Why Do Venomous Animals Live In Warm Climates?

As a Canadian-Australian, I have always wondered why it is that Australia has so many venomous animals that can kill you while Canada has virtually none.
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But it's not just Australia - it seems like all beautiful, warm places are cursed with venomous native species. So I set out to find the truth: why have all these venomous species evolved in the world's best holiday destinations?
I asked chemists, visited the zoo, interviewed entomologists and snake experts. The answer I found was complicated:
1. The majority of venomous species are ectotherms, cold-blooded creatures whose internal temperatures are governed by their surroundings.
2. This means they have limited periods of activity - mainly while it's warm out, and can only exert short bursts of energy, so they are generally "sit and wait" predators. This may explain why they, more than mammals or birds, evolved venom.
3. It also explains why there are more of these species in warm climates. There are more of all species in warm climates, but this trend is especially pronounced for ectotherms.
4. So there are a greater number of venomous species in warm places, simply because there are more species in warm places. Cold climates still have venomous creatures, like the rattlesnakes of Canada and European vipers.
5. But history also has a role to play. In Australia, there were no snakes until 20 million years ago when a venomous sea snake from Asia encountered the land, sending venomous species to all corners of the continent. Later non-venomous arrivals have done well in the tropics but not as well in Australia's colder climates, so venomous types still dominate there. Hawaii has no venomous land snakes and nor does Jamaica.
6. The recent ice age also would have driven ectotherms from the northern parts of the Northern Hemisphere. This is why there are no snakes in Ireland, for example.
Special thanks to Prof. Rick Shine, Prof. Dieter Hochuli, Prof. Roger Lowe, Prof. Martyn Poliakoff and Taronga Zoo, especially Joe Haddock and Dean Purcell.
Cinematography by Charles Clement

[@kilgoretrout382]

I've spent years trying to unpack a totally irrational fear of spiders. Somehow, hearing the phrase "all spiders live on soup" has undone all of that work in mere seconds.

[@scrotymcboogerballs6756]

Just remind yourself that spiders would need to be at least the size of dogs before any meaningful liquefication of your insides could occur. Actually, don't think about that! Think about puppies... or something!

[@blessedzulu]

@@scrotymcboogerballs6756 that'll definitely triple the phobia. 😂

[@smeggerknee2448]

@@scrotymcboogerballs6756🕷️ hmm puppies yummy🕷️says spidey

[@kitten9416]

@@scrotymcboogerballs6756 exept for brown recluses. those things cause trouble even years after biting you sometimes. mostly harmless. they really dont want to bother you. you can live safely in a house infested with hundreds of them... but when youve messed with one >^.^

[@chrisdalessio3725]

@@scrotymcboogerballs6756 spider puppies with venom

[@bliffity2692]

2:38 That man looks like science.

[@domib2896]

+Bliffity Sir Poliakoff really impersonates science/chemistry. It's amazing how much he knows about chemistry. You should go and watch his on videos on Periodic Videos. They are really great (he even got knighthood for them)

[@bliffity2692]

Domi B With all due respect, I question the queen's taste in knights. While Sir Poliakoff unquestionably deserves reward for his achievements, I doubt I'd want him on the front lines in the name of the United Kingdom.

[@wanaan]

+Bliffity I would love Sir Elton John with me on the front.

[@bigluke4152]

Bill Nye in 30 years

[@InsanePorcupine]

All Hail Science!!!!

[@SevyDevi]

Thank you so much for clarifying the difference between "venomous" and "poisonous".

[@vampyricon7026]

+

[@SharpShooter700]

Lol I'm 21 and just learned this

[@deadlightmutantdankballs2431]

boisonus and benomous lmao kek great meme

[@Ian-hl5xd]

Here in finlsnd we only have one venomus snake and one venomus spider

[@masterofthecontinuum]

well, you don't have to eat poison. you can touch it for effects too, depending on what it is. venom is a toxin that is injected, and poison is a toxin that is enacted through other means, be it through absorption into the skin, a gas, or ingesting normally.

[@hawkanhawks786]

11 years old and I barely noticed. Insane consistent high quality!

[@peterszilvasi752]

I have a hypothesis why does the KZbin algorithm suggest this video. It is because Veritasium published the "jumping spider" video which is related to the word "Venomous".

[@mircoh.8367]

The only unsettling thing is how big his face is in the older videos :D

[@zappin6062]

I like to imagine that Australian professor does in fact enjoy venom with his scotch, and that’s how he knows.

[@freddovich7925]

He would be cool at a party. "Beer? No way guys, you gotta try this. I call it: the Venom Bomb"

[@thinkingahead6750]

Or was a murder attempted by adding venom to scotch?

[@darcyfox2575]

Common delicacy round here m8

[@montehill1364]

😂

[@burningchrome70]

Max lvl oneupmanship

[@CrimsonHelldrake]

2:15 *the most stereotypical, cliche fitting of the role looking professor I have EVER seen*

[@gadibar7759]

Word

[@ThomasJr]

That one is for a mathematician\physicist. Now for a biology/geologist scientist, the more stereotypical is 8:38

[@silvertheelf]

It’s amazing.

[@abberss]

Poliakoff is the GOAT

[@moze_-]

Periodic Videos. Great content

[@zolfirthedragon]

the UK has a grand total of 1 venomous reptile. We love you, Adder

[@lalithadavi4845]

It's the death adder in Australia

[@zolfirthedragon]

@@lalithadavi4845 is it the same species?

[@ethanknight6597]

Commenting for the algorithm

[@tristanlee6538]

Lol. Funny. We have so many. Welcome to the tropic. But the most annoying thing compare to snake if bloodly blood sucking mosquitos

[@donquixoteupinhere]

One of the only good arguments I can think of for staying!

[@ALBINO1D]

"I found this Reddit thread on the topic, though it really didn't explain why that was the case" He must never have been on Reddit before.

[@last5902]

🤣

[@Ashu_0424]

Lmao it's 11 years ago reddit was probably different back then xd (9yrs from when you commented)

[@TheDJOblivion]

Old reddit was amazingly informative, resourceful, and... equal. New reddit is the worst echo chamber corruption, and just completely useless to the majority of people.

[@treysonmcgrady4750]

@@TheDJOblivionit’s still good on niche subreddits but generally speaking you’re right.

[@carlosm.sandovalf.5183]

man I love Derek's face when he is talking to that Australia zookeeper about spiders, he seems so happy to learn

[@zubaierabrahams7458]

true, i noticed that too....like a child first in the que for a piece of cake

[@ziemelbriedis]

all spiders live on soup

[@nate111295]

all spiders live on soup

[@thesadandwant2dieshow392]

Slurp, nice

[@xMyLovelyBonesx]

Excuse me Sir, there is a fly in my soup.

[@678friedbed]

@@xMyLovelyBonesx theres a bee on you.

[@butter2271]

SLUUUUURRRP

[@BeastGuardian]

I love that this video does such a nice job of illustrating that correlation does not necessarily imply causation.

[@danielhu6485]

But there wasn’t a correlation in the first place... warm places didn’t have more venomous creatures to begin with

[@Smeiksmeiksmeik]

@@danielhu6485 as a proportion to non venomous creatures... wandering from the poles to the equator still increases the danger of dying to a venomous bite - there is a correlation, the og statement is correct - just not "number of different venomous species" but rather "is there any venomous species"

[@danielhu6485]

@@Smeiksmeiksmeik The correlation link is weak however; as the video said itself, it didn't hold true in Australia. So while it might be semi-correct on the macro level, it is definitively false on the micro level

[@Smeiksmeiksmeik]

@@danielhu6485 just to clear up if i did not communicate this properly my bad - i dont think, nor meant to imply there is a linear or direct correlation between latitude and number of venomous species

[@TCt83067695]

It was such a long winded way of going about it tho.

[@Ometochtli]

I'm up in Canada and always wondered this. We do have some venomous spiders up here. But their venom is generally only toxic to other insects. We don't really have any venomous creatures that can produce a venom strong enough to pose a threat to humans. It seems like colder climates not only get fewer venomous creatures. But the venom also gets less deadly. Maybe it has to do with the fact that most venomous creatures are cold blooded, and there are extremely few venomous mammals. Australia : Watch out! That spider's venom is deadly enough to kill 10 men with a single bite. Canada : Watch out! That spider's venom will give you a mild rash for about a day.

[@mrtechie6810]

But you have venomous politicians.

[@warenrose3994]

@@mrtechie6810 would you like some antivenom

[@davidhelling6035]

Platypus is a venomous mammal.

[@jasondrummond9451]

And then you have the rattlesnake ...

[@heronhossain866]

@@mrtechie6810 ......

[@karlhiscock92]

"Ireland has no snaked because of an Ice age" St. Patrick is typing...

[@eldoon6009]

Theres plenty of snakes in ireland, my ex is one of them

[@guywithknife]

James Mcardle yeah, St Patrick is getting credit for something he never did...

[@fossseseptique]

or indigenous frogs toads newts salamanders lizards etc..no herpetology in Hibernia! although it would be a pretty good place for them, humid, temperate...

[@MezziahX]

Druid priest were the snakes St. Patrick drove out of Ireland for people who don't know

[@Barbarous_Wretch]

What did St.Patrick say to the snakes as he was driving them out of Ireland? "Everyone all right in the back there lads"

[@trumanhw]

Thicker coats or fur -- as may be more likely in colder regions, may diminish the advantages of venom, both as a protective or predatory advantage.

[@Tatusiek_1]

Well coldblooded animals would struggle to survive in the arctic if not get wiped clean. So that leaves warm blooded animals which are generally not poisonous invertebrates.

[@jackthechristian2820]

This is clickbait. You can't pose a question in the title and say it's not true. A more appropriate title would be: *Do venomous animals live in warm climates?*

[@The_Quaalude]

​@@jackthechristian2820 ⁉️

[@helicrashproprocrasher2367]

Just wanted to throw this out there. I had a clutch of copperheads born in captivity unexpectedly. Copperheads like most vipers do not lay eggs but have "live birth" (Ovoviviparity). Before the 14 babies where able to be separated, about 1/3 where dead due to bites from their litter mates. They where very nippy at anything that moved and being in such close proximity to one another, they where nipping each other and envenomating each other. One might think that a snake is immune to its own venom but that is not the case. This might be the reason snakes have evolved away from having venom, it can also be dangerous to the animal carrying the venom. Brings a whole new meaning to biting your lip. While other snakes like King Snakes have evolved immunities to venomous snakes so they can prey on them, yet are not venomous themselves.

[@DieFlabbergast]

The past tense of the verb "to be" is "were," NOT "where."

[@arsaeterna4285]

I LOVE how you speak to my inner child the questions I had as a kid so important to understand how the world really works

[@rivertrash9862]

2:15 When I clicked I wasn't expecting to find the greatest afro a white dude has ever grown.

[@dingus5285]

Minnesota Fatz tell that to Napoleon dynamite

[@jostein8455]

Bob Ross will haunt your soul

[@keithdubose2150]

Word

[@Butters_05]

nigga that ain't no fro

[@jarleskogly8388]

That's just the result of chemical explosions.

[@ameliabrittain158]

I noticed you say “Australia” in an Australian accent! It also sounds like you are fighting yourself not to lean into the Aussie accent on certain words even tho it’s clear you want to, which as a southern from a big city, happens to me EVERY TIME I talk to my rural grandparents. I don’t have much of an accent, but when I talk to them I go into a full drawl. It’s crazy how much the people we talk to affect our own speech.

[@jefferypinley4336]

I tend to hear the Canadian in him, because he spent his youth growing up in Canada. Maybe his aussie parents' accent left an impression, but I definitely hear him say "aboot" rather than about, which is tell tale Canada

[@tktspeed1433]

I get a russian accent in english when talking with russians, though I guess my finnish accent is already quite similar.

[@swedishbob_7315]

aStraya

[@crusaderACR]

@@jefferypinley4336 His family is South African. His only history with Australia is that he was born there after his dad moved there for work, then spent the first 18 months of his life there. Barely enough to learn a few words. All his siblings were British Columbian, he grew up in British Columbia, and now lives in the US.

[@madkills10]

He doesn't sound Australian at all

[@StevenCasteelYT]

"I'd rather know the truth than just believe in a trend that's not actually there."

[@alekz2714]

Believing in smth is for people that dont want to seek the truth.

[@glitchy_star_classes6276]

just listented to the line as i read ur comment..

[@noodlebob5302]

Twitter : "angry noises"

[@AnotherDuck]

@The Monster Under Your Bed Would you prefer, ”There are more venomous species in hot climates because there are more species in hot climates, especially of the types that tend to be venomous,” ?

[@AnotherDuck]

@The Monster Under Your Bed What original statement? The video title? The quote in the beginning of this thread? Also, scientists and like-minded don't do "end of story". That's for people who don't want to know more.

[@aaronrdaniels]

Favorite part about this channel is the quality was so good 8 YEARS AGO! The mic quality is the only noticeable real change over the years. I can continue to re-visit videos to learn the same thing I learned years ago :)

[@martinjacobson1408]

Yeah, now its 10 years ago and I didnt even notice it was old before I checked.

[@paco_rms]

"The country with the most venomous species is Mexico" Me, a mexican: ... Wait, WHAT?

[@pranitroy6775]

how's escobar?

[@sholfiel9246]

@@pranitroy6775 That is Colombia lol

[@disturb3df4n]

@@sholfiel9246 Isn't that the same place? Its where all the Puerto Ricans come from.

[@aadarsh_1303x]

@@pranitroy6775 how's vijay malia

[@justinl2009]

@@aadarsh_1303x Not team prez anymore lmao.

[@TheBoomamatic]

3:17 closethelid CLOSETHELID CLOSE THE LID CLOSE THE LID CLOSE THE LID CLOSE THE LID CLOSE THE LID FOR THE LOVE OF GOD CLOSE THE LID

[@Sloppyjoe96]

+SmexyRula i dont think the little guy can climb glass, atleast clean glass..

[@MegaFPVFlyer]

+Joseph170 Jump???

[@TheEvilRayquaza]

+Jonah Beale i dont think those spiders can jump

[@MegaFPVFlyer]

TheEvilRayquaza I'm sure it can jump to a certain degree, unless I'm overestimating how quickly it can move its limbs.

[@herbertkeithmiller]

+Jonah Beale I can't say for sure but most web weavers are poor jumpers. (jumping spiders for instance don't weave webs) They wait and pounce on prey relying on the web to hold the victim. Still. . . CLOSE THE LID

[@pavlosberd.609]

I want someone to look at me the way that Derek looks at the zoo guy... 3:43 xD lmao

[@k4taraa]

yooooo same

[@weeral1]

I was disturbed by that actually.

[@pavlosberd.609]

@@weeral1 hahahaha yea a bit

[@antoniomontana5778]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who noticed that!!

[@Nightcrawler333]

😂😂😂

[@scavi]

1:40 ah, the good old times, when Sudan had no south and Germany had a wall

[@hmmm4929]

and the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia was still a thin

[@ciqme]

Lol, didn't even realize that at first

[@argyrendehringterimksaccu174]

rite for archive purpose im the 69th liker-sadisattun

[@scavi]

@@argyrendehringterimksaccu174 nice

[@ciqme]

@@argyrendehringterimksaccu174 nice

[@thatlinuxguy]

your supposed to bandage the limb wrapping away from the torso that way you don't squeeze the venom into your body

[@LadsRedefined]

that linux guy I was thinking that would be the case.

[@jonathanbartley7139]

The main treatment for a snakebite is the application of a 'pressure immobilisation bandage' (PIB). Which involves applying a wide elasticised or heavy crepe bandage 10-15cm over the bite site. A second bandage should also be applied starting from the fingers or toes and winding as far up the limb as possible.

[@PeterWalkerHP16c]

***** You should of known. Nothing could of prevented this sort of thing. :-)

[@ikekiefer9686]

Trend of snakes losing trait of being venomous matches broad decline of genetic diversity among all species over time. Defunct ancient species and still existing living fossils like coelacanth have much more sophisticated DNA equipped with more functional genes than modern descendents. These extra genes and their epigenetic switches for turning traits on and off comprise a superior genetic toolkit for rapid adaptation by design in a single generation rather by chance over millions of years. DNA is subject to entropic decay like everything else, but evolutionists try to make a negative into a positive by calling corruption and loss "conservation" and claiming it provides some kind of reproductive advantage. Devolution is better name for observed trajectory of individual species and Earth's entire collective genome. Just like thermodynamics teaches us that the past universe contained energy in more concentrated and active form, so information theory teaches us that the past universe contained more concentrated and active information -- i.e., intelligence. It is estimated humans have lost at least 9 genes and 1 chromosome so far. Cancer, a disease caused by genetic damage, is on the rise. It is perhaps no accident that humans are figuring out how to repair DNA just as the human genome is reaching a critical degree of corruption. "Physician, heal thyself."

[@WarmLoveOnToast]

@@ikekiefer9686 I've never heard that before but it's really interesting. Is there a good source to read more about it?

[@medsuit1686]

Now that is a professor that matches the picture in my head! 10/10

[@rikrob5172]

Right. If I was a freshman showing up to my first class and he was there, I would just die.

[@steam6626]

Check out the channel periodic videos it’s hilarious

[@lyndonlee9276]

Your not wrong sir, the brits do a great line in nutty profs

[@hoihoi12250]

We all thought of the same professor. He is such the prof represent.

[@stuartclifton4764]

I study chemistry at that university, seeing him around the place is so surreal 😂😂

[@kaylasvlogchannel2315]

I love this channel!!! So much respect for the scientific method and scientists in general. Thank you for this!!!

[@Coexisties]

This was very interesting to watch! 😊 Thank you for posting. I just wanted to add that all spiders have venom (aside from the family Uloboridae). Of course, some species have much more potent venom than others and if their fangs are big enough to penetrate skin. There are also some spiders that live in cold climates, such as Greenland where you could see Arctic wolf spiders, for example. 🕷️💕

[@WaldoFabio]

Is so terrifying to live in Australia, thanks god I live in Mexico and then 1:50 happens...

[@masonsilvers6789]

Oof

[@CorredorDigital_]

Come to Brazil

[@PanchoCuesta]

Capo, veni para argentina, aca solo te roban

[@laraaugusta160]

@johan alejandro Cazador de piñas diabolicas same, but from Brasil lol

[@edwardbakadingo4261]

Just come to Melbourne its a little cooler and less poisonous animals (ok there are still a few poisonous spiders and snakes around)

[@ChristianArnold5107]

"merely" cause excruciating pain...

[@gargoyleex]

1:41 As a german I didn't know my home country still is separated into east and west. You always learn something new. jk. that was a great video ;)

[@gargoyleex]

Anis Welt Du findest bestimmt noch genug Österreicher hier auf YT, also nicht traurig sein ;D

[@gargoyleex]

Anis Welt Wird schon noch. Sprich einfach jeden deutschsprachigen User an und frag ihn nach seiner Herkunft. Wird garantiert nicht komisch wirken :P

[@Ghaemi350z]

nein

[@011izationalex]

+Anis Welt jetzt host an gfunden ;)

[@deadvodka]

+Anis Welt ...und einen Zweiten, aber ich weigere mich 'Mundart' zu schreiben...

[@arsaeterna4285]

St Patrick banishes the snakes from Ireland Veritasium Derek: ICE SHEET

[@IAmAce2157]

Turns out that the "snakes" in the St. Patric mythos were really just pagans

[@jessicalee333]

"We're living in a particular point in time" is honestly a very valuable observation when talking about "why things are the way they are", that a lot of people seem to overlook. Just because something has been happening for a while, or history has worked out a certain way, doesn't make the status quo an immutable law of nature - and claims that "the way things are" is "the natural order of things" have been used to justify all sorts of horrible social evils.

[@wesryan4676]

Congrats! You found a pedestal to be righteous from even in a animal video! Way to go you superior creature you.... your friend must be so proud

[@chadliampearcy]

@@wesryan4676 I'm his friend. I'm Proud.

[@juhaniu6371]

@@chadliampearcy I'm not his friend, he uses ugly trousers

[@chadliampearcy]

@@juhaniu6371 Then get lost.

[@WiggaMachiavelli]

It's an observation both false and useless.

[@RockyMountainBear]

I read about a man who actually frequently injected himself with small amounts of venom (I think it was cobra venom) in order to build up an immunity. It actually worked too.

[@JonWilsonDr]

kzbin.info/door/THGOHZvnxFKxtCbkF69b6Q

[@Nautilus1972]

You can build up immunity to anything.

[@maelstrom2313]

@@Nautilus1972 Tell that to the anti-vaxxers

[@dodgrblu]

@@maelstrom2313 I don't see how that applies to them

[@florentinmatei3009]

@@dodgrblu the fact that a vaccine uses ARN from viruses in order to create antibodies to destroy viruses later down the line may be the thing that links immunity to the anti vaxxers community

[@Epyphxion]

Then it's settled. If humans remain obese long enough they'll become ectothermic and then venomous. I feel like this is already occurring in retirement homes

[@alienplatypus7712]

This comment made my day, thank you.

[@jimothyj2638]

This is as clever as a reddit comment

[@Chupy]

Yay I made it 60 likes!

[@HairyBalls2896]

I didn't see that coming

[@danielmarkey6192]

what an odd and wonderful thing to say

[@jibteenuc9836]

My theory, for what it's worth, is that a creature relying on venom to hunt or elude predators needs the venom to act quickly and this is more likely to happen if it bites a creature with a higher ambient temperature as such (I am guessing) has a faster blood flow than a creature with a lower ambient temperature.

[@HunchoK27]

You have no idea how happy i am to live in Sweden.

[@ItzTheFrost_]

I love Sweden. I was born in Sundsvall then moved to Piteå now I live in Spain.

[@tryzmsotryll]

Vasteras

[@Azmoslam]

Oliver Kihl Andersson You shouldn't be, your country is ran by femanazi's and overly PC crazies.

[@HunchoK27]

Well, other than that lol.

[@riowinaryo18_86]

***** How do you speak English then? Just kidding if you know what i mean hehe

[@kittycatcaoimhe]

It's interesting that in your earlier videos, your accent has a lot more Australian influence. I really didn't notice it until this video.

[@andredeklerk1069]

I was surprised to see his South African heritage from his parents, but suspected it as soon as I heard his mother's accent.

[@WiggaMachiavelli]

Just sounds like a yank.

[@ktkc1o7]

@@andredeklerk1069 South African? You mean South Australian, right?

[@sjb2471]

@@ktkc1o7 no, his Mum’s accent is certainly South African. He’s a bitsa!

[@miimii]

1:43 seh ich die DDR. Wie geil ist das denn?! ^^

[@imperatorantonius222]

Ja das habe ich auch gesehen

[@KrzysiuNet]

Also Czechoslovakia and USSR :D

[@samnewman4314]

Haha

[@ElectricGun100]

*speaks german*

[@samnewman4314]

@@ElectricGun100 he said he can see East Germany on the map

[@keep_walking_on_grass]

3:02 my gosh, I would not feel safe while he is talking to me..holding that vessel in his hand...

[@guar67]

When I was a teenager, I almost stepped on a pygmy rattlesnake when walking home from school. Foot was right over it and then I saw it. Did this amazing acrobat jump away from it with my other foot.

[@5nixie]

A similar incident happened to me once when I was a kid...

[@flyingturret208thecannon5]

“Merely excruciating pain”

[@ferminballesteros7462]

*AUSTRALIA*

[@josephcohen734]

I think this is still the best video he's ever made in terms of communicating the scientific process and how knowledge is actually gained and how much is unknown

[@gewinnste]

The argument @ 8:13 goes exactly against what has been said directly beforehand (that there is *NO* higher proportion of venomous species in hot regions). Also, if anything, from most poisonous animals being ectotherms, I would have concluded that the latter simply do not thrive in colder regions, rather than thinking "short bursts of energy" limit hunting to venomous strategies. And actually, the opposite would be the conclusion: ectotherms in hot regions should have more than enough energy (during daytime) - whereas in colder regions they should have limited energy, thus requiring venoms for hunting success.

[@ktkc1o7]

He was explaining them as two seperate things. Ectotherms cannot live in cold places. Ectotherms in warm places struggle to hunt because they have limited energy. So they evolved poison. The conclusion is that there are more venomous animals in warm places simply because there are more animals in warm places. Also, most (all?) venomous animals are ectothermic and most ectotherms live in cold places. So the % of venomous animals in warm places is higher than expected if you were to count endotherms in that calculation, but it makes a lot more sense when you exclude endotherms. Does this make sense now? His explanation in the video sounds accurate, but he could have stated it a little more clearly. But this is a very old video. His new videos are formatted much better. (The camera angles/zoom are better in the new videos too.)

[@rydohg]

Wow you got Professor Poliakoff. I love Periodic Videos

[@AruzOverrider_a-ruse]

Шуй 1 Шуй

[@squidgama]

1:40 come on Germany has been reunited for over 20 years

[@krystofdayne]

haha nice didn't notice this at first, must be a pretty old map

[@D.S.handle]

The Cold War era map for sure. But I don't really understand why the USSR is divided along the Ural Mountains. Maybe the temperature scale have been imposed on a map of the continents.

[@squidgama]

Denis Shamray as far as I know that part of russia is considered european and the rest is asian

[@nuttex]

Heh, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia are there as well.

[@domogdeilig]

"ignoring Estland Latvia and Estonia and jugoslavia"

[@Arkantos117]

The UK truly is one of the safest places to live, no dangerous fauna I can think of.

[@stevieinselby]

We have venomous snakes in the UK...

[@andrewporter852]

I've been watching your videos in revers chronological order for months now and I noticed as I worked back in time that occasionally you had a strange lilt to your accent that I'd not noticed before. Holy cow, you're Australian! That's so adorable it hurts. Keep up the good work!

[@Disgruntled_Dave]

4:20 "You could take a vial of taipan venom and you could happily have it with your scotch." Can we make this an actual cocktail? What would we call it? I'm thinking "South by Southdeath." Any other ideas?

[@eleeyah4757]

India has them, no? It's actually an illegal drug afaik.

[@Gingermushroom500]

Mai taipan

[@jankisi]

My German mind can only think that "South by Southdeath" sounds like "Nord bei Nordwest"

[@argyrendehringterimksaccu174]

@@jankisi thule or vor madagascar nostalgia? tho cap america save us all by crashing it on the northwestern NA...rip junior artificier prime of jarvis

[@fortecimo3547]

3:53 literally the face I make trying to show I understand what the teacher is teaching but not really

[@gauze__]

Yeeeee lel

[@Iangdela]

I didn't get that mammal joke either

[@c.morganfree1970]

Ian Delapara The only group of animals with backbones that are allergic to their venom are the primates (monkeys, apes, and humans). No primates except humans live in Australia so it's as if these animals where designed to only kill us specifically. What is there not to understand lol

[@Iangdela]

C. Morgan Free I said I didn't get the JOKE! ...i Kno of everything u was saying...n it also wasn't funny

[@aoshi1992]

He looks so happy

[@WildlifeGuy]

I'm so glad you described the difference between Venomous and Poisonous Animals

[@buffster948]

I'd be interested to see a similar video about rabies (unless Veritasium has done this already). I saw a guy in India with rabies-induced hydrophobia and it was really shocking. Horrible way to go. The parasites that cause human diseases are also really fascinating. Loads of great video ideas in there, I think.

[@conorhutchings4468]

Haha that guy is like oh no water 💦 💦 Splish splash I was taking a bath

[@quietthomas]

Ha! You've got an Australian accent but only on some words. 9:47 An ice sheet named St. Patrick.

[@sugarfrosted2005]

I'm retconning that story to St. Patrick being a sentient ice sheet martyr who performed miracles.

[@manuel-ocho7671]

@4:00 " a whole cocktail" 😂😂

[@domosagedesu]

"Me mum" is pretty aussie

[@bigggazz8908]

An accent doesn't encompass words, just the "way" words are pronounced! Ha!

[@cheesecakelasagna]

how tf did he drastically lose the accent? or did he grow up somewhere else

[@kaniphish]

3:48 I want someone to look at me the way he looks at Joe Haddock.

[@Timepass-cx1do]

Awwww

[@amonraii7273]

lol you can tell he's in love

[@ThomasJr]

He lost that loving feeling

[@mirrorball7670]

yessssss 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

[@erikmfoss9042]

10:02 "...I'd rather know the truth than just believe in a trend that's not actually there" Yes. Excellent quote! You should put that on a t-shirt and sell it to me :)

[@liamstetson]

"I'd rather believe in the truth, rather than a trend that's not really there" If only we had a bit more thought like that today

[@fivebooks8498]

Yeah. Like all the BS they have told us about covid. Can't believe any of it.

[@natanstunes]

@@fivebooks8498 zzzz

[@treyi1794]

is it just me or did anyone else get anxious when the old guy was talking with the spider jar open?

[@Li01018]

same

[@iivv_nn]

Yes, i was nervous it would jump out.

[@MrDavo511]

@@iivv_nn That spider is knpwn for jumping after its victims aswell

[@ALBINO1D]

Just you and whoever thumbed you up.

[@argyrendehringterimksaccu174]

a bit more expecting it dont happen but the possibility is there so on my edge i guess but very not reactive just a chance

[@ShawnRavenfire]

I never really thought about where the venomous species were in relation to temperature until I saw the title of this video. Now I want to know why there are more venomous species in hot climates... only to find out that no there aren't. Hmph.

[@ynntari2775]

10:07 ‒ now a representation of how my head felt like my whole childhood and adolescence

[@zain101-i2w]

😁😆😅

[@vorpal22]

Hawaii here! We do have a small number of venomous species, such as giant centipedes, but for the most part, I feel as safe as I did growing up in Canada where there were no known venomous species except for the occasional lost rattlesnake, and I have never seen one.

[@Zelmel]

I know this is a super old video now, but I love that you get a vague Australian accent when talking in person to Australian professors compared to your usual on-camera accent.

[@monkiram]

I don't think he has any Australian in his accent. It might sound different to you because it's Canadian (Toronto area). In his "life story" video, he talks about how he moved to Canada when he was very young. I'm from Toronto so his accent sounds like a non-accent to me haha (i.e. we have the same accent)

[@Zelmel]

@@monkiram I meant specifically in the moments when he's talking directly to the Australians in person, as opposed to his normal accent which is very "North American" with the markers that also make it Canadian.

[@monkiram]

@@Zelmel Oh I see, I'll have to go back and listen to that, I never noticed!

[@Zelmel]

@@monkiram It could definitely be just me mishearing it too, of course.

[@gustavoexel5569]

Maybe there are more venomous species in warm places because there are more SPECIES in warm places.

[@i.t.t.]

i was waiting for him to say that but it never came....

[@bloodshot20]

But he did include this in the video... 7:38

[@bloodshot20]

I think that’s what he was getting at by saying that though

[@DeuceGenius]

first thing i said before watching the vid lol

[@DeuceGenius]

@@erikdeeNOSPELLSNO lol

[@przadlo1488]

Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, East Germany... dude...

[@BobSmith-dt6xs]

+przadlo1488 I thought that map of Europe looked odd.

[@XZenon]

Marvellous :'D

[@Mateo-vl3zv]

Yugoslavia doesn't exist anymore i live in Croatia and we got independent long time ago.(sorry for my bad english)

[@CoffeeAGlass]

Wow those counties were in the period of World War I and World War II

[@neil2385]

the narrator spent too many years in the US. He has been so dumbed down he is not even aware of it

[@liddz434]

I can hear your subtle Aussie twang come through every now and then after you mentioned you were born here! How good!?

[@FinesseBTW]

I always thought that the reason so many venomous animals lived in Australia was that Australia is so geologically separated from everywhere else and everything evolved differently because of that

[@oysteinsoreide4323]

yes, but that can still be true. Because of the isolation, by chance a given strain of animals migrated there. And they may by coincidence have been more venomous than the average on the other side of the ocean.

[@MartintheTinman]

God made it that way to make Whitey's regret invading

[@ettinakitten5047]

I think that plays a part. In most other continents, the majority of niches are held by placental mammals, who are rarely venomous. In contrast, in Australia those same niches are held by either non-placental mammals or by reptiles, and most venomous amniotes (non-amphibian vertebrates) are reptiles. Having a clade that is more likely to use venom be more common will generally mean more venomous species. On a tangent, it always strikes me as funny how people talk about Australia like the wildlife there is uniquely scary, when every other continent besides Antarctica has large dangerous mammals that can and do kill humans.

[@MartintheTinman]

@@ettinakitten5047 how many large mammals can sneak up on you though? Things bite you here before you see them, sometimes you don't see them at all. Do you have to check your bed every night for snakes or spiders? I do but I'd rather live with a snake in the house than rats

[@stanleysmith5297]

After he said he was born in Australia, I can now hear some Australian accent in his speech and cannot unhear it. MAKE IT STAHP.

[@jaschabull2365]

Saint Patrick: Taking the credit from ice sheets since 432 A. D.

[@lorenakoran2]

A lot of comment reference St. Patrick. I like yours best, it more realistic. .

[@thedarquibus]

Its what religion has done in many places, same with lake monsters.

[@matte2160]

Except the snakes in the St Patrick’s legend were the pegans...

[@Brienopoulos]

I love old mate just casually having a chat while holding an open jar with a funnel web in it.

[@scotlandstonic8757]

Karl Pilkington already covered this, the earth is basically a big rock and austrailia is at the bottom of the rock a nd the creatures just prefer living under a rock lol

[@jp4431]

Anti-vaxxers kill their victims with their venomous ideas confirmed

[@lDrFuManchul]

LOL the rambling of a madman, a shaved monkey.... mr K Dilkington...

[@TheAce12570]

It warms my heart how many people know Karl Pilkington these days :')

[@iamverysad219]

Once my sister had a friend who had dreadlocks. He went to the doctor in complaints of sharp pain coming from his scalp. Due to the problem of the dreadlocks in the way, they had to shave off his dreadlocks. Out of the dreadlocks crawled a ginormous nest of red backs. This guy had been bitten so many times by red backs that he had become immune to them.

[@harini3257]

+millificent riversa oh my god

[@zeromailss]

😐

[@Axemang]

i have dreadlocks and now I'm not so sure I wanna go to 'straya, although I might gain an immunity!

[@chrisstar969]

Ha ha. This urban myth has been around for decades.

[@tomburcher5237]

What are red backs? Indians who spent too much time in the hot sun?

[@mothsinthecanyon]

Thank you for mixing your audio this way, I have some gunk in my left ear.

[@OlOleander]

Oh thank god, I couldn't tell whether it was the audio or my headphones.

[@VoidRep]

i love how his accent drifts in this. his annunciation and tonal speech makes so much sense now

[@niteesh__mishra]

2:25 I am pretty sure that Professor's favorite movie is 'Back from the Future' 😂

[@juni172]

3:52 me looking at my hot-pockets in the microwave.

[@AM-ir7rc]

🤣🤣🤣

[@geraldfrost4710]

or looking for soup.

[@ralfantino2291]

A reason that venomous animals are more common in warmer areas could be because the square cube law causes larger animals to have more difficulty radiating heat, causing smaller species to evolve in warmer areas, and these smaller species became easy pray because of their size so they had to evolve additional defense mechanisms.

[@DKNguyen3.1415]

But square cube law applies to everything so everything should be smaller to cancel it out. Also contradicted by how most mega fauna seem to live in warmer climates.

[@ralfantino2291]

@@DKNguyen3.1415 mega fauna often tends to have a lot huge leaves that have a large surface are to mitigate this, also plants don’t regulate their internal body temperature as much

[@DKNguyen3.1415]

@@ralfantino2291 ??? What are you even talking about??? Double check what you wrote.

[@ralfantino2291]

@@DKNguyen3.1415 You telling me mega fauna does not have large leaves?

[@DKNguyen3.1415]

@@ralfantino2291 yeah. Fauna are animals and I don't know why you suddenly started talking about plants.

[@dblaze23]

“The country with the most venomous species is Mexico” Me to Australia: perhaps I have been too harsh on you

[@venusboys3]

Maybe I missed something... it seems like they shifted from 'venemous species' to 'venemous snakes' at some point... leaving behind the spiders, insects and jellyfish. Does the historical migration of snakes go for the other venemous critters as well?

[@ktkc1o7]

Spiders, insects, and jellyfish are also ectotherms (cold-blooded). So the same explanation goes for them. It just wasn't explicitly mentioned. (Only birds, mammals, and a few fish are endothermic [warm-blooded], and few if any of them are venomous.)

[@davidhelling6035]

@@ktkc1o7 the Platypus is a venomous mammal.

[@MrAlvinSinfulSong]

Singapore has 1- King Cobra 2- Black Spitting Cobra 3- Tree Pit Viper 4- Malayan Krait

[@shane0yourgod]

You’re from Traralgon! I went to Uni in Churchill, I wonder if we ever crossed paths.

[@UndatedTundra]

That is the best explanation of the difference between posionous and venomous I've found!

[@NeonsStyleHD]

I was bitten by a funnel-web spider when I was 9 yrs old, while building a damn by a creek. I with my cousin, and he ran home got his mom, within minutes they were there. By the time they carried me across the street 40m away, I'd lost consciousness. I was in a coma for 3 days, and awoke in the hospital bloody lucky to be alive, and bloody lucky I was so close to home, and wasn't alone at the time I was bitten, since I was unconscious within 10 minutes of being bitten. Nasty lil' buggers they are. Its the females you have to watch out for.

[@alexandrelopes1420]

are you spiderman?

[@NeonsStyleHD]

***** You find a child being bitten by a venonous creature and near death funny??? Wow, you are not a nice person.

[@GnanaPrakash86AP]

NeonsStyle What is a damn?

[@NeonsStyleHD]

Gnana Prakash A Damn (spelt correctly) is and wall used to hold back water.

[@GnanaPrakash86AP]

I'm sorry NeonsStyle but I think it's "Dam" you are talking about :)

[@michaelccozens]

Interesting video, but I think more attention needs to be paid to the fallacies contained in your initial questions and definitions, specifically the idea that "venomous" means "deadly to humans", as opposed to simply "utilizes venom". Lots of creatures that are harmless or mostly-harmless to humans still use venom that's very effective on their prey, which is the primary purpose of venom to begin with. Defining "venomous" in relation to humans means ignoring that relationship, for no real reason; as you mentioned with the funnel-web, lots of "deadly-to-human" venoms seem to have that characteristic entirely by accident, as the creatures possessing said venom don't count primates as major prey or predators. Interesting discussion to be had here about the dangers of over-assumptions around humanity's centrality in the natural world. Most of the time, it just ain't about us, and we don't like to remember that too often. Regarding the point about venom production being roughly-equivalent to saliva production; are you sure about that? I've heard a lot of behaviour of venomous creatures (ie "dry bites", etc.) explained with the idea that venom is very expensive in time and calories to produce, which would seem to make sense on a number of levels. If it were only as expensive as saliva, wouldn't creatures use it as freely as humans do saliva? We spit *everywhere*.

[@jonpaul4935]

Your map really needs to be adjusted for land locked countries, counting venomous sea species throws this map out big time.

[@madiis18account]

Not really, many of the species don't range very far off coastlines

[@dirtymike3329]

There aren’t many land locked countries thiug

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

@@dirtymike3329 ''aren't many'' 44 landlocked countries:*angry stare*

[@rjgarnett]

Hey man I live in Toongabbie 22 minutes from Traralgon. Love your vid's. I don't here much of that unique Traralgon accent though. I worked at Loy Yang B and used to travel through Traralgon back and forth to work for 22 years. I'm an old retired bugger now so I just watch KZbin all day. What a buzz.

[@karkiabhishek]

3:23 All spiders live on soup 😂😂

[@GS-td3yc]

He: "Modern Snakes are losing venom, which is important for their survival." Me: "Because snakes know human kills venomous snakes."

[@v_3128]

Isn't it because snakes use more energy and resources making venom than they should? I've heard that extremely venomous snakes like cottonmouths don't bite humans very often even if they're touched because they preserve the very hard to make venom for life or death situations.

[@lagalil]

@@v_3128 11:20

[@rhaq426]

@@lagalil thanks i thought the video ended at 10:07

[@Coltingtons]

evolution doesnt work like that.

[@GS-td3yc]

@@Coltingtons Think it this way. In evolution, the survivor lefts his offspring for next generation with the surviving trend in this case, venom. But now, but now due to human, venomous snakes are dying more. Thats why every new generation might have more non venomous snakes. Also, human using venom as medicine might also have an effect.

[@whopperlover1772]

This guy has a cool life.

[@OurDailyMeme]

ByteMe he made his life how he wanted it.

[@asparrow9876]

Hardly lmfao.

[@thefuck7175]

ByteMe how?

[@petitcroissant4236]

I was today years old when I learnt you are an Australian. I remember watching ur videos over half a decade ago at school. (I'm Aussie as well and I am very accent deaf to our accent especially less occa accents)

[@orgorg239]

Yep. Not many snakes and spiders at the North pole.

[@NimN0ms]

Can someone please give this guy a god damn tv show already?!?

[@michaelharpst9097]

Please no more tv shows, that medium is dying out due to technological evolution. :-)

[@crunch9876]

Fine Netflix show

[@rayrowley4013]

What about plants? I have heard that there is a higher percentage of poisonous/ toxic plants as you head to the equator. I would guess it would be because of more competition due to higher species diversity and so more need for protection but now I'm not sure. Anyone know of the accuracy of this?

[@dorianlindberg1662]

I really like that guys crazy hair and his tie, truly wonderful!

[@ScogMeister]

6:20 there's a guy in Townsville Australia who regularly gets stung by box jellyfish on purpose and has developed an immunity to the venom to the point where he can hold box jellyfish by the tentacles and be fine

[@mokshshah1242]

My friend tried that sadly he is no longer alive (this is a joke)

[@ScogMeister]

@@mokshshah1242 lol

[@AkshaySinghJamwal]

Re: venom vs. poison, almost right: venom does have to be injected into a wound, such as with a taipan or a funnel-web spider. But other than ingestion, poison can also be inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Classic example: poison dart frog.

[@flowstate_link]

Professor …. This guy is great 👍 He has videos on the periodic table elements!!! So great!!! Nice 👍

One reason why some snakes species lost their venom is that evolution follows "use or loose it" law - if there is no gain from having venom, it is possible for it to got lost due to genetic drift / random mutations.

[@cristaronaldosewi5121]

Yaaaaa

[@cristaronaldosewi5121]

P

[@VincentGonzalezVeg]

Spicy danger noodles

[@lukmitk7568]

Yes

[@mirthemw]

I thought there would be more venemous species in warm places, because it means you don't have to move as much.

[@bradfader691]

Makes me so happy you work with the periodic table of videos. I love that guy!

[@gabrieleporru4443]

*Not by bread alone does the man live, but indeed all spiders live on soup.*

[@geraldfrost4710]

Mmmm! Soup!

[@cpt.battlecock5264]

A man cannot live on bread cj i know i tried - big number 45