Shadow Void

A Potential Poisonous Fish

I had a hard time selecting a fish for the last installment of my venom series. I had forgotten about the barracuda. It hit me a couple nights ago that eating barracuda does lead to a form of poisoning. We are now going to be jumping into the ocean. You are going to be facing the Barracuda on it's on turf.

Great barracuda ( Sphyraena barracuda )

This large predatory fish can be found from Massachusetts to Brazil. It can also be found in the Gulf of Mexico. The smaller sized fish can be found near the shore while larger speciemens can be found offshore. They have worldwide distrubtion as a species. There are a total of 8 species found worldwide. They feed on squid, fish, and shrimp. They can swim at speeds of 25 to 27 mphs. These fish are known to attack humans. In fact, these fish are even known kill humans. They've even been known sicken even more people. The large fish between the size of five to 8 feet are considered to be potentially dangerous. Unlike sharks, barracuda make one large bite that removes a large chunk of flesh. They hunt by sight so divers or swimmers should avoid murky water, wearing bright clothes, or wearing anything shiny. Barracuda will approach and follow humans. Though they aren't as dangerous as most people think. So I mentioned that they are poisonous.

Unlike other poisonous fish, the barracuda gets the poison from the animals that they eat. More precisely, it gets the poison from it's prey have eaten. In humans, the poisoning is called ciguatera poisoning. It's quite the nasty little poison too. The toxin is called ciguatoxin. It's commonly found in micro-organisms. In humans, the symptoms are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, muscle aches, parethesia, numbness, ataxia, and even hallucinations. It cannot be destroyed by heat, so cooking won't get rid of it. Oh...and on top of it, the poisoning leads to long term disability.

This biological technique is called bio-magnification. It's used in barracuda as well as many other animals. Bi -magnification is pretty hard to explain but I'm going to try. Basically, what happens is that little animal contains toxin. A small animal eats that micro-organism. Small animal gets eaten by larger animal until it ends up in the body of the last stage of food chain. There it builds up to the point where it becomes dangerous. Hence the reaon why only larger sized barracuda seem to cause the poisoning. Any way, I am going.

 

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Poisonous Birds????

As promised, here is another one of my articles on venomous or poisonous animals. This animal that we are featuring today is called the Hooded Pitohui or Pitohui dichrous. In Papua New Guinea the natives call it the garbage bird. For good reasons, they can't use it. It's feathers, skin, and dander seem to contain batrachotoxin ( BTX ). It's another animal that makes use of neurtoxins. It's also not the only animal to use BTX. Arrow poison frogs also use BTX. However unlike many other poisonous or venomous animals, it is widely accepted that both the frog and Pitohui get the poison from the beetles that they eat. Luckily for us, the birds don't have the same concentration of the toxin in their feathers. It is thought the poison keeps them from being eaten. Anyway, that is it for today. Talk to you later!

Top Two Questions

Whenever I do a presentation or have the animals out at an activity, I'm amazed at the questions that I'm asked. Sometimes, I get asked a question that I haven't heard before but I almost always get one of these two questions. The first question that I get a lot is "Are they poisonous / venomous?". Well, the answer is actually yes. Almost all of my animals with the expectation of my hissing cockroaches are in fact venomous and only the millipedes are poisonous. I suppose the better question really is "Which animal poses a risk to humans?". Well, that is a hard question to ask, but without a doubt my gray tunneling spider and my Orange baboon spider are perhaps more toxic than any of my other creatures. Don't get me wrong, you don't want to get bit by any of my animals. The other question that I get a lot of is "Does that animal still have its venom?". My answer to that is yes. All my animals still have their original toxins. To take away the venom of a spider is too kill it. What benefit is gained by removing the venom from an animal? There is not any benefit to be gained. One just has to know what to do when working with the animals and what not to do. There is no second guessing the animals at all. I believe strongly that one must never be distracted when working around the animals. Anyway, I am going for now.

A Shrew Surprise

It seems strange that a mammal would have a venomous bite, but shrews are not alone in this feature. The solendon also has a venomous bite, however the creature we are going to focus on are going to be shrews. Shrews are an insectivore. There are 280 known species of shrew. They are a group of mammals that includes moles, hedgehogs, and solendons. Shrews in general consume 70 to 130 percent of their body weight each day. Typically, shrews have poor vision and depend on hearing and touch to find food. They must eat every 2 to 3 hours. The first shrew, we are going to look at is the short-tailed shrew, Blarina breviacauda. It is 3 to 5 inches long without it's tail. It can be found across eastern United States and eastern Canada. It can be found under vegetation searching for food. They have 32 teeth. The venom of the Short-tailed shrew is a neurotoxin. It's bite serves to paralyze the prey. It bites when handled. It's venom is much of little concern to us. This shrew may feed on insects, earthworms, fruit, and dead animals. They have a lifespan of 12 to 18 months. The next shrew I want to focus on is the Masked / Common Shrew, Sorex cinereus. This shrew is the most widespread shrew in the United states. It is found in mountainous regions, swamps, and marshes. It can be found right up to the tree line on mountains. Like the venom of the Short-tailed shrew, the venom of the Common shrew is of little concern to humans. This shrew's heart beats 1200 times a minute. Sexual maturity for females is reached at 4 to 5 months old. At birth, they are only the size of a honeybee. They can live for 1 to 2 years. Their diet consists of worms, insects, snails, invertebrates, and young mice. Another venomous shrew is the Eurasian Water Shrew. It's venom is often used to paralyze fish and frogs.

 

Centruroides

Arizona Bark Scorpion / Centruriodes sculpturatus / Centruroides exiicauda

Usually my nature posts deal with one certain species of plant or animal. Today, we are going to look at one whole genus. The genus we are going to look at is the Centruroides. A genus of scorpions that is spread across the Earth. There are 1,500 species of known Centruroides scorpions. Seventy of these scorpions live in the North America. 25 of these scorpions have lethal venom. The sculptured or Arizona bark scorpion is our most venomous scorpion. It's sting injects a venom that can be fatal. The venom is a neurotoxin. A person stung by this scorpion can expect to experience severe pain, numbness in the limb that is stung, convulsions, and death. Though death is most among the young, elderly, and anyone whose immune system is compromised. In extreme cases, the victim might experience the same numbness, frothing of the mouth, paralysis, the feeling of electrical jolts. Though most of our scorpions only have a sting that has the same power as a wasp. One such scorpion is Centruroides vittatus. It's found in quite a few states. It is native to Texas, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Nebraska, New Mexico, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Mexico. It's likes to hide in dark and damp places. Needless to say, it can sometimes be found inside human buildings. It's venom is also a neurotoxin but unlike the sculptured scorpion, it's venom only causes pain that may last anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes and is rarely fatal. The striped scorpion is also very widespread. It is known to gather in group s of 20 to 30 individuals during cold weather. These scorpions can even survive in below freezing weather. These creatures can be bought as pets. I do not recommend that a beginner even dream of keeping these creatures. If you do want a scorpion stick with an emperor.

Now you know a little bit about these creatures, but how can you avoid being stung. Well first off, never ever pick them up by your fingers. Second, if you live where they live, always know where your hands or feet are going. Specially, if you are like me and love to explore. If you leave your shoes outside your house at night always make sure to check them thoroughly before you attempt to put them on. If you go camping make sure you zip up your tent. A scorpion or other nasty critter might decide to take shelter in your tent. Always , always before careful in the great outdoors. Don't be afraid to enjoy the great outdoors just because there might be something lurking out there. If you do that then you'll never experience anything.

To the best of my knowledge, I've never seen a black widow, brown recluse, or a scorpion in the wild. However, I have been where they exist in the wild. Do I think that they should be left alone yes. At the same time if you know that there is a black widow or a brown recluse in your house. I highly recommend taking the needed actions. Especially, if you have kids. Remember if you are allergic to bee stings then you should never hold a scorpion or a tarantula even if there venom is weak. Should you be bit or stung you most likely will pay for it. My goal in writing these pieces is not to scare you out of going outside but to make you more aware. You can't live your entire life in a bubble but you can become more aware of what's around you.

  Arizona Bark Scorpion

 Centruroides Vittatus

 

 

Venom From The Swamp

Cotton Mouth / Water Moccasin - Agkistrodon piscivorus

Welcome to Nature Weekend, today our trip into venom takes us to the swamps of our southern states. We are going to take a look a snake that gets to 2 to 6 ft long. This snake lives in marshes, swamps, river and lakes. It is a nocturnal hunter but often can be seen basking in day light. It can be distinguished from other water snakes in that this snake swims with it's head held out of the water. Like all pit vipers, they can detect the heat given off by their prey. They will feed on fish, amphibians, aquatic reptiles, birds, and mammals. When threatened, the cotton mouth may very well stand it's ground. No doubt you'll experience the reason for the name Cotton Mouth. This snake displays, the white lining of the mouth as a warning to back off. They will also imitate the rattlesnake by vibrating the tail. This snake should be considered somewhat aggressive. That being said, there are other that often get confused for Cotton-Mouths. Sadly, water snakes often get killed for looking like a venomous snake. There are three species of Cotton Mouth in the United States; Eastern Cotton Mouth ( A. piscivorus piscivorus), Florida ( A. piscivorous conanti ), and the Western ( A. piscivorus leucostoma ). They give birth in late summer. Like many other pit vipers, baby cotton mouths are venomous from day one. So let's say that you get bit, what is this venom going to do to you? Well, it's venom is stronger than a copperhead. Cotton Mouth venom is hemotoxic. Remember that means, that the venom destroys red blood cells. It also destroys other tissues. It reduces the bloods ability to coagulate. The venom can lead to tissue destruction. All I am going to say about the Cotton Mouth.

So venomous snakes, are they bad or good? Venomous snakes are good! It doesn't matter that they don't all eat rodents. What matters is that they fit into an ecosystem. They fill a niche and that makes them important. So if you kill a snake just because it might be venomous that just isn't cool. I've said it before that when you kill an organism it affects the ecosystem. It upsets the delicate balance that exists in an any ecosystem. I've pictures of people proudly displaying the rattlesnake that they've killed and quite frankly it sickens me. I can understand killing an animal if it is about to strike. I don't understand just killing them because they are there. I've lived in NW Indiana all my life and have never seen the famous Eastern Massasuaga.

My experience with snakes doesn't include venomous snakes. Most of my experience has been with garter snakes and dekay's brown snake. There aren't too many venomous snakes. Venomous snakes are wonderful additions to the world's species. I've found that reptiles do indeed have personality. One garter snake may threaten, musk, and bite while another individual may be perfectly docile. I wouldn't want to take the opportunity to find out if this holds true for their venomous cousins. Play it safe and give snakes a chance to run. Don't pick them up without knowing if they are vemonous or not.

There will be more venomous animals coming later!

Cotton Mouth Pictures

 Cotton Mouth / Water Moccasin

Eastern CottonMouth - Youtube

Venom / Poison

I'm gearing ujp for a month of week long look at venomous animals. The question is why are animals venomous or poisonous? In some cases, an animal is venomous strictly for defense while others have their venom to take food. They don't want to be messed with and in some cases, they provide some form of warning in some cases. They may use colors, displays, or a mix of color and displays. Arrow dart frogs and honey bees make use of colors and patterns to warn of their poison. The toxin produced by these animals is stored internally or it's secreted onto the skin. While some use it for defense, there are others who use their venom for tackling prey.

 

Next question, what does it mean to be venomous or poisonous? To be considered venomous, an animal must have a means to inject the venom into the body. A poisonous animal produces poison that has to be absorbed into the body or eaten. An example of that would be the fugu pufferfish or the colorful arrow dart frogs.

 

There are is true mix of toxins being secreted by the animal world. There are three main types of venom; neurotoxin, hemotoxins, and cardiotoxins. Neurotoxins attack the nervous system. Death comes from paralysis. Hemotoxins are responsible for the digestion of tissues and they can even destroy the bloodcells. Cardiotoxins directly impact the heart. Now consider this, all of these toxins can be a combined with any of the three toxins to make venoms that kill specialized prey.

 

I don't know what the numbers are for the world wide bite and sting stats. Hopefully, as advances are made in health care, the number of deaths will drop. Still, there are many people who get bite or stung every single year. While these animals might be scary and some can even kill you, still all of these animals deserve our utmost respect. Just because an animal is venomous doesn't make them evil. We need to be more aware.

 

We share the world with some amazing animals. Each of them requires us to be aware of them. In some cases, if a person were just more aware of his or her surrounding maybe they wouldn't have been bit or stung. Still, there are always those cases in which the bite or sting comes without us being aware.

 

As we move through this week, I'm going to bring you high lights of the venomous / poisonous world around us. My goal is to raise awareness. A little bit of awareness can go a very long way.

Keystone species; What does that mean

What would you say if I told you that one species of plant or animal could determine the overall health of an ecosystem? Take that one species out of the picture and the entire ecosystem could face a collaspe. In one book, they mention that this idea of a keystone species is just a theory. So what is a keystone species? According to wikipedia, a keystone species is a species that plays a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community and whose impact on the community is greater than would be expected based on its relative abundance or total biomass. Just as an example say we remove Krill from the Antarctica food chain, their removal as a species would disrupt baleen whale species, penguin species, fish species, and seal species. Not to mention that it could also impact the populations of invertebrates. The keystone species may not be a prey species. Another example given is the example of a gopher tortoise. Gopher tortoises dig burrows. These burrows create micro-enviroments where other creatures take shelter or live. A wide variety of other animals make use of these burrows. They include mammals, inverts, amphibians, and reptiles. Two species that stand out are the Indigo snake and the Eastern Diamond-Back Rattlesnake. In places where this tortoise has locally disappeared so have certain invertebrates have also disappeared. It doesn't stop with just animals that dig burrows either. Other animals might be considered keystone species also. Let's look at one such creature. The Beaver is one such animal that might be considered a keystone species. Beavers as we all know, gnaw down trees in order to feed and make their lodges and dams. It's this act of engineering that might just give the beaver it's status. Beaver dams provide new environments. They also provide predators places to hunt. These dams are a great place to look for aquatic animals. Reptiles like turtles and water snakes will be drawn to their waters for both shelter and for hunting purposes. The dam creates a place of fairly calm water where mosquitos can lay their eggs. According to the September 2009 issue of National Geographic magazine, the pond created by a beaver dam provides habitat for 7 species of bird, many species of insect, 12 species of fish, plants, small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Wipe out beaver lodges, and animals like Snapping turtles, Eastern garter snakes, Gray Foxes, and many others will be affected. You may not realize this but an animal as cute as a sea otter is also a keystone species. It's disappearance in one area of kelp forest can case the forest of disappear. Why does it disappear? The kelp is grazed upon by Sea Urchins. Kelp is held to the bottom by the roots or holdfasts as they are often called. Once disconnected from the bottom, the kelp plant is at the mercy of the tide. Without the sea otter feeding on the sea urchin, their populations can explode which leads to the kelp forest getting smaller. Kelp forests provide shelter for prey and predators alike. If you would like to know more about this idea of keystone species, do your own little search. It's worth it.

Turkey Run State Park