Frogs, snakes, lizards ... have extremely dangerous venom but why don't they harm themselves?

The wild animals in nature are poisonous masters. They use this secret to poison their prey, but never "counter" themselves.

Many species of frogs, snakes . with strong venom are all terrifying. But many people also experience the suffering from weaker poisonous animals, such as the beetle. Have you heard the story of Darwinist?

While at Cambridge University, once wandering around in the school yard, Darwin caught two earth beetles, he used both hands to catch them to observe. But then there was the third beetle that appeared, it was Panagaeus cruxmajor and very rare.

Darwin continued: "I cannot give up any children. So I gently put a bug in the middle of my teeth to start the third child. Suddenly, I felt that tiny little" monster "sprayed. I have a terrible and bitter acid on my throat, I . have lost 3 bugs! "

But why can beetles escape Darwin teeth without poisoning itself? And poisonous animals in general - which secret helps them to avoid poisoning themselves?

Secret 1: Safely store in the body

The beetle to drop bombs is to apply this method. They have two types of abdominal compartments, containing 2 hydroquinone liquids and hydrogen peroxide, respectively .

Normally these substances live peacefully together. However, when the beetle feels threatened, the valve between the two types of compartment opens.

Beetles release bombs.

The two chemicals react with each other, reaching temperatures close to 100 degrees Celsius, creating gas that pushes the toxic liquid out of the body. Darwin's scholar is still lucky, but this poisonous insect can die right away.

On the other hand, toxic waste tubes are not associated with other body cells, keeping beetles safe.

Similarly, the poison jellyfish also has an arrow-shaped structure, called nematocyst on its antennae. For non-poisonous jellyfish that can be eaten, this must always be removed.

The poison jellyfish also has an arrow-shaped structure, called nematocyst on its antennae.

Poisonous snakes also apply the above method. They store poison in a separate compartment on the head and have only one exit - through the snake's fangs to the prey, not the opposite direction. However, poisonous snakes have another way to "escape".

They store poison in a separate compartment on the head and have only one exit - through snake's fangs.

Secret 2: Evolution to create toxic biochemical ability

and other poisonous snakes produce a special protein that helps to neutralize toxins in the blood.

Meanwhile, dart frogs also underwent evolution to poison resistance but with different mechanisms. Frog toxic compounds are alkaloids , synthesized by eating small arthropods like mites or ants.

Poison frogs poison.

Among the dart frog's alkaloids, the strongest poison is epibatidin e. It has the effect of inhibiting the nervous system like nicotine in tobacco but 10 times stronger. Therefore, a small amount of epibatidine with sugar is enough to be lethal.

But for animals that use alkaloids in general, their genes will change just enough so that nerve receptors do not receive alkaloids anymore. In other words, disable poisoning.

Available in evolutionary terms, in nature, not only poisonous animals develop poison resistance. Enemies and prey are similar.

For example, snakes garters and their prey are salamanders that are poisonous. Over millions of years, each party has developed a poison resistance ability to hunt or defend. This is still happening.

The salamander eats poison frogs.

That means, only the most powerful salamanders will not be eaten by snakes. On the contrary, only the "hardest" snakes are able to digest the extremely poisonous salamander.

Mice eat insects in North America named grasshopper mice and their prey is poisonous scorpions; sharp spiny lizards and poisonous prey; Sea snails and poisonous jellyfish prey - all of these couples have lifelong feuds. The more poison will win the survival war!

And do you remember that the beetle that dropped the bomb was terrifying Darwin? In the animal world, it is so poisonous that the toad to eat must "vomit" after only a few hours.

The reason why the toad and the beetle all live on - that is still a mystery!