- Weighing over 300 pounds and at 10 feet long, Komodo dragons are the heaviest lizards in the world.
- Shrews use their poisonous saliva to paralyze prey, which can then be stored and eaten later. The prey stays immobile but alive.
- Just a small amount of shrew venom causes paralysis. Because of this, shrews can tackle prey much larger than themselves.
- The number of soldiers used to defend a honey bee colony varies. An Africanized honey bee colony might have 2,000 soldiers ready to defend it, while the European honey bee colony uses about 200.
- The bite of fire ants can be potent: in some scenarios, limbs need amputation.
- The venom of fire ants is unique among insects, because it contains just 5% protein. The rest of its venom is piperdeine alkaloid.
- Usually stingrays are not aggressive, swimming away from a threat rather than attack.
- It’s been said that the strong muscular tail of a stingray can send its spine through the side of a wooden boat.
- The bite of a Brazilian wandering spider is not just painful; it can paralyze a person, cause breathing problems, and even kill them.
- Giant centipedes sometimes predate on bats.
- Blue-ringed octopus are the most active after dark. They spend much of their day hidden in their nests.
- Box jellyfish are pale blue and their color is transparent. Their tentacles can reach 10 feet long.
- The bite of a Taipen can kill about a hundred adult males. Its venom is considered the most toxic venom of any snake.
March 27, 2013
Venom Facts
