Wildlife
Poisonous animals contain or secrete toxins and need to be touched or eaten to contaminate their victim. This is different to venomous animals that actively inject a toxin into their the victim. There's a wide range of often highly complex poisons in the animal and plant kingdoms, all of which are used for defense. These poisons can paralyse, stun, cause tissue death or outright kill their victims. The effects depend on the type and concentration of poison and the amount delivered relative to the size of the victim.
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Natural pesticide
Scientist Anna Nekaris shows toxin from a slow loris can kill parasites such as leeches.
Scientist Anna Nekaris shows toxin from a slow loris can kill parasites such as leeches.
Ingesting poison
Slow lorises may make their poison from the toxic bugs they eat.
Slow lorises may make their poison from the huge variety of distasteful and sometimes toxic insects and spiders they eat.
Poisoning predators
Scientist Anna Nekaris investigates whether toxin from a slow loris can repel large predators.
Scientist Anna Nekaris investigates whether toxin from a slow loris can repel large potential predators such as sun bears.
Poisoner's pet
The nightshades are named to strike fear into the heart, for good reason.
The nightshades are named to strike fear into the heart, for good reason.
Defensive tactics
The grey hornbill is an expert at defeating the defences put up by caterpillars.
The grey hornbill is an expert at defeating the defences put up by caterpillars.
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism. The fields of medicine (particularly veterinary) and zoology often distinguish a poison from a toxin, and from a venom. Toxins are poisons produced by some biological function in nature, and venoms are usually defined as toxins that are injected by a bite or sting to cause their effect, while other poisons are generally defined as substances absorbed through epithelial linings such as the skin or gut.
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Common yew 
Desert rose 
Horse chestnut 
Panamanian golden frog
Poison dart frogs
Smoky jungle frog
True salamanders and newts
Mason bees
Cabbage white
Monarch butterfly