Deck 30: Venoms and Injection Toxicity Versus Poisonous Animals or Cells and Ingestion or Contact Toxicity

Question 1

Why might land-based snakes (crotalids) have a different venom composition than that of elapids or sea snakes?

Answer 1

Note that the hemorrhagic venoms are usually found in the crotalids. This may be due to the nature of the organism against they may be defending themselves (buffalo or other thick-hide animal with fur that may need factors that increased penetration of the venom) versus the more neurotoxic venoms found in elapids and sea snakes. Digestion is also a factor that may affect venom composition.

Question 2

Venom economy is a concern to desert animals. Why would they be likely to use their jaws or constriction rather than venom if possible?

Answer 2

Venoms are protein-rich and make their use metabolically costly.

Question 3

Why is it important for a frog to secrete a poison onto its skin to prevent being eaten?

Answer 3

The poison may cause hallucinations or inactivate a sodium channel producing an aversive (cannot feel mouth or cannot swallow adequately) if not deadly consequences. This is important in that the toxin acts immediately and dramatically for the predator to decide to remove the amphibian from its mouth and move to less toxic prey.

Question 4

What is the proper origin of botulism toxin?

Question 5

Moldy corn cannot be mixed with uncontaminated corn and sold for feed. Why not?