 Ants
 Were
used to treat skin diseases 2000
years ago
 New Guinea: sutures!
 Native American: Honeypot Ants
 Africa: Nile tribes used them to cure
neurological disorders

Bury patients in a formicary (ant-farm)
Narcotics
 Spanish Fly
 Actually
a type of beetle
 Popular ingredient in aphrodisiacs

Produces an itching sensation to exposed skin
Weapons
 Ants
 American Tropics: allow Army Ants to “march”
through homes to clear out pests
 Sea Cucumbers
 South Pacific: toxic entrails used to poison fish
 Poison Dart Frogs
 South America: true to their common names, are
still used to coat darts and arrows for hunting and
warfare
Science
What’s Inside
 Stingers
 Scorpions,

Insects
With insects, stinging mechanism is usually
ripped out after one attack
 Fangs
 Snakes,

Spiders
Toxin in injected directly into the blood
– Often causes no damage externally or when
ingested
 Nematocysts
 Jellyfish

Whip-like stinging cell
 Spines/Spurs/Barbs
 Lionfish,

Stingray
Poisoning by contact with sharp surfaces
 Other
 Frogs,

External excretion
 Cone

Salamanders
Shell
Stinging radula (tongue)
Sea Scorpion with Poison
Spine
Jellyfish with
Nematocysts
Snake Skull with Hollow Fangs
How They Work
 Most stings/bites from poisonous animals are
not life threatening

Many animals attack only when there in no other
option
 Health is compromised if:
 Very young or very old
 Sick, immunodeficient, or severely allergic
 Amount of toxin ingested/applied
 Strike contacts chest or face
 Dermatonecrotic
 Causes
lesions and burning to exposed
tissues

Example: Box Jellyfish
 Neurotoxin
 Cause
paralysis or respiratory system,
cardiac system

Example: Cone Shell
 Must
be injected or ingested
Modern Uses
Bees!
 Apitherapy
 Refers
to the use of honeybee (O.Apidae)
venom for medicinal purposes
Melittin: very potent anti-inflammatory
 Apamin: enhances nerve transmission
 Dopamine: neurotransmitter similar to
adrenaline
 Seratonin: emotion-regulating neurotransmitter


Current Applications




Relieve arthritis and asthma
Relief from acute conditions like tendonitis and chronic
conditions like back/neck pains
Can be used to soften and break down scar tissue
Future Applications

Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis
– Prolonged treatment time, but better overall results


In this case, the usual symptoms of reaction
(itching, swelling, etc.) are the desired effect
Bee venom is used directly from the source


Bees, handled by experienced keepers, are allowed to
sting the patient locally
Storing the venom decreases the potency
Poison Arrow Frogs
 Batrachotoxin
 One of the strongest animal toxins



Some frog-eating snakes are immune


A single drop interferes with nerve impulse transmission
Heart may stop functioning
What makes their system different?
Before the heart stops, it is thrown into
hypercontraction

Small amounts could be used as a cardiac stimulant after
a heart attack
Sea Cucumber
 Holothurin
 Blocks
nerve impulses
 Many side effects:
Prevents tumor growth
 Regulates heart rate
 Improves metabolism
 Provides glycosides

– Cardiac varieties increase force of heart contractions
Scorpions
 Giant Israeli Scorpion
 Peptide
Chlorotoxin can be isolated from
the venom
Only attaches to cancerous cells
 When paired with a chemotheraputic agent
(samporin), makes a drug that targets and
attacks only cancerous cells

Snakes
 Some venoms can be used in small
doses to prevent blood clots
 Snake Milking
 A relatively
harmless way to extract
snake’s venom
 Snake is coaxed to “bite” glass bowl/jar lid

Collected venom is used to make “anti-venom”
to treat snake bites
Milking a Snake
Applying Anti-venom to a Bite
(Most) Photos and Information
Courtesy of:
“Poisonous Plants and Animals”
Team C007974, ThinkQuest 2000.
http://library.thinkquest.org/C007974/