The duck-billed platypus is another venom-producing mammal, but doesn’t get much attention because you probably won’t ever see one. And that adaptation seems to also be the case for a bunch of other tetrodotoxin-harboring creatures. It actually isn’t a problem – researchers have found that its own sodium channels have amino acid changes that most likely prevent tetrodotoxin from binding, which protects the octopus. Sounds kinda dangerous for the blue-ringed octopus itself, right? Many researchers believe that bacteria living in octopuses’ salivary glands produce the toxin. What’s interesting about the greater blue-ringed octopus’s tetrodotoxin is that the octopus isn’t making it itself. Victims who live through the first 24 hours often make a complete recovery. Unfortunately, there is no antitoxin, so the standard treatment is to hook a victim up to a ventilator and monitor their heart rate until the toxin naturally makes its way out of their system. Maybe the eeriest part of the whole thing is that a victim can be fully aware of their surroundings but unable to breathe or signal that they can’t breathe – because they’re paralyzed. When tetrodotoxin binds to a sodium channel it prevents sodium ions from moving through the channel, which stops nerve cells from sending chemical messages to your brain like “body, move!” and “heart, keep pumping blood!” First, this will cause numbness around the bite, then paralysis, then heart failure. Tetrodotoxin works by blocking the activity of sodium channels in your nerve cells. Its molecule of death is tetrodotoxin, a potent nerve toxin, found in this cute little octopus’s salivary glands, which are connected to its beak. can deliver a bite that’s fatal to humans… although it happens VERY rarely. This greater blue-ringed octopus, found here. That’s a puzzle scientists are trying to solve.
That could be because of chemicals from the sexual gland alone, or because those chemicals mix, or react with others in slow loris saliva. One of these compounds is very similar to the allergen in cat dander, but way more powerful. It appears to be a chemical concoction of over 200 compounds. Slow loris sexual gland secretion isn’t very well understood. You might feel like you’re suffocating.Ī big shot of adrenaline, like from an EpiPen, can be used to stop that scary allergic response, but EpiPens just keep you alive in that moment-you need to go to the ER immediately because chances are, once the adrenaline wears off, you could go into anaphylactic shock again. In other words, your immune system, when reacting to the toxins, releases a bunch of chemicals that make your blood pressure drop suddenly and cause your airways to narrow. The bite of a slow loris can kill you by giving you a terrible allergy attack, throwing you into anaphylactic shock. When slow lorises groom themselves, they lick that gland, so if they happen to bite you, those toxins will come with their saliva… which could be toxic on its own. Scientists believe that this sexual gland secretion could also be helpful for keeping parasites at bay, as well as predators who can smell it. MUSIC: This slow loris, is gonna take it slow. Toxins from one Indonesian species of slow loris come from a gland on the surface of the slow loris’ arm that they use to chemically communicate with potential mates. Very few mammals are known to be venomous-the slow loris is one of them. One of these five adorable animals might be the last thing you ever see. If looks could kill, at least these are really cute looks.
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