Is the JP Dilophosaurus poisonous or venomous?

[DinoToyForum]

Is the Jurassic Park Dilophosaurus poisonous or venomous? discuss!

[Doug Watson]

Is the Jurassic Park Dilophosaurus poisonous or venomous? discuss!

Neither it's rubberous.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Aren't plants poisonous and animals venomous?  Swear I was told that in middle school.

[Shonisaurus]

It would not be strange if the theropod carnivorous dinosaurs were poisonous. In fact the Komodo dragon is a poisonous reptile, to give an example. And a mammal such as the platypus or the echidna are poisonous animals.

[Mononykus]

The JP Dilophosaurus is venomous.


Something is venomous if it has to bite or sting you for you to get the toxin
Something is poisonous if you have to eat it in order to get the toxin


So rattlesnakes are venomous but not poisonous and dart poison frogs are poisonous but not venomous

[Faelrin]

I mean it's the same deal with a spiting cobra really (which no doubt served as some inspiration for it). Animals are venomous, plants are poisonous. Although ultimately it's all toxic stuff that can kill you which is arguably more important then terminology at that point.

[stargatedalek]

Aren't plants poisonous and animals venomous?  Swear I was told that in middle school.

I mean it's the same deal with a spiting cobra really (which no doubt served as some inspiration for it). Animals are venomous, plants are poisonous. Although ultimately it's all toxic stuff that can kill you which is arguably more important then terminology at that point.

Poison is something ingested, venom is something injected. A lot of "poisonous" plants like poison ivy or poison oak aren't actually poisonous or venomous, but rather trigger harsh allergic reactions.

The JP Dilophosaurus is probably neither venomous or poisonous. I believe all that we actually know canonically is the delivery method is spitting, which no venomous animal uses as a delivery method (spitting cobras don't spit, they spray from openings in their fangs). This is more like what some birds and snakes do in self defense where they regurgitate highly acidic mucus.

[Gwangi]

[DinoToyForum]

Just want to clarify that poison can also be inhaled or absorbed into the skin (touched).

[Gwangi]

The JP Dilophosaurus is probably neither venomous or poisonous. I believe all that we actually know canonically is the delivery method is spitting, which no venomous animal uses as a delivery method (spitting cobras don't spit, they spray from openings in their fangs). This is more like what some birds and snakes do in self defense where they regurgitate highly acidic mucus.

Sounds legit to me, didn't even consider that as an explanation, but now vomiting turkey vultures come to mind.

[Faelrin]

@stargatedalek
@dinotoyforum

My dumb brain thinks of one thing, but puts out the other. Ingested vs injected is what I was thinking of, but just didn't write it out correctly. And yeah there are the cases where things can be touched and cause bad stuff (Aconitum comes to mind, and dart frogs) I didn't realize that was the case for spitting cobras, so I've learned something new, but I guess that their name is misleading if they don't actually spit, but spray.

[DinoToyForum]

@stargatedalek
@dinotoyforum

My dumb brain thinks of one thing, but puts out the other. Ingested vs injected is what I was thinking of, but just didn't write it out correctly. And yeah there are the cases where things can be touched and cause bad stuff (Aconitum comes to mind, and dart frogs) I didn't realize that was the case for spitting cobras, so I've learned something new, but I guess that their name is misleading if they don't actually spit, but spray.

Maybe the Dilophosaurus sprays, too?

Also, if you get sprayed by cobra venom, does it do any harm, or does it have to be injected to do damage?

[Gwangi]

@stargatedalek
@dinotoyforum

My dumb brain thinks of one thing, but puts out the other. Ingested vs injected is what I was thinking of, but just didn't write it out correctly. And yeah there are the cases where things can be touched and cause bad stuff (Aconitum comes to mind, and dart frogs) I didn't realize that was the case for spitting cobras, so I've learned something new, but I guess that their name is misleading if they don't actually spit, but spray.

Maybe the Dilophosaurus sprays, too?

Also, if you get sprayed by cobra venom, does it do any harm, or does it have to be injected to do damage?

It's certainly harmful if it gets into your eyes, which is what they aim for. I wouldn't want it to linger on my face though.

[Faelrin]

Also I always wondered why the Dilophosaurus spit stuff looks like tar. Is there any animal alive that has a substance that looks that thick and dark? I came across the special effects stuff on youtube a while back. Perhaps it is worth watching again at some point.

[Shonisaurus]

I honestly saw in the last century the Jurassic Park movie the first of the saga and I think a way to demonize a theropod creature as dilophosaurus transforming it into a genetically modified dinosaur and that certainly devours one of the bad guys in the movie opens the dinosaur cell by some magnificent actor who worked as a secondary in the JFK movie. Ironies of life the other day in my teleview put that movie and what is my astonishment that said JP secondary actor appears in the film based on historical events.

[Halichoeres]

Also I always wondered why the Dilophosaurus spit stuff looks like tar. Is there any animal alive that has a substance that looks that thick and dark? I came across the special effects stuff on youtube a while back. Perhaps it is worth watching again at some point.

I've had horse lubber grasshoppers regurgitate a substance rather like Dilophosaurus spit onto my hand.

[E.D.G.E. (PainterRex)]

It would not be strange if the theropod carnivorous dinosaurs were poisonous. In fact the Komodo dragon is a poisonous reptile, to give an example. And a mammal such as the platypus or the echidna are poisonous animals.

Komodo dragons are indeed venomous, as they inject mild/medium-acting venom into their prey.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Also I always wondered why the Dilophosaurus spit stuff looks like tar. Is there any animal alive that has a substance that looks that thick and dark? I came across the special effects stuff on youtube a while back. Perhaps it is worth watching again at some point.

I've had horse lubber grasshoppers regurgitate a substance rather like Dilophosaurus spit onto my hand.

Nasty buggers. They'd get into the tobacco when we were harvesting it and they spit and bit you.

I think in the novel it wasn't mentioned as how the Dilophosaurus did it ( they couldn't find any venom sacs ) or how it looked, that was for the film probably so it showed up better.

It would appear based on the novel and film the Dilos were both Venomous and Poisonous. http://jurassicpark.wikia.com/wiki/Dilophosaurus

[DinoToyForum]

Also I always wondered why the Dilophosaurus spit stuff looks like tar. Is there any animal alive that has a substance that looks that thick and dark? I came across the special effects stuff on youtube a while back. Perhaps it is worth watching again at some point.

I've had horse lubber grasshoppers regurgitate a substance rather like Dilophosaurus spit onto my hand.

Nasty buggers. They'd get into the tobacco when we were harvesting it and they spit and bit you.

I think in the novel it wasn't mentioned as how the Dilophosaurus did it ( they couldn't find any venom sacs ) or how it looked, that was for the film probably so it showed up better.

It would appear based on the novel and film the Dilos were both Venomous and Poisonous. http://jurassicpark.wikia.com/wiki/Dilophosaurus

"One of the earliest carnivores, we now know that Dilophosaurus is actually poisonous, spitting its' venom at its' prey, causing blindness and eventually paralysis, allowing the carnivore to eat at its' leisure. This makes Dilophosaurus a beautiful, but deadly, addition to Jurassic Park."
—Richard Kiley talking about Dilophosaurus on the tour.

Or maybe the script writers just didn't understand the difference between poison and venom.

To those who say it is neither poisonous or venomous, how would you describe it then? Say, if you were writing the Jurassic Park tour. And do you think that Richard Kiley is wrong?

One last questinon, is there any modern animal that spits poison?

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I think you've hit the nail on the head as it were.

I would bet good money Crichton combined Poison Frogs with a Spitting Cobra for the chaotic DNA blend used on the Dilophosaurs in the novel.  He and the script writers later on probably didn't fully understand what each term meant.  So you in the film you received a smaller, less accurate Dilophosaurus creature that spat poisonous venom, and it was a thick black mucus like substance for wow factor with audiences.

I think some animals "squirt" poison but not spit?