Australia Has Venomous Snakes, Spiders, and… Trees
Notorious stinging trees from Australia cause agonizing pain that can linger for weeks and even months. New research suggests this nettle relative is actually venomous, producing a toxin not unlike the venom of spiders. From snakes and spiders to jellyfish and cone snails, Australia has no shortage of venomous animals. As new research published in Science Advances shows, Australia even harbors venomous plants belonging to the Dendrocnide genus, namely Dendrocnide excelsa and Dendrocnide moroide, both of which are known as “gympie-gympie” in the local indigenous Gubbi Gubbi language.
A chemical analysis conducted by researchers from the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University of Queensland in Brisbane has resulted in the discovery of an entirely new family of toxins, dubbed “gympietides,” which are produced by the Dendrocnide plants. This toxin is surprisingly similar to venom found in spiders and cone snails, according to the researchers.
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