ABSTRACT
Only a few mammals have evolved venoms and an apparatus for injecting them into a prey species or an enemy. The duck-billed platypus, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, inhabits rivers and streams east of the Great Dividing range in Australia, along the southeastern border of Australia, and in Tasmania. The male duck-billed platypus has a prominent, venomous spur located on the medial aspect of the tarsus. Shrew venom is proteolytic, with neurotoxic qualities. The composition is not precisely known; toxicologic studies have utilized whole venom. Shrews use venom to paralyze and kill prey species. A bite in a human from a short-tailed shrew has been described as producing a burning sensation and subsequent minor swelling. Diagnosis is dependent upon a history of exposure to one of the mammals. Human or domestic animal envenomation is not fatal.
