Here’s why poisonous animals don’t poison themselves

Toxic birds and frogs have evolved a way to avoid harm—but not in the way we thought.

In the forests of New Guinea lives a small, drab bird with a deadly secret. It’s called the hooded pitohui, and its orange and black feathers are laced with poison.

Simply touching the feathers of a pitohui is enough to make your hands feel like they’re on fire. But ingest a bit of the batrachotoxin, called BTX for short, and the poison stops your sodium channels from working, leading to paralysis and even death.  

“You can think about these poisons as kind of a natural drug. It’s something that the animals use to protect themselves, because it… either gives a very unpleasant feeling to the thing that’s trying to eat them, or in the worst case, it kills the thing that’s

Unlock this story for free
Create an account to read the full story and get unlimited access to hundreds of Nat Geo articles.

Unlock this story for free

Want the full story? Sign up to keep reading and unlock hundreds of Nat Geo articles for free.
Already have an account?
SIGN IN

Read This Next

What bacteria lurk in your city? Consult the bees.
Is melatonin giving you nightmares?
Why are these orcas killing sharks and removing their livers?

Go Further

Subscriber Exclusive Content

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet