Animal venoms have an important biological function -- Study of animal venoms: toxicology: is an important science -- Experimental pitfalls -- LD50 is a common measure of the "killing power" of a venom -- Sponges (Porifera) -- Corals and sea anemones (Anthozoa) -- Corals -- Sea Anemones -- Hydroids (Hydrozoa) and jellyfishes (Scyphozoa) -- Polychaetes (Polychaeta) -- Gastropods (Gastropoda) -- Tonnacea -- Buccinidae -- Purple whelks (Muricidae) -- Cone snails (Conidae) -- Sea slugs and sea hares (Opisthobranchia) -- Octopods (Cephalopoda) -- Echinoderms (Echinodermata) -- Sea urchins (Echinoidea) -- Starfishes (Asteroidea) -- Sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea) -- Insects (Insecta) -- Bees (Apidae) -- Wasps (Vespidae) -- Ants (Formicoidea) -- Termites (Isoptera) -- Butterflies (Lepidoptera) -- Bugs (Heteroptera: Hemiptera) -- Beetles (Coleoptera) -- Insect use of plant poisons -- Spiders and scorpions (Arachnida) -- Spiders (Araneida) -- Scorpions (Scorpionidea) -- Fishes (Pisces) -- Phanerotoxic fishes -- Stingrays -- Weevers -- Stargazers -- Stonefish -- Zebrafish -- Moses sole.

(cont) Cryptotoxic fishes -- Miscellaneous poisonous fishes -- Fishes containing ciguatoxin -- Fishes containing tetrodotoxin (TTX) -- Animals containing saxitoxin (STX) -- Amphibians (Amphibia) -- Dart-poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) -- Toads (Bufonidae) -- Salamanders and newts (Urodela) -- Reptiles (Reptilia) -- Venomous lizards (Helodermatidae) -- Snakes (Serpentes) -- Venom apparatus -- General composition of snake venoms -- Neurotoxins in snake venoms -- Cardiotoxins in snake venoms -- Hemorrhagic and myonercrotic toxins in snake venoms -- Factors in snake venoms which affect blood coagulation -- Other toxic factors in snake venoms -- How dangerous are snake venoms? -- Colubrids (Colubridae) -- Elapids (Elapidae) -- Sea snakes (Hydrophiidae) -- Vipers (Viperidae) -- Pit vipers (Crotalidae) -- Mammals (Mammalia) -- Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) -- Spiny anteaters (Tachyglossidae) -- Solenodons (Solenodontidae) -- Shrews (Soricidae) -- Our fear of venomous animals.