What is the world's most venomous mammal?

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Mammal???

Um, a platypus?

Don't know of a lot of venomous mammals.

There are some shrews that are venomous. (And some that use echolation.)

But the platypus has got them beat in terms of venom. It is mega painful to be stung by one, apparently.

Humans.

Platypus is not mammal.
It's a monotreme. They have a cloaca, rather than an anus and a genital opening.
That puts it, alone with the echidna, alongside all the Mammalia, Reptilia, Gastropoda, Insecta, etc. etc.
See:
http://lib.bioinfo.pl/meid:289052
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotreme

John

The Irukandji is probably a good contender.

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It's a monotreme. I am a placental. Kangaroo etc are marsupial but we are all mammals. The mothers can lactate via their mammaries. The first line in your wiki link refers to them as mammals.

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Interesting critter, not a mammal though so not viable answer for this question.

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Did you bother to read the Wikipedia page? THe first paragraph is:
Monotremes (from the Greek monos 'single' + trema 'hole', referring to the cloaca) are mammals that lay eggs (Prototheria) instead of giving birth to live young like marsupials (Metatheria) and placental mammals (Eutheria).

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Ah - I didn't notice it said mammal. I thought it said animal. I think it's probably the most venomous animal, though.

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Tree of Life: Monotremata:

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Yup, the platypus is indeed definately a mammal. Only the male is venomous, and it seems to be considered as the most venomous mammal.

Here is a page about its venom.

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I offer a complete and utter retraction. The imputation was totally without basis in fact, was in no way fair comment and was motivated purely by malice. I deeply regret any distress that my comments may have caused you or your family, and I hereby undertake not to repeat any such slander at any time in the future.

The Wiki does not reflect the continuing dispute among taxonomists as the status of the monotremes - class (equal to mammalia) or order (sub-classification of mammalia. Previously classification depended on detailed examination of anatomy.
Modern classification uses biochemistry and genetics. Did you read the second link, or where the abstract says "Phylogenetic analysis of the protamine P1 gene sequences indicates that the monotremes occupy a position half-way between the eutherian mammals and birds. From the DNA sequences we estimate the time of divergence of the platypus and the echidna to be around 22 million years ago. This date agrees very well with the published estimates of divergence based on other criteria."

See also: http://genomebiology.com/2005/6/5/218
John

Another wiki article on venomous mammals.
My vote goes to the Platypus too. I wouldn't be going too hard on John though as there are still some who want to argue about the monotremes. I used to fancy that they are a left over mammal like reptile. Whilst I have heard some argue that they are retro marsupials. Either way they are classed as a mammal now. What do our classifications really mean though? Some, for instance, argue that bats are primates. Apparently the immune system of a platypus is 'primitive in that it is derved from it's venom. And this venom may help us produce the next generation of antibiotics for our use.

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And they seem to go back well over 100 Million years. Long before the Dinosaur extinctions.

I wonder how Dolphins would compare to the differences between mammals and monotremes?
But that's a side issue. I tend to think of Monotremes as mammalian, but not necessarily mammal.
It's a Key point of evolution. And the problems that can arise in classification of such changing diversity

Dolphins have a penis or vagina, an anus and a urethra.
No cloaca, they.
Evolution has given them a smooth outline so that their genitalia are enclosed, normally within a 'genital slit', with in the female two adjacent slits where the nipples are covered. They are true mammals, as are all the Cetacea, they even have an umbelicus! See: http://www.hpu.edu/index.cfm?contentID=9039

I think, Lianachan, that jellyfish just muddy the water.

John

Eddie Brock

What? SOMEONE had to say it.

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I'm going to go with homo sapiens, but that might be stretching the definition of "venom" a bit.

Yep; a venom has to be injected.

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He was my first thought when I saw this thread.

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From your Wikipedia link on monotremes: "Monotremes are mammals that lay eggs."

Hmmm...

I guess a platypus is a mammal after all.

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Sigh.
mugs read the thread.

The proper line is, "Go To Where The FOOD IS!!!"

I'm going to give it to the shrews. A tiny little shrew, with three bites, can paralyze the leg of a 200 pound adult male human. That's potent. Considering they eat mice, voles, insects and moles, that's plenty enough for their needs.

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In your rush to call everyone "entrenched" or closed-minded or "limited" you fail to note that the "limit" here has a very natural boundary: that point at which the evidence stops. - JayUtah

Science fiction was never meant to be an educational tool. - Editor Amazing Tales

AND oddly enough I own one of the most venom resistant organisms yet studied, the african bullfrog, Pyxicephalus edulis. They have been videographically recorded as being able to consume adult tarantulas, scorpions, mambas, cobras and large vespids with no revulsion reaction or avoidance behavior. Even the american bullfrog and the south american horned frogs won't eat hornets more than once.

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In your rush to call everyone "entrenched" or closed-minded or "limited" you fail to note that the "limit" here has a very natural boundary: that point at which the evidence stops. - JayUtah

Science fiction was never meant to be an educational tool. - Editor Amazing Tales

Could it be they're just to dumb to notice?

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Actually no Henrick.

Frogzilla knows who I am. I'm the guy who spritzes him daily and feeds him and he knows me from strangers. Other owners of them report the same thing. Some advanced fish do that as well, distinguish between owners and strangers. Mind you, I'm still terrified he might latch on to my finger by mistake one day. That would be an owie, possibly even an amputation. He has his own special enclosure. To the left of my monitor no less.

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In your rush to call everyone "entrenched" or closed-minded or "limited" you fail to note that the "limit" here has a very natural boundary: that point at which the evidence stops. - JayUtah

Science fiction was never meant to be an educational tool. - Editor Amazing Tales

To get back on topic:

I think I read that early venomous mammals were outcompeted by the precursors to the dog/fox/cat line. I'm cool with that.

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In your rush to call everyone "entrenched" or closed-minded or "limited" you fail to note that the "limit" here has a very natural boundary: that point at which the evidence stops. - JayUtah

Science fiction was never meant to be an educational tool. - Editor Amazing Tales

Surely it doesnt have teeth?? A crush injury perhaps???