You learned the short version in Unit I. Here is the full one. Venom is a toxin an animal delivers on purpose, by biting or stinging, either to defend itself (bees) or to catch food (vipers). Poison is a toxin that hurts you when you eat or touch it (some frogs, some mushrooms). The easy way to remember: if you bite it and get sick, it was poisonous. If it bites you and you get sick, it was venomous. Many toads are poisonous. They ooze a bitter toxin from the parotoid glands behind their eyes so that whatever tries to eat them spits them out. Rattlesnakes and cobras are venomous. A few amphibians are venomous too.
This lesson is part of Certified Junior Herpetologist. Enrollment is self-paced, with no deadline to finish (about 30 hours).
