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Would you rather be bitten

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by a venomous snake or touch a poisonous frog?

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Wait, what's the difference

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between poison and venom, anyway?

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Let's say you have the misfortune

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to be bitten by a venomous rattlesnake.

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When it bites you,

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the snake will eject venom

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from little sacks behind its eyes,

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through its hollow fangs and into your flesh.

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That venom will then travel through your bloodstream

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and all over your body.

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In most cases, snake venom contains neurotoxins,

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proteins that can do all sorts of nasty stuff

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like make your muscles fire uncontrollably,

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burst your blood cells,

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and make you go completely numb.

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But you might get lucky!

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Snakes don't always decide

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you're worth wasting venom on.

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In fact, between 20 and 80% of snake bites

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are so-called "dry bites,"

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where the snake is just trying

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to send a message without actually killing you.

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You see, venom takes energy and resources

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for the snake to make,

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and they don't want to waste it on a warning shot.

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When it comes to poison,

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on the other hand,

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there's no warning shot.

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If you pick up a poisonous dart frog

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to admire its beautiful colors,

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you've already gotten deadly poison

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all over your hands.

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As it seeps into your skin

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and travels through your blood,

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the poison starts to interfere with your nerves,

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preventing your muscles from contracting.

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If the frog's poison reaches your heart,

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it can cause it to stop.

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The distinction between venom and poison

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is purely in the method of delivery.

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Poison has to be inhaled, ingested, or absorbed.

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Venom has to be injected into a wound.

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Chemically, venoms and poisons

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are both considered toxins,

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so a snake bite is venomous.

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A poison dart frog is poisonous.

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Brown recluse spiders are venomous.

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Lionfish and pufferfish are poisonous.

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And some compounds can be poisons in one animal

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and venoms in another.

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Tetrodotoxin, a chemical 10,000 times more toxic than cyanide,

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is found in pufferfish,

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where it makes them poisonous.

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It's also found in the deadly blue-ringed octopus,

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where it's a venom delivered by bite.

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Some animals can even be both poisonous and venomous.

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Take the Asian tiger snake, for example.

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Not only does it have venom in its fangs

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but it also absorbs the toxins

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from the poisonous toads it eats,

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and then secretes those toxins

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from special glands on its neck,

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rendering it poisonous, too.

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Scientists are constantly finding new animals

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that employ toxins in weird, interesting ways.

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Recently, researchers discovered

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the very first venomous crustacean.

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Out of 70,000 species of crustaceans,

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only this one little remipede is venomous.

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Speleonectes tulumensis has figured out

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how to create a cocktail of toxins

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that it delivers through its tiny fangs.

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Scientists aren't totally sure how this venom works yet,

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but they think that it causes the unwitting victims' neurons

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to fire over and over and over again

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until it becomes paralyzed.

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Then, the little remipede closes in,

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dissolving away the exoskeleton of its prey

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and sucking out the juices.

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But poisons and venoms aren't always all bad.

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For thousands of years, humans have looked for

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ways to harness the power of these toxic compounds for good.

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Today, we have all sorts of medicines

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that come from toxins.

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The poison from cone snails is used as a painkiller.

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Many poisonous plants have been used

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to treat everything from malaria to irregular heartbeats.

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And scorpion venom might one day be used

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to treat heart disease.

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So, what should you do if something bites or poisons you?

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Don't try any of the things you've seen

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on the internet or in movies!

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Don't try to capture and kill the animal

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that bit you,

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and don't use a tourniquet or knife on your wound.

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Most importantly, don't panic!

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Stay calm, and seek medical attention.

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Treatment will mostly depend

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on what species you encountered.

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But if you forget the distinction

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between poison and venom,

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and tell the parademics

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that you were poisoned by a viper,

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they'll probably forgive you and treat you anyway.