How threatening are bites, stings, and poisons? What is the chemical composition of animal venom? How do the poisons work? What is the appropriate first aid or treatment? The author of "Venomous and Poisonous Animals", a toxicologist at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Frankfurt, provides answers for everyone, from toxicologists to travelers. This book gives an introduction to the world of venomous and poisonous animals and how they use their venoms and poisons. It presents first aid measures and general rules for treating cases of envenoming or poisoning and offers recommendations to travelers, snorklers, and SCUBA divers for avoiding dangerous encounters with poisonous marine and land animals. Each chapter in "Venomous and Poisonous Animals" describes one representative animal, family or genus, covering its biology, venom apparatus, chemistry and mode of action of the toxic substances, symptoms of envenoming and poisoning, prevention and therapy.