Venom in mammals? Very possible. Take this quiz and see how much you know about poisonous animals.
True or False?
1. European moles’ venom causes harm only to Europeans.
True
False
2. Shrews are indeed ravenous beasts that hunt humans when they can’t find smaller animals to eat.
True
False
3. Only the male platypuses’ spurs produce venom.
True
False
4. Even corals may be venomous.
True
False
5. Some sharks need not bite for them to cause harm. Some have venomous spines that can cause really painful stings.
True
False
6. The sting of a furry puss caterpillar is more painful than a bee sting. It spreads over a large area, seeps into the bones and lasts for half a day.
True
False
7. The blue-ringed octopus is considered to be a highly venomous marine animal because its venom can cause numbness, muscle weakness, difficulty breathing, vomiting and respiratory failure within five to ten minutes.
True
False
8. The Komodo dragon’s venom isn’t deadly but the full-size flame that it breathes is.
True
False
9. The solenodon’s venom isn’t lethal to humans.
True
False
10. The vampire bat’s saliva contains venom that acts as an anticoagulant so that blood flows continuously when they feed on prey.
True
False
Answer to Venomous Animals Quiz:
1. False. The toxins in a European mole’s saliva can paralyze earthworms, mice, shrews, maggots and mealworms. Their venom is not potent enough to be lethal to humans.
2. False. The 1959 movie that tells the story of killer shrews is far from reality. There is no record of shrews killing humans.
3. True. Only male platypuses have spurs and the females lose theirs when they develop.
4. True. Corals that belong to the order Zoantharia contain a highly toxic substance that can be fatal when it enters the bloodstream.
5. True. The spiny dogfish, the horn shark and the Port Jackson shark are three shark species that have venomous spines.
6. True.
7. True.
8. False. The Komodo dragon is a lizard feared for its aggressiveness, voracious appetite, deadly bite and bacteria-infested, venomous saliva.
9. True.
10. True.
