You do not want to eat these odd toxic creatures.
Some animals are venomous, meaning they create their own toxins that can sicken, paralyze or kill when injected via fangs or a stinger.
Scientists aren't sure why pitohuis are poisonous. The toxins may deter predators, or they may be a defense against parasites; a 1999 study in the journal The Auk found that the batrachotoxins deterred and killed lice. That's because the brush bronzewing can safely consume the poisonous seeds of Gastrolobium plants and accumulate the toxins in its flesh. Other native Australian species, such as the brush-tailed possum and boodie , both marsupials, have also been known to eat Gastrolobium seeds and poison their predators or scavengers.
There is at least one case of a person dying after consuming a rough-skinned newt. In a 1981 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association , doctors described the 1979 case of a 29-year-old man in Oregon who swallowed the newt on a dare and soon began to complain of numbness and tingling. Within two hours, his breathing stopped. Though his friends tried to revive him, the man died due to the newt's neurotoxin.
BarracudasThe toothy barracuda is scary enough in its own right. But eating the flesh of these long, silvery fish can sometimes cause poisoning. Blue-capped ifrit The blue-capped ifrit is a colorful rainforest bird endemic to New Guinea. Locals call it the"bitter bird," or"slek-yakt," according to a 2000 article in the journal BioScience , because eating the bird causes tingling and numbness in the mouth, sort of like the effect of biting into a hot chili pepper.
Poisonings usually happen during quail migration season, suggesting that they occur only when quail are feeding on a particular toxic plant. Scientists aren't sure which plant is to blame, but they suspect that the most likely culprit is hemlock, according to a 2004 case report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal .
Palythoa Palythoa is a genus of cnidarian, the soft-bodied animals that include corals and jellyfish. They look a bit like frilly undersea mushrooms, with their rings of tentacles surrounding a disc-like mouth. Toxins are standard among cnidarians, which sting and paralyze prey, but Palythoa species are known for their particularly nasty poison, palytoxin. Palytoxin breaks down red blood cells, causes heart arrhythmias and muscle spasms, and can be fatal in small doses.
Flamboyant cuttlefishAnother unappetizing cephalopod, the flamboyant cuttlefish , can be found along shallow, muddy ocean bottoms in the Indo-Pacific region. Its flame-like coloration and frilly body shape provide an eye-catching warning against consumption. Blister beetlesLook, but don't touch beetles of the family Meloidae. These beetles are popularly known as"blister beetles" because they secrete cantharidin, a toxin that causes — you guessed it — blistering. In fact, cantharidin can be beneficial, too: It's one of the active ingredients in wart-removal treatments . The compound, also known as"Spanish fly," is rumored to be an aphrodisiac, but it's more likely to ignite your intestines than your libido.
Arrow-poison beetle Diamphidia nigroornata, also known as the Bushman arrow-poison beetle, excretes an interesting poison. It does not harm humans when ingested, but if injected into the bloodstream, it breaks down the blood cells by damaging their protective membranes, according to 1990 research . The San people of southern Africa use the extract to poison their arrows .
Spur-winged goose The spur-winged goose is found in the sub-Saharan wetlands of Africa and is identifiable by its stark black-and-white markings and bright-red face. Oddly enough for a waterfowl, some populations of these geese are toxic. Like the hooded pitohui, they accumulate cantharidin from blister beetles, according to a 2022 paper in the Journal of Medical Toxicology .
In the ocean, this toxin disperses pretty quickly, meaning the boxfish is only a threat to the fish and other marine animals in its immediate proximity. But in aquariums, where the toxin can recirculate indefinitely, boxfish sometimes cause sudden death in their tankmates .
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