Although it initially seems strange that the blue-tongued lizards were the only animals to show venom resistance, there is an explanation.
So far scientists fully understand venom resistance in only four mammals - mongooses, honey badgers, hedgehogs and pigs - as well as several snakes. The golden poison frog is one of the most toxic animals on Earth, deadly to almost all animals except one.
The Virginia opossum (pictured in Monterey Bay, California) has a natural immunity to snake venom.
Mongooses have mutated cells that block the mambas' neurotoxins from entering their bloodstream. This makes them capable of surviving the venomous snake's deadly bite. (See how a mongoose fends off a lion.)
In the mammalian realm, hedgehogs, skunks, ground squirrels, and pigs have shown resistance to venom. Some scientists even believe the lowly opossum, which wields a venom-neutralizing peptide in its blood, may hold the key to developing a universal antivenom.
Their resistance is to the a-neurotoxin in snake venom, specifically. Domestic pigs have a genetic mutation in their cell receptors that prevents binding of the a-neurotoxin, rendering the venom useless. The resistance doesn't occur in most pigs until they are adults, so small pigs are still vulnerable.
No, cats have no immunity to venomous bites. It's an old wive's tale. Over the years, we've had mountain lions, bobcats, wolves, coyote, dogs and horses bitten by rattlesnakes and they all get sick. Antivenom is given, if it's caught early enough, within 2 hours of the bite.
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.
Mongoose
Mongooses are noted for their audacious attacks on highly venomous snakes, such as king cobras. The mongoose is a snake-killer by nature. These small mammals have some immunity to cobra venom, so they are one of the most successful animals that hunt cobra.
“It is important to note that this resistance is not absolute – we are not immune to cobra venom, just much less likely to die than other primates.” Resistance to cobra venom has a cost – receptors that are resistant to cobra venom don't work quite as well.
But, aside from young foal, adult horses do not typically die from the toxic venom from a snake bite. Your horse's Veterinarian will be more concerned with asphyxiation due to swelling, infection and secondary disease that can result from a bite.
Sheep have a natural immunity to pit viper venom! The anti-venom you would take if you got bit by a rattler was made inside of a sheep! Luna was perfectly fine from the bite after three days!
The North American Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is able to survive the bite of the C. atrox (CA) snake. Several laboratories purified proteins from the serum of opossum species and showed these proteins could neutralize various toxic components of cytotoxic snake venoms5–8.
Why tardigrades are so damn tough. It's important to note: Tardigrades are basically indestructible only when they enter a special state called cryptobiosis. In harsh environments, the animals tuck in their legs and expel all moisture from their bodies. In this state, they're called tuns.
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.
Honey badgers have more profound defenses. Their skin is thick but loose, allowing them to absorb damage from damaging blows, bites, and stings. Furthermore, they are highly resistant to most elapid snake venom, including the black mamba.
Dogs aren't immune to snake venom, but larger breeds have more mass to dilute the venom through. All domestic pets are susceptible to rattlesnake venom. Whether your dog or cat has been bitten, the best course of action is to immediately take them to the nearest vet for antivenin to be administered.
Depending on the species of python, the python far outweighs and outgrows the king cobra. While both of these snakes live in Asia, the python is often domesticated and kept as a pet, while king cobras never are. Finally, pythons kill their prey using constriction, while king cobras kill their prey using venom.
Twenty minutes after being bitten you may be lose the ability to talk. After one hour you're probably comatose, and by six hours, without an antidote, you are dead. A person will experience "pain, paralysis and then death within six hours," says Damaris Rotich, the curator for the snake park in Nairobi.
Adults are top predators but juvenile dragons are preyed upon by adult dragons, feral dogs, wild boars, civet cats and snakes. Komodo dragons are solitary animal except during breeding although groups of dragons may gather to feed at a kill.
The king cobra is the largest snake in the world and the Komodo dragon is the largest lizard. Both reptiles have very different styles of attacking prey. A Komodo dragon would overpower a king cobra in a fight.
It is no doubt that king cobras do occasionally consume large prey such as monitor lizards or even pythons. One cannot but wonder how the snake is able to make dynamic decisions and evaluate the risks and gains of pursuing prey such as a rock python, which can potentially kill the cobra by constricting it.
A cat would win a fight against a rattlesnake. Cats play with their food to tire it out and get the animal to lower its defenses, which is exactly what it would do in a one-on-one fight. The cat would harass the snake from different sides, limiting the snake's ability to counter.
The Snake Connection
“Cats are genetically hard-wired through instinct to avoid snakes,” Con Slobodchikoff, animal behaviorist and author of Chasing Doctor Dolittle: Learning the Language of Animals, told ABC News in 2015. “Cucumbers look enough like a snake to have the cat's instinctive fear of snakes kick in.”
In general, adult house cats are more than capable of killing smaller snakes by pouncing on them and delivering quick bites with their sharp teeth. However, most adult snakes can defend themselves quite well against attacks from cats, as they are usually stronger and larger than their feline foes.