A common misconception is that spiders, rattlesnakes and Copperhead snakes are “poisonous.” My students are always surprised when I tell them that Ladybugs and Monarch butterflies are poisonous!
Ladybugs, Monarch butterflies, Milkweed beetles, Bumblebees and many other insects have bright colors as a warning to predators that they are either very distasteful or will inflict pain! The colors red and black, yellow and black, and orange and black are a clear warning to birds and other predators to back off!
An easy way to decide if an animal is venomous or poisonous is how you would react if you encounter it.
Venom starts with a “V” think of the bottom sharp point as being a stinger from a bee, wasp, ant or certain caterpillars with sharp stinging spines. The top two points of the V represent fangs found in venomous snakes and spiders.
Poison starts with a “P” which is rounded like the tips of your fingers or the end of your tongue. A poisonous animal must be either eaten or touched to cause harm.
Monarch butterfly caterpillars have yellow, black and white stripes. The mother butterfly always lays her eggs on milkweed leaves for the caterpillars to eat because they contain a cardiac glycoside. The caterpillars store the poison and retain it through metamorphosis, the poison will make a predator very sick if it tries to snack on the caterpillar or the butterfly.
The common red and black Ladybug beetles give off a nasty tasting yellow liquid from the joints in their legs if they are disturbed. I know from experience because a Ladybug once got into my nearly empty coffee cup. It was the most awful, bitter taste I have ever experienced!
I was excited to see a tiny Strawberry Poison Dart Frog in the forest when we were in Costa Rica last month. They are also known as “blue jean frogs” because of their dark blue legs. Poison dart frogs store chemicals from the ants they eat; the poison is released through the skin. Native people living in the jungles of Central and South America would rub the tips of their darts on the skin of these frogs to quickly kill monkeys and other small animals.
Black Widow spiders are a beautiful shiny black with the famous red hourglass on the abdomen.
Coral snakes have a red, yellow, black color pattern, the little rhyme, “Red on yellow, kill a fellow” helps to distinguish these snakes from the harmless Scarlet Milk Snake that the coloration of red, black, yellow, “Red on black, venom lack (or, won’t hurt Jack).”
The two venomous snakes in east Tennessee are Timber Rattlesnakes and Copperheads, both have heat-sensing pits by the nostrils for detecting small mammals. Copperheads have “chocolate kisses” patterns on the sides of their body, an easy way to distinguish them from harmless, brown-colored snakes.
Kris Light photographs wildflowers, animals and anything of interest with many of her best photos used in her website: click Search All Galleries to see photos. Her Outreach Science classes are available for public, private and homeschool groups through the AMSE. Kris welcomes questions at email.
