As you will learn in school, different chemical reactions have different rates of reaction. But did you know that some animals use chemicals to protect themselves. Some venomous animals have teeth or stingers which can transfer the poison. Other poisonous animals have no specific means of transferring the toxin, they can just be coated in it! You may have heard of posionous snakes, jellyfish and frogs – but here are some more unusual ones.
The blue-ringed octopus only bites if it is provoked, and even then the bite is so small that at first many do not realise they have even been bitten. Unfortunately the bite is laden with many different chemicals, one of which can be 1000 times more deadly than cyanide. This chemical, called tetrodoxin, is made by bacteria in the salivary glands of the octopus. If it gets into your blood it will completely paralyse the muscles, even those needed for breathing!!!
The duck-billed platypus is a strange creature. It is a mammal which lays eggs and walks like a reptile! It is also one of the few mammals which produces venom. Only the males produce the venom, which they secrete from their hind legs, during their mating season. They use the venom to paralyse small animals, like their main competition, other platypuses! The poison itself is not strong enough to paralyse a human, but it is extremely painful and can last for weeks!
If you are studying GCSE Science, you need to know how to measure rates of reactions. Try our new “How to work with Rates of Reaction: Part 2” guide. Included is an explanation of different ways of measuring the rates. Questions for you to try, and answers to check your understanding can also be found in the guide.
Click the picture below to see the guide.
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