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.
Antivenoms work by boosting our immune response after a snakebite. They are made by immunizing donor animals such as horses or sheep with snake venoms.
Snakes are immune to their own venom because bites are common in the same species. As a result, evolution has given them the ability to survive the venom of these bites so they can grow and reproduce, keeping the species alive.
Animals that make venom have evolved so their own venom “key” doesn't fit into their locks. So, even if they accidentally bite or sting themselves, the venom doesn't cause a reaction. Sometimes an animal's immune system or special anti-venom proteins protect them, too.
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 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 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.
Sharks are known for their natural resistance to diseases and viruses despite their primitive immune systems. One article even reports that sharks are immune to all viruses!
It is said that ostriches have the strongest immune system of any animal in the world. Because of this, they have shown great promise in preventative healthcare in humans and the beauty industry.
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.
Anti-venom is most often made from sheep's blood. The sheep swelled for about 2 days but the blood of the lamb destroyed the venom of the serpent.
If there's a family of snakes you don't want to anger, it would be the vipers. While these snakes don't always have the most deadly bites, they have the most painful ones. Van Wallach of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology has had several viper bites; the worst one, he said, "came from an African bush viper.
Traditionally, a short break-action shotgun chambered in 20-gauge or . 410 bore is the standard for dispatching serpents. Prior to that, a well-placed blow from a garden hoe or a shovel quickly ended a viper. Now there are many options to quickly and safely deal with snakes.
#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.
No Antidote
Yet there is still no remedy against two of the most venomous animals of the world: the blue-ringed octopus and the blowfish.
Antivenom (often spelled “antivenin”) is an antibody product that can disable a particular venom's toxins. If injected quickly after a bite or sting, the antibodies in antivenom neutralize the venom, potentially saving the victim's life or limb.
A broad look at all viruses known to infect mammals suggests that bats are, indeed, more likely to carry unknown pathogens that can wreak havoc on humans.
Virus: Bats Are the Number-One Carriers of Disease | Time.
Sheep are prey animals and are largely defenseless against predators, naturally nervous, and easily frightened. They flock together for safety.
The naked mole-rat is impervious to certain kinds of pain. It's not alone | NOVA | PBS.
The Texas horned lizard will squirt blood from its eyes at a predator to keep itself safe. And a sea cucumber will shoot its digestive organs out its anus to protect itself. In some cases, the sea cucumber's intestines can be poisonous to predators.
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.
A crocodile would win a fight against a Komodo dragon. Crocodiles are simply too large and too powerful for a Komodo dragon to fight back against. One likely outcome would be the crocodile waiting for the Komodo dragon in the water and dragging it beneath the waves to suffer a brutal death.
A lion would win a fight against a Komodo dragon. Lions are larger and heavier and have something that the Komodo dragon lacks: the ability to kill their enemy with a single blow.