Venomous animals

Numerous animal species naturally produce chemical toxins which are used to kill or incapacitate prey or as a defense against predators. Venomous animals deliver these toxins as venom through a bite, sting, or other specially evolved mechanism.

Venoms have evolved to serve a wide variety of purposes. Their intended effects can range from mild fleeting discomfort to paralysis and death, and they may be highly selective in which species they target, often making them harmless to all but a few specific co-evolved organisms. Because the definition of "venomous" can be extremely broad, this list includes only those animals with venom that is known or suspected to be medically significant for humans or domestic animals.

## Invertebrates

### Arachnids

Further information: Arachnidism, List of medically significant spider bites
Strictly speaking, all spiders and scorpions possess venom, though only a handful are dangerous to humans. Spiders typically deliver their venom with a bite from piercing, fang-like chelicerae; scorpions sting their victims with a long, curved stinger mounted on the telson.

#### Spiders

* Australian funnel-web spiders (*Atrax* and *Hadronyche* spp.)
* Brazilian wandering spiders (*Phoneutria fera* and *Phoneutria nigriventer*)
* All widow spiders (*Latrodectus* spp.), including the black widows, button spiders, Australian redback spider (*L. hasseltii*), and the endangered katipo of New Zealand (*L. katipo*)
* False black widows (*Steatoda* spp.)
* All recluse spiders (*Loxosceles* spp.), including the brown recluse (*L. reclusa*) and Chilean recluse (*L. laeta*)
* *Macrothele* spp.
* Mouse spiders (*Missulena* spp.)
* *Sicarius* spp.
* *Hexophthalma* spp.
* A few species of tarantula (in addition to chelicerae, some also have urticating hairs)

#### Scorpions

Of more than a thousand known species of scorpion, only a few dozen have venom that is dangerous to humans, most notably the bark scorpions, including:

* *Centruroides* spp.
* Deathstalker (*Leiurus quinquestriatus*)

### Insects

Further information: Insect bites and stings, List of biting or stinging arthropods
* Bees
* Wasps
* Some ants
* Certain lepidopteran caterpillars are covered in urticating hairs for defense

### Other arthropods

* Many species of centipede
* The remipede *Xibalbanus tulumensis* is a centipede-like crustacean with a long segmented body and scores of legs which display a swimming motion. They live in underground anchialine caves of Mexico and Central America. Although blind, they are formidable predators, and feed on the shrimp that share their underground pools.

### Cnidarians

* Jellyfish sting using microscopic cells called nematocysts, which are capsules full of venom expelled through a microscopic lance. Contact with a jellyfish tentacle can trigger millions of nematocysts to pierce the skin and inject venom.
* Some hydrozoans, including the Portuguese Man o' War (*Physalia physalis*)
* Sea anemones
* Some corals

### Cephalopods

Many species of octopus, squid, and cuttlefish make use of venom when hunting their prey.

* The blue-ringed octopodes (*Hapalochlaena* spp.) produce tetrodotoxin, which is extremely toxic to even the healthiest adult humans, though the number of actual fatalities they have caused is far lower than the number caused by spiders and snakes, with which human contact is more common.

## Vertebrates

### Fish

Further information: Venomous fish

There are at least 1,200 species of venomous fish, including:

* Stonefishes (*Synanceia* spp.)
* Lionfishes (*Pterois* spp.)
* Scorpionfishes
* Toadfishes (*Daector* and *Thalassophryne* spp.)
* Rabbitfishes (*Siganus* spp.)
* Goblinfishes (*Glyptauchen panduratus* and *Inimicus* spp.)
* Cockatoo waspfish (*Ablabys taenianotus*)
* Striped blenny (*Meiacanthus grammistes*)
* Stargazers
* Chimaeras
* Weevers (*Echiichthys vipera* and *Trachinus* spp.)
* Dogfish sharks
* Most stingrays
* A few catfish species have venomous "stings" behind their fins, including:
	+ The estuary cobbler (*Cnidoglanis macrocephalus*)
	+ The striped eel catfish (*Plotosus lineatus*) and other eeltail catfishes (*Neosilurus* spp.)

### Reptiles

#### Snakes

Further information: Venomous snakes, Snake venom, Snakebite
* Mambas (*Dendroaspis* spp.), including the black mamba (*D. polylepis*)
* Boomslang (*Dispholidus typus*)
* All true cobras (*Naja* spp.), including the Indian cobra (*Naja naja*)
* King cobra (*Ophiophagus hannah*)
* Kraits (*Bungarus* spp.), including the common krait (*Bungarus caeruleus*)
* Lanceheads (*Bothrops* spp.), including the fer-de-lance (*B. lanceolatus*) and the terciopelo (*B. asper*)
* Bushmasters (*Lachesis* spp.)
* Copperhead (*Agkistrodon contortrix*) and cottonmouth (*Agkistrodon piscivorus*)
* Coral snakes (*Micrurus*, *Leptomicrurus*, and *Micruroides* spp.)
* Death adders (*Acanthophis* spp.)
* Belcher's sea snake (*Hydrophis belcheri*)
* Dubois' sea snake (*Aipysurus duboisii*)
* Eastern brown snake (*Pseudonaja textilis*)
* Inland taipan (*Oxyuranus microlepidotus*)
* Coastal taipan (*Oxyuranus scutellatus*)
* Russell's viper (*Daboia russelii*)
* Most rattlesnakes (*Crotalus* and *Sistrurus* spp.)
* Saw-scaled viper (*Echis carinatus*)
* Tiger snakes (*Notechis* spp.)

#### Lizards

* Gila monster (*Heloderma suspectum*)
* Mexican beaded lizard (*Heloderma horridum*)
* Some members of the genus *Varanus*, such as the Komodo dragon (*V. komodoensis*), perentie (*V. giganteus*) and lace monitor (V. varius).

#### Frogs

* Bruno's casque-headed frog
* Greening's frog

#### Salamanders

* Fire salamander
* Iberian ribbed newt

### Mammals

Further information: Venomous mammals
Only a few modern mammal species are capable of producing venom; they are likely the last living examples of what was once a more common trait among the mammals. The definition of "venomous" becomes less distinct here, however, and whether some species are truly venomous is still disputed.

* European mole (*Talpa europaea*)
* Platypus (*Ornithorhynchus anatinus*)
* Eurasian water shrew (*Neomys fodiens*)
* Mediterranean water shrew (*Neomys anomalus*)
* Northern short-tailed shrew (*Blarina brevicauda*)
* Southern short-tailed shrew (*Blarina carolinensis*)[disputed]
* Elliot's short-tailed shrew (*Blarina hylophaga*)[disputed]
* Both species of solenodon, the Cuban solenodon (*Solenodon cubanus*) and the Hispaniolan solenodon (*S. paradoxus*)
* Slow loris (*Nycticebus* spp.)[disputed]

### Dinosaurs

Some scientists have proposed that *Sinornithosaurus* had a venomous bite, but recent evidence suggests otherwise.

## Notes

1. ↑ The venom is produced only by the male and only during the breeding season.