Venom

Venom is the general term referring to any variety of toxins used by certain types of animals that inject it into their victims by the means of a bite, sting or other sharp body feature. Unlike poison, which is ingested or inhaled, venom is usually delivered directly into the lymphatic system, where it acts faster.

The potency of different venoms varies; lethal venoms are often characterised by the median lethal dose (LD₅₀) which will kill 50% of victims, typically laboratory mice, expressed in milligrams of venom per kilogram of body weight.