If looks could kill

Join Vaishnavi Yadav, AIS VYC Lko, XII B, on a wild ride through nature’s beauty and its sweet assassins.

Slow lorises

Bio-ID: Nycticebus

Killer’s crib: South and Southeast Asia

Fairy-core features: These small, nocturnal creatures have large, round eyes, which are adapted for night vision. They have compact bodies, short snouts, dense fur, and distinctive facial markings.

Attack mode: The brachial gland stores a venom in the upper arm that shocks and kills, and when threatened, it combines venom with saliva and bites by raising its arms over the head.

Oops! Any cure? No antidote. Better stay away than cuddle with this one!

Poison dart frog

Bio-ID: Dendrobates tinctorius azureus

Killer’s crib: Isolated rainforest areas in Suriname and Northern Brazil

Fairy-core features: These frogs are diurnal creatures with a range of bright colours that primarily eat ants and invertebrates, which they catch with their sticky tongues.

Attack mode: The skin secretes deadly alkaloids which kills on contact. They are named so as indigenous tribes used the frog’s poison on their arrows and darts before hunting.

Oops! Any cure? Medication may control symptoms like salivation and unstable heart rhythm.

Cone snail

Bio-ID: Conus geographus

Killer’s crib: Indo-Pacific region

Fairy-core features: Cone snails are marine gastropods with intricate shells, which are highly sought after by collectors. All 600 species of cone snails are poisonous.

Attack mode: They have a harpoon-like tooth that injects neurotoxin that affect the nervous system, causing paralysis, respiratory issues, and death.

Oops! Any cure? No specific treatment for cone-snail envenomation.

Hooded pitohui

Bio-ID: Pitohui dichrous

Killer’s crib: New Guinea and near Yapen

Fairy-core features: They have a black head, wings, and tail, with a bright orange-brown body. Apart from small group travelling, they are also known for raising their younger ones together, a behaviour called cooperative breeding.

Attack mode: It carries batrachotoxin, a chemical that can cause numbness and even paralysis in high doses. The bird doesn’t make the toxin itself. Instead, it gets it from eating a type of beetle called Choresine.

Oops! Any cure? There is no cure for the toxicity but its effects on humans are not life-threatening.

Boomslang snake

Bio-ID: Dispholidus typus

Killer’s crib: Sub-Saharan Africa

Fairy-core features: A slender snake with a large and blunt head, glossy scales, and large eyes that provide excellent vision. Adult can reach up to 6 feet, with males displaying a bright green colour, while females are typically brown or olive.

Attack mode: With well-developed venom glands which produce a hemotoxic venom, it causes severe internal bleeding in their prey.

Oops! Any cure? The monovalent Boomslang antivenom which is effective but must be injected immediately.