The hedgehog (Erinaceidae), the mongoose (Herpestidae), the honey badger (Mellivora capensis) and the opossum are known to be immune to a dose of snake venom.
The mongoose is known for its ability to fight and kill venomous snakes, especially cobras. Their specialised acetylcholine receptors render them immune to venom. A mongoose and snake fights stops traffic in this video.
This results in an animal that can withstand venom with little or no side effect. So far scientists fully understand venom resistance in only four mammals - mongooses, honey badgers, hedgehogs and pigs - as well as several snakes.
They also noted that while the Asian snakes are resistant to the neurotoxins found in cobra venom, Australian pythons that don't live in the same environment as venomous, snake eating snakes, don't possess the neurotoxic resistance.
Mongooses, which have some resistance to mamba venom and are often quick enough to evade a bite, will sometimes harass or take a black mamba for prey, and may pursue them in trees. The similarly predatory honey badger also has some resistance to mamba venom.
The researchers found adaptations in Komodo dragon genes involved in coagulation that make these lizards immune from the venom anti-coagulant, protecting them from bleeding to death when attacked by another of their own species.
After all, honey badgers are one of the few predators that specifically seek out venomous snakes for food. That doesn't mean the honey badger shouldn't be careful. While they may not die from a black mamba bite, they will often lose consciousness for minutes after envenomation. Their prey may sneak away or bite again.
An anaconda would win a fight against a king cobra. This outcome assumes that both of these creatures met in an open area that doesn't allow an ambush to happen. Otherwise, the anaconda might just snatch the water-loving king cobra into the water and make for a much less interesting fight.
The saw-scaled viper, Echis carinatus, is considered the deadliest snake in the world, according to Britannica. This type of snake is said to be responsible for "more human deaths than all other snake species combined." The venom of the saw-scaled viper is not as lethal as other snakes, but it is far more aggressive.
A skilled or lucky human can kill a king cobra and live. You can find videos of people carefully approaching and collecting king cobras with just their bare hands. There's no doubt that this would be difficult and dangerous.
The Box Jellyfish is the most venomous animal in the world. Death can occur minutes after being stung. There are 51 species of box jellyfish, and four — Chironex fleckeri, Carukia barnesi, Malo kingi, and Chironex yamaguchii — are highly venomous!
We have noted at Walkabout Park that most kangaroos bitten by snakes are hand-raised kangaroos. We have seen a disproportionately larger number of hand-raised kangaroos bitten, relative to wild raised kangaroos.
#1: Platypus
The duck-billed platypus is the most venomous mammal. Its venom is one of the only ones to actually pose a threat to humans. While not fatal, male platypus venom is unbelievably painful to humans, and it can result in lingering pain at the injury site and associated limb for days or even months.
What predator would even try to attack a cobra? The snake's biggest enemy is the mongoose, which is quick enough to dart in and bite the back of the cobra's neck before the snake can defend itself.
Kookaburras. What is this? Kookaburras, native to Australia, have a lot of choices when it comes to food. They eat snakes, and luckily for them, Australia is home to loads of different species of snakes!
Introducing the most venomous snake in the world and epic predator of the Australian outback! The inland taipan is otherwise known as the fierce snake or small scaled snake.
Some fun facts about the Black Mamba:
They are some of the world's fastest snakes and are capable of speeds of more than 12 miles (19 km) per hour and hence will be the one which can kill the fastest. In the wild, a black mamba can live for up to 11 years.
The blue-ringed octopus is one of the world's most venomous sea creatures. Even more impressive, Australia is home to 20 of the 25 most venomous snakes in the world, including all of the top 11.
Their most remarkable type of prey, however, is other snakes! California Kingsnakes are “kings” because they hunt and devour various snake species, including other kingsnakes and even rattlesnakes – they are immune to rattlesnake venom!
The venom of a king cobra is strong enough to kill an elephant. One might think a giant snake such as a reticulated python or anaconda would be likely to defeat an elephant, but that's not true. Neither of them has the strength to kill elephants. This is where the king cobra comes in.
A Komodo dragon would win a fight against a king cobra.
Both creatures are ambush predators, but the king cobra must rely on its venom to kill its enemy before it is attacked and killed.
Before we get to the fun bit, we should note that black mambas are from Africa and inland taipans are from Australia. This means under natural circumstances, the two species would never meet.
A Komodo dragon would win a fight against a honey badger. Although honey badgers have a lot of endurance and tenacity, the fact is that they cannot deal fatal damage to the large lizard.
A black mamba could absolutely kill a lion. While neither the black nor either species of green mamba possess the most potent venom of their peers (that honour instead goes to their fellow elapid, the inland taipan), they have a well earned reputation as the world's most feared snakes.