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“Death”
Gaboon Viper - Bitis gabonicaDespite the fact that the Gaboon viper ends up on many of the lists of “World’s Deadliest” or “Most Dangerous” animals, it’s actually not anywhere near the threat that you might think. Similar to the Australian sea snakes (with some of the deadliest venom), its docile nature renders the fact that it produces the highest volume of venom much less of a threat than, say, an aggressive snake with a small amount of venom.
Granted, you shouldn’t go around picking these guys up or threatening them, but they don’t chase down intruders or threats.
Bitis gabonica is the largest of its genus (commonly known as the puff adders), and at 8.5 kg (19 lbs), is the heaviest viperid in the world. If they do manage to get a bite on someone, the hemotoxic venom can cause internal bleeding, shock, local blistering, and eventually necrosis and the need for amputation, if not treated immediately.
ETA: Apparently the Gaboon viper also has the longest fangs of any species, and that, combined with the fact that they produce the most venom and that when they DO bite, they inject venom about 3/4 of the time (as opposed to 1 in 4 times for most viperids), is why they end up on all of these “most deadly” lists. I guess it fits. Docile and chill creature overall, but don’t piss it off or you’ll be hurting.
The Uganda Protectorate. Sir Harry Johnston, 1902.
(via mudwerks)
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Lower esophagus, stomach, and duodenum of poisoning victims
- Top Left: Acute arsenical poisoning. Note the spots where the arsenic ate its way through the tough wall of the stomach.
- Top Right: Potassium-cyanide poisoning. Largely hemorrhagic, slimy, contracted stomach.
- Second Left: Poisoning with corrosive sublimate. Greyish-green stomach, with lack of bloodflow to local vessels.
- Second Right: Concentrated nitric acid poisoning. Extremely rigid, bright green esophagus, pharynx, stomach, and small intestine.
- Third Left: Acute carbolic acid poisoning.
- Third Right: Subacute carbolic acid poisoning. Note the extreme inflammation as opposed to contracted dead tissue, especially in the esophagus.
- Bottom Left: Dilute sulfuric acid poisoning.
- Bottom Right: Concentrated sulfuric acid poisoning. Note the appearance of the stomach in the dilute versus concentrated sulfuric acid. The author notes a “firm, cooked” appearance to the concentrated sulfuric acid poisoning, and you can observe the beginnings of that “cooked” appearance in the dilute sulfuric acid poisoning.Atlas of Legal Medicine. Dr. Eduard von Hofmann, 1898.
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Aconitum variegatum - Wolf’s Bane, Monkshood
Aconitum is thought to be from the Greek ἀκόνιτον - “without struggle”. And it is without struggle that this plant causes death.
This beautiful perennial flower can be seen through the autumn months in forests and taigas in Europe, and is popular as an ornamental in gardens, lending color long after summer blooms have faded.
It can also be found in the traditional bikh poison, nepaline, in the writings of Ovid and Dioscorides, and in the bodies of murdered Borgia family members.
Flora Conspicua; a selection of the most ornamental flowering, hardy, exotic and indigenous trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. Richard Morris, 1826.
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Some common Ascomycetes and Basidomycetes of the World
Both toxic and nontoxic species shown.
Histoire Naturelle Ilustree: Les Plantes. Julien Costantin and F. Faideau, 1922.
(via unnaturalist)
