Poison or Venom? (Basic): Snap Language™

Poison or Venom? | Basic Level

Email this passage

Navigate This Page

Read the Passage (below)

Reading Comprehension

Vocabulary Exercises

You can also use the navigation button at the bottom of the page.

PDF Handout (includes the passage and exercises)

Are you a teacher? Check out the visual aids you can use in your classroom.

You can listen to the text as you read along.

LISTEN

Portions of this voiceover are AI-generated.

Poison or Venom? | Basic Level

Marc Franco

Many animals and plants use toxins to protect themselves or catch food. But did you know that venom and poison are not the same? They can both be dangerous but work differently.

What is Poison?

Poison is a toxin that works when you touch, eat, or breathe it. The poisonous plant or animal does not inject the toxin. You get poisoned by coming into contact with it.

Some naturally occurring chemicals such as arsenic, mercury, and lead can be found in soil and water. They can cause serious illness or death if ingested in large amounts.

Examples

Some frogs have poison on their skin.
The pufferfish is poisonous if you eat its flesh.
Some mushrooms are deadly if you eat them.
A stinging nettle is a plant that irritates your skin if you touch them.

What is Venom?

Venom is a toxin that an animal injects into another animal. This usually happens through a bite or sting. The animal must actively put the venom into your body.

Venom can attack your nerves (neurotoxins) or your blood (hemotoxins), depending on the animal.

Examples

Snakes use their fangs to inject venom when they bite you.
Scorpions, bees, and wasps sting with a sharp stinger. Scorpions inject venom with their stingers whereas bees and wasps leave their stingers in your body.
Jellyfish and some types of plants have stingers too, but they work differently from a bee stinger. They are special cells that deliver venom when you touch the animal or plant.