I got this hardcover at Barnes and Noble. It's an entertaining and informative look at a wide variety of living creatures that are poisonous in one way or another. Indeed, the book opens with a discussion of the distinctions between poisonous, toxic, and venomous creatures. Grouped into "things one shouldn't touch," "things one shouldn't eat," "things that sting" and "things that bite," the book's quite fascinating - and sometimes unnerving in the extreme. From the blue-ringed octopus whose venom can cause total paralysis while leaving the victim conscious to the Spanish fly beetle, used as an aphrodisiac but with VERY unpleasant results, to the spiders and snakes more commonly thought of when poison is mentioned, it's an excellent mix of history and science.

The author's tone is often rather arch, which I found entertaining. In the section on the poison dart frog, he describes a researcher in Colombia - who'd already sampled other types of frogs by licking them - discovering a bright golden frog with an even higher concentration of toxin in its skin. "Wisely, this time he did not lick the frog. Had he done so, the result quite possibly would have been uncontrollable muscle contractions, heart palpitations, an inability to breathe, eventual asphyxia, and the consequential profound inability to describe the new species, rather aptly, as Phyllobates terribilis, meaning 'terrifying leaf walker'."

There are plenty of more serious passages as well, especially when a researcher pays the ultimate penalty for getting too close to these lethal creatures. The account of a young field researcher seeking a taipan with which to create antivenom was bitten by his captive, but held on to it and delivered it safely - and then died...

The range of creatures is impressive, and includes ants, jellyfish, bees, snakes, stingrays, and more.

I'm adding this to the Science and Technology bookbox, which will be on its way again soon. Hope someone enjoys the book!

This seems to be in the same series as the deadly plants and animals, and looks as interesting. Thanks for sharing.