• Question: How does venom/poison work?

    Asked by hannahjanehunt to Antonia, Douglas, Hugh, Matt, Tom on 15 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Antonia Hamilton

      Antonia Hamilton answered on 15 Jun 2010:

      different poisons work in different ways. one of the most lethal is called Tetrodotoxin. It is found in the japanese pufferfish and it blocks your nerves and stops them working so you can’t breathe and you die. Just a few micrograms is enough to kill someone in 20 minutes.

    • Photo: Matthew Hurley

      Matthew Hurley answered on 15 Jun 2010:

      Venom and poison are different things. Venom usually does something to the prey to immobilise it or kill it. Sometimes it can cause devastating effects to the way the body’s cells produce energy, other times it can interrupt nerve cell function so the animal is paralysed. Poison is anything that is toxic and so can cause damage to local organs or the whole body. Some medicines or plants can be poisonous.

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