Poisonous Animals

Spiders, snakes, scorpions, frogs, bees, jellyfish: Pick your poison. There are numerous animals around the world that are able to defend and support themselves using harmful chemicals transmitted by bites, stings and even a simple touch. Luckily we only have to worry about a few of those chemically enhanced creatures here in Utah. And unless you happen to be allergic to some of them, such as bees, their poisons are relatively harmless to a human.

I found some information on the Internet from the Western North American Naturalist that recorded deaths related to poison from 1900-1990 in Utah, and the numbers were extremely low. Only 20 people had died in that 91-year span from encounters with poisonous animals, and half of them were bee sting deaths. This data can mean a couple of things: that people have been quite vigilant in avoiding poisonous animals or that people have received medical care in a timely manner to avoid strong poison’s side-effect of death.

If you rely on movies and television for survival skills, you know full well that the best way to treat a rattlesnake bite is by sucking the venom out. If you rely on proven medical information, you know that antivenin is the only hope for a rattlesnake bite and any amount of sucking will not prevent death in the end. In order to keep the poison from reaching the heart faster, the snakebite should be kept below the level of the heart. I know a guy who was bitten by a rattlesnake out in the West Desert and he was able to make it to a hospital nearly an hour away before the poison could do some serious damage. But an hour is probably cutting it really close; it makes sense in the case of a poisonous bite that the quicker you seek medical attention, the better.

Insect/spider bites and stings (including scorpions) should be treated similar to snakebites. Try to slow the venom’s route to the heart by using cold packs and placing a tight bandage above the site of the bite, but not too tightly. You don’t want to cut off circulation, just slow the flow to your heart until you can get to the hospital.

Watch out especially for the brown recluse spider. His bite is unique because instead of delivering a poison that travels to your heart, it begins the transformative process of decay in your skin, known as necrosis, and, if not treated, can spread across your body and you will rot and decay like a dead corpse despite your living status.

This type of transformative poison also exists in a couple of other creatures that have not been sighted in Utah since last October. But beware, because there have been rumors of vampires and werewolves hiding out in Utah’s forests. If a vampire or a werewolf catches you and bites you, their poison will transform you into their kind. There is no known antidote for their poisonous bites. Should you notice anyone around you becoming extremely hairy or paler with a pair of sharp incisors, chances are high that he or she has come into contact with a vampire or werewolf. The best way to avoid a bite from either is to satisfy its plea of “Trick or Treat!” with a treat and let it be on its way to the next house. Good luck avoiding poisonous animals and Happy Halloween!