If you've been reading my other blog, Grandfather's Wish, you'd have seen a post on my latest past time - World War Wasp. The short of it that I got stung and decided it was time to get rid of the nest that they built in my shed. Since then I've been musing about the fact that wasps don't just sting you but actually inject a venom into you as well. At the moment venom is really on my mind as I have a face full of it. I tried going after the wasps again and in an effort not to get stung, dressed in a heavy leather coat, brimmed hat and even worn gloves. They responded to by investigation with extreme prejudice by stinging me on the only spot I hadn't covered - my face. I'm fine and despite a pretty harrowing experience in the past with wasps I have a pretty good tolerance for their stings. I still don't like to be stung. I just try to cope as best I can. I must say that getting stung in the face is madding because it itches and I don't want to tear my face off for a stupid wasp sting. Luckily the local pharmacist gave me some stuff to try that works really well. Anyway, back to venom.
As I was researching wasps in particular, I learned that their venom is designed to cause pain. They use it for a variety of things, but the bottom line result of having wasp venom injected into you is to put the hurt on you. This is because wasp stingers are very small - wasps are very small and they have to defend themselves from creatures much bigger them themselves. So the venom in a wasp is a psychological biological weapon. It destroys cell ways, particularly neurons, which cause the victim to register pain. It has additional things that stop the flow of blood in the area (so the venom can hang around as much as it likes) and others that enable it to move from cell to cell, hunting out neurons. The idea is to make the victim look at the wasp and feel a strong pain and say, "Holy Crap! That little bug just put a big hurt on me. I don't want any more of this!" and leave. Now of course there can be other side effects of wasp venom: swelling, infection, and even life-threatening anaphylactic reactions for those with an allergy to the venom. Because wasps, and their cousins bees, are so common and the chance of being stung likely treatments are pretty standard and those with allergies can get an Epi-Pen for quick treatment.
There are many other types of venom out there, however. Remember that venomous creatures are those that inject a dangerous substance into their victims. In order to be hurt by poisonous creatures you have to eat them. The list of venomous animals on Wikipedia needs some better organization, but it shows that you have all different kinds of animals: mammals, fish, reptiles, insects and arachnids, just about every kind of animal will have one that venomous. The actual process of having venom injected into you is called envenomation and that is not a word you want to see by "cause of death." Snakes tend to be be the most known venomous animals. Many know about rattlesnakes, cobras, and vipers. I would put spiders and scorpions as the runners up. Not just because they're venomous but also because they're creeping looking. Beyond those, I would imagine that many people don't think about other creatures being venomous, but be careful, because there are still quite a few you wouldn't think of.
Venom can be injected a number of ways. The most commonly thought of are fangs and stingers. This is probably because they just scream, "INJECTION!" They are designed to force venom into a victim in the most direct way possible. They are not the only ones. Many lizards, like the gila monster and the komoto dragon, have venomous saliva that they chew into their victims, saturating the wound with the toxins. Others, such as the male platypus, other mammals and many fish, have a spur or spine that either secretes or is covered in the venom and is then stab it into the victim. What is also interesting is that the creature can often choose whether to inject the venom or not. Wasps, apparently, do it every time. But snakes, particularly adult snakes will often bite without releasing the venom - as a way of warning off someone or something. This is why child or adolescent venomous creatures tend to be deadlier than their parents. Every situation is a dire one and so they will often inject as much venom as possible into everything that bothers them.
Granted, just because a creature can choose to inject venom doesn't mean it's worth the risk of getting bit. Venom can kill in so many different ways, and even the ones that don't kill can maim, blind, debilitate, or just flat out hurt like the devil. Some venom effect the blood, either causing it to clot and producing strokes or blockages, or letting it run freely which also causes problems. Often times venom contains a neuro-toxin which will interrupt the signals from the brain, often resulting in a victim muscles to seize up killing them by suffocation or cardiac arrest. What is truly interesting is that scientists can now deconstruct a creatures venom just from a DNA sample and use it to treat dangerous medical conditions. This article from National Geographic back in February talks about the research being done in venom studies and what potential cures are being discovered. It is a fascinating read and explains the strides being made much better than I can.
So, World War Wasp is still one, but I think their down to their last survivors. I'm just glad that I'm not allergic to wasp venom or that would be making my life very difficult right now.
As I was researching wasps in particular, I learned that their venom is designed to cause pain. They use it for a variety of things, but the bottom line result of having wasp venom injected into you is to put the hurt on you. This is because wasp stingers are very small - wasps are very small and they have to defend themselves from creatures much bigger them themselves. So the venom in a wasp is a psychological biological weapon. It destroys cell ways, particularly neurons, which cause the victim to register pain. It has additional things that stop the flow of blood in the area (so the venom can hang around as much as it likes) and others that enable it to move from cell to cell, hunting out neurons. The idea is to make the victim look at the wasp and feel a strong pain and say, "Holy Crap! That little bug just put a big hurt on me. I don't want any more of this!" and leave. Now of course there can be other side effects of wasp venom: swelling, infection, and even life-threatening anaphylactic reactions for those with an allergy to the venom. Because wasps, and their cousins bees, are so common and the chance of being stung likely treatments are pretty standard and those with allergies can get an Epi-Pen for quick treatment.
There are many other types of venom out there, however. Remember that venomous creatures are those that inject a dangerous substance into their victims. In order to be hurt by poisonous creatures you have to eat them. The list of venomous animals on Wikipedia needs some better organization, but it shows that you have all different kinds of animals: mammals, fish, reptiles, insects and arachnids, just about every kind of animal will have one that venomous. The actual process of having venom injected into you is called envenomation and that is not a word you want to see by "cause of death." Snakes tend to be be the most known venomous animals. Many know about rattlesnakes, cobras, and vipers. I would put spiders and scorpions as the runners up. Not just because they're venomous but also because they're creeping looking. Beyond those, I would imagine that many people don't think about other creatures being venomous, but be careful, because there are still quite a few you wouldn't think of.
Venom can be injected a number of ways. The most commonly thought of are fangs and stingers. This is probably because they just scream, "INJECTION!" They are designed to force venom into a victim in the most direct way possible. They are not the only ones. Many lizards, like the gila monster and the komoto dragon, have venomous saliva that they chew into their victims, saturating the wound with the toxins. Others, such as the male platypus, other mammals and many fish, have a spur or spine that either secretes or is covered in the venom and is then stab it into the victim. What is also interesting is that the creature can often choose whether to inject the venom or not. Wasps, apparently, do it every time. But snakes, particularly adult snakes will often bite without releasing the venom - as a way of warning off someone or something. This is why child or adolescent venomous creatures tend to be deadlier than their parents. Every situation is a dire one and so they will often inject as much venom as possible into everything that bothers them.
Granted, just because a creature can choose to inject venom doesn't mean it's worth the risk of getting bit. Venom can kill in so many different ways, and even the ones that don't kill can maim, blind, debilitate, or just flat out hurt like the devil. Some venom effect the blood, either causing it to clot and producing strokes or blockages, or letting it run freely which also causes problems. Often times venom contains a neuro-toxin which will interrupt the signals from the brain, often resulting in a victim muscles to seize up killing them by suffocation or cardiac arrest. What is truly interesting is that scientists can now deconstruct a creatures venom just from a DNA sample and use it to treat dangerous medical conditions. This article from National Geographic back in February talks about the research being done in venom studies and what potential cures are being discovered. It is a fascinating read and explains the strides being made much better than I can.
So, World War Wasp is still one, but I think their down to their last survivors. I'm just glad that I'm not allergic to wasp venom or that would be making my life very difficult right now.
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