WEBVTT 00:00:06.909 --> 00:00:08.193 Would you rather be bitten 00:00:08.193 --> 00:00:11.693 by a venomous snake or touch a poisonous frog? 00:00:11.693 --> 00:00:12.943 Wait, what's the difference 00:00:12.943 --> 00:00:15.942 between poison and venom, anyway? 00:00:15.942 --> 00:00:17.192 Let's say you have the misfortune 00:00:17.192 --> 00:00:19.591 to be bitten by a venomous rattlesnake. 00:00:19.591 --> 00:00:20.466 When it bites you, 00:00:20.466 --> 00:00:21.635 the snake will eject venom 00:00:21.635 --> 00:00:22.869 from little sacs behind its eyes, 00:00:22.869 --> 00:00:24.943 through its hollow fangs and into your flesh. 00:00:24.943 --> 00:00:26.554 That venom will then travel through your bloodstream 00:00:26.554 --> 00:00:28.140 and all over your body. 00:00:28.140 --> 00:00:30.637 In most cases, snake venom contains neurotoxins, 00:00:30.637 --> 00:00:32.728 proteins that can do all sorts of nasty stuff 00:00:32.728 --> 00:00:35.441 like make your muscles fire uncontrollably, 00:00:35.441 --> 00:00:37.067 burst your blood cells, 00:00:37.067 --> 00:00:38.774 and make you go completely numb. 00:00:38.774 --> 00:00:40.071 But you might get lucky! 00:00:40.071 --> 00:00:41.320 Snakes don't always decide 00:00:41.320 --> 00:00:42.525 you're worth wasting venom on. 00:00:42.525 --> 00:00:44.358 In fact, between 20 and 80% of snake bites 00:00:44.358 --> 00:00:46.108 are so-called "dry bites," 00:00:46.108 --> 00:00:47.524 where the snake is just trying 00:00:47.524 --> 00:00:49.943 to send a message without actually killing you. 00:00:49.943 --> 00:00:52.108 You see, venom takes energy and resources 00:00:52.108 --> 00:00:53.441 for the snake to make, 00:00:53.441 --> 00:00:55.712 and they don't want to waste it on a warning shot. 00:00:55.712 --> 00:00:56.962 When it comes to poison, 00:00:56.962 --> 00:00:58.213 on the other hand, 00:00:58.213 --> 00:00:59.506 there's no warning shot. 00:00:59.506 --> 00:01:01.217 If you pick up a poisonous dart frog 00:01:01.217 --> 00:01:02.858 to admire its beautiful colors, 00:01:02.858 --> 00:01:04.608 you've already gotten deadly poison 00:01:04.608 --> 00:01:06.888 all over your hands. 00:01:06.888 --> 00:01:08.347 As it seeps into your skin 00:01:08.347 --> 00:01:09.357 and travels through your blood, 00:01:09.357 --> 00:01:11.391 the poison starts to interfere with your nerves, 00:01:11.391 --> 00:01:13.606 preventing your muscles from contracting. 00:01:13.606 --> 00:01:15.522 If the frog's poison reaches your heart, 00:01:15.522 --> 00:01:18.025 it can cause it to stop. 00:01:18.025 --> 00:01:19.441 The distinction between venom and poison 00:01:19.441 --> 00:01:21.736 is purely in the method of delivery. 00:01:21.736 --> 00:01:24.322 Poison has to be inhaled, ingested, or absorbed. 00:01:24.322 --> 00:01:27.158 Venom has to be injected into a wound. 00:01:27.158 --> 00:01:28.775 Chemically, venoms and poisons 00:01:28.775 --> 00:01:30.775 are both considered toxins, 00:01:30.775 --> 00:01:32.608 so a snake bite is venomous. 00:01:32.608 --> 00:01:35.942 A poison dart frog is poisonous. 00:01:35.942 --> 00:01:37.877 Brown recluse spiders are venomous. 00:01:37.877 --> 00:01:40.857 Lionfish and pufferfish are poisonous. 00:01:40.857 --> 00:01:43.299 And some compounds can be poisons in one animal 00:01:43.299 --> 00:01:44.759 and venoms in another. 00:01:44.759 --> 00:01:49.014 Tetrodotoxin, a chemical 10,000 times more toxic than cyanide, 00:01:49.014 --> 00:01:50.055 is found in pufferfish, 00:01:50.055 --> 00:01:51.524 where it makes them poisonous. 00:01:51.524 --> 00:01:54.024 It's also found in the deadly blue-ringed octopus, 00:01:54.024 --> 00:01:56.353 where it's a venom delivered by bite. 00:01:56.353 --> 00:01:59.731 Some animals can even be both poisonous and venomous. 00:01:59.731 --> 00:02:01.734 Take the Asian tiger snake, for example. 00:02:01.734 --> 00:02:03.570 Not only does it have venom in its fangs 00:02:03.570 --> 00:02:05.275 but it also absorbs the toxins 00:02:05.275 --> 00:02:07.025 from the poisonous toads it eats, 00:02:07.025 --> 00:02:08.576 and then secretes those toxins 00:02:08.576 --> 00:02:10.524 from special glands on its neck, 00:02:10.524 --> 00:02:12.774 rendering it poisonous, too. 00:02:12.774 --> 00:02:14.707 Scientists are constantly finding new animals 00:02:14.707 --> 00:02:17.000 that employ toxins in weird, interesting ways. 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:18.543 Recently, researchers discovered 00:02:18.543 --> 00:02:20.796 the very first venomous crustacean. 00:02:20.796 --> 00:02:22.798 Out of 70,000 species of crustaceans, 00:02:22.798 --> 00:02:25.384 only this one little remipede is venomous. 00:02:25.384 --> 00:02:27.469 Speleonectes tulumensis has figured out 00:02:27.469 --> 00:02:29.300 how to create a cocktail of toxins 00:02:29.300 --> 00:02:32.025 that it delivers through its tiny fangs. 00:02:32.025 --> 00:02:34.108 Scientists aren't totally sure how this venom works yet, 00:02:34.108 --> 00:02:36.774 but they think that it causes the unwitting victims' neurons 00:02:36.774 --> 00:02:39.482 to fire over and over and over again 00:02:39.482 --> 00:02:41.148 until it becomes paralyzed. 00:02:41.148 --> 00:02:42.651 Then, the little remipede closes in, 00:02:42.651 --> 00:02:44.858 dissolving away the exoskeleton of its prey 00:02:44.858 --> 00:02:46.775 and sucking out the juices. 00:02:46.775 --> 00:02:49.943 But poisons and venoms aren't always all bad. 00:02:49.943 --> 00:02:51.442 For thousands of years, humans have looked for 00:02:51.442 --> 00:02:54.107 ways to harness the power of these toxic compounds for good. 00:02:54.107 --> 00:02:55.913 Today, we have all sorts of medicines 00:02:55.913 --> 00:02:57.498 that come from toxins. 00:02:57.498 --> 00:03:00.127 The poison from cone snails is used as a painkiller. 00:03:00.127 --> 00:03:01.753 Many poisonous plants have been used 00:03:01.753 --> 00:03:04.547 to treat everything from malaria to irregular heartbeats. 00:03:04.547 --> 00:03:06.424 And scorpion venom might one day be used 00:03:06.424 --> 00:03:08.275 to treat heart disease. 00:03:08.275 --> 00:03:11.386 So, what should you do if something bites or poisons you? 00:03:11.386 --> 00:03:13.107 Don't try any of the things you've seen 00:03:13.107 --> 00:03:14.766 on the internet or in movies! 00:03:14.766 --> 00:03:16.525 Don't try to capture and kill the animal 00:03:16.525 --> 00:03:17.686 that bit you, 00:03:17.686 --> 00:03:20.647 and don't use a tourniquet or knife on your wound. 00:03:20.647 --> 00:03:23.858 Most importantly, don't panic! 00:03:23.858 --> 00:03:26.819 Stay calm, and seek medical attention. 00:03:26.819 --> 00:03:28.071 Treatment will mostly depend 00:03:28.071 --> 00:03:29.942 on what species you encountered. 00:03:29.942 --> 00:03:31.406 But if you forget the distinction 00:03:31.406 --> 00:03:32.940 between poison and venom, 00:03:32.940 --> 00:03:34.192 and tell the parademics 00:03:34.192 --> 00:03:35.942 that you were poisoned by a viper, 00:03:35.942 --> 00:03:39.538 they'll probably forgive you and treat you anyway.