It can kill you, but it can also save your life

So my mind was blown away tonight when I was watching a PBS special -- Venom: Nature's Killer. There are about 20 million toxins out there being produced by animals in nature. If they strike and their venom is injected into you, you might become paralyzed, scramble your brain signals.. aka you will be in lots of trouble. But at the same time, their venom is a great tool for scientists. The venom can be chemically engineered into drugs, in which doctors will use to treat heart attacks, cancer, diabetes and other illnesses.

Unfortunately, a lot of these animals are going extinct before scientists are able to study what's in them. One scientist said, the only way things will be preserved in nature is if they make money. That being said, these animals are worth lots of money! Though, there are other reasons why they're important/worth preserving besides being able to generate money. Now that's a whole another argument...

I wish I had learned more about this when I was an undergrad, I am so fascinated... These scientists are amazing, so brave when they are handling venomous creatures, I'm not sure if I have it in me to grab a snake like that.

From Animal Planet

CONE SNAIL: This pokey predator makes up for its lack of speed with one of the strangest hunting systems in the sea. Since it's too slow to chase down fish and other prey, the cone snail prefers to paralyze its victims with a poisonous "harpoon." The poison, or venom, is made in a long, tubular duct. The duct has a muscular bulb at one end and empties into the proboscis — a slender, tubular feeding organ. The harpoon — a hollow, spear-like tooth — is made in a cavity called the radular sac. When a tooth is ready, it is transported to the tip of the snail's proboscis and pumped full of venom. The cone snail detects prey with chemoreceptors in its siphon, or breathing organ. When a fish, worm or mollusk wanders too close, the snail extends its long proboscis and fires the venomous, harpoon-like tooth into its prey. The tooth is attached to the snail via a thread or filament, tethering the prey so that it can't swim away. The venom acts quickly, immobilizing the prey in a matter of seconds. Then the thread is retracted and the snail engulfs its meal through an opening at the tip of its proboscis