A peaceful picnic in the park, a hike in the woods, a relaxing swim in the sea: you wouldn’t
expect unseen dangers to be lurking around every corner. But you might wanna keep an
eye out for these nasty little critters, and never ever touch them!
#1. Geography Cone No, I’m not talking about something that
grows on a tree – it’s a snail. The sophisticated pattern of its shell is valuable among collectors,
but if you pick one up, you could find yourself being pierced with a life-threateningly toxic
harpoon-like tooth that the snail shoots out in the blink of an eye. It’s usually fish
that get paralyzed by this sting so that the snail can have some lunch. But you’ll need
to avoid it at all costs since an antidote for it doesn’t exist. Although, some of
the compounds found in that venom could potentially be used as pharmaceuticals, effective in treating
pain and even accelerating recovery from nerve injury. Hmm, ironic!
#2. Africanized Bee One of the most widespread and aggressive
insects in the world was actually created by humans! Originally an effort to increase
honey production, this bee-hybrid experiment ended up going south real quick as the insect
was noted to be especially defensive. In 1957, after accidental release from a bee yard in
Brazil, swarms of the Africanized hybrid spread out and crossbred with local colonies. In
the late 70s, the prospect of their arrival in the US even inspired several horror movies!
Also called killer bees, they have a tendency to swarm and are known to chase a perceived
threat down for over 1 mile (1.6 km)! Hey, don’t look over your shoulder!
#3. The Golden Poison Frog This colorful creature lives in the rainforests
along Colombia’s Pacific coast. For centuries, indigenous people there used this frog to
hunt, lacing the tips of their arrows and blow darts in the amphibian’s toxic secretions.
The coating on the skin of just one frog is enough to take down 10 humans! Interestingly
enough, scientists believe the frog may obtain poison by eating a certain beetle, which means
you could probably safely touch one that was raised without its natural food source. But
still, if you see a bright yellow frog, just don’t risk it…
#4. Kissing Bug Don’t be fooled by the name – there is
nothing charming or romantic about these bloodsuckers. The “kissing” part comes from the fact
that they tend to “feast” on the area around the mouth, when the odors and heat
from a sleeping person’s body guide this nasty little vampire to its midnight snack.
Some people have a pretty bad reaction to the insect’s saliva, but severe cases result
in a person developing a serious condition called Chagas disease. This critter that’s
pretty widespread in both North and South America has been nicknamed the “assassin
bug” if that drives the point home for ya…
#5. Puss Moth This tiny winged creature is generally found
on trees and plants in Florida and North Carolina. At first glance, you might be thinking, “What's
so scary about this fluffy little cutie?!” But beware! That “fluff” is actually a
collection of hairs that can be pretty irritating if you touch them. Add to that the fact that
they cover extremely poisonous spines, and you’ve got yourself one dangerous little
moth! Don Hall, an entomologist at the University of Florida, had this to say: “The pain immediately
and rapidly gets worse after being stung, and can even make your bones hurt.” Yikes…
#6. Brazilian Wandering Spider You know that typical situation when someone
is afraid of something small, like a mouse or insect, and their friend tries to calm
them down by saying, “It’s more scared of you than you are of it!” Well, that rule
doesn’t apply to this spider! Sure, it might be afraid of you, but it’ll go into defense
attack mode if it feels threatened. In that case, it’ll raise its 4 front legs in what
looks like a “Come at me, bro!” type of pose. That lack of fear and readiness to attack
combined with its wandering nature is what makes this arachnid so dangerous. In search
for shelter during the daytime, they can crawl into clothes, boots, plants, and boxes. Oh
yeah, and you can’t forget about that venom – it can cause troubles breathing and loss
of muscle control. There’s no shame in fearing what’s been dubbed the world’s deadliest
spider! You still having fun?
#7. Tsetse Fly This winged beast is about the same size as
the common house fly…only its bite can be fatal. Native to Africa, mostly in the sub-Saharan
parts of the continent, the tsetse fly is most infamous not only for its painful bite
but also because of the disease it carries. This so-called “sleeping sickness” disrupts
a person’s sleep-wake cycle and comes with a whole slew of symptoms that can be life-threatening
if left untreated.
#8. Japanese Giant Hornet Meet the largest hornet species in the world.
Reaching about 2 inches (5 cm) in length, this flying terror feeds on other insects
like honeybees, other hornets, and praying mantises. As for the venom in its sting, it
attacks the nervous system, damages tissues, and may induce an allergic reaction. Unlike
most bee and wasp species, these gargantuan hornets don’t lose their stingers during
an attack, meaning they can sting their victim repeatedly! Ooof, I’d rather not imagine
THAT…
#9. Blue-Ringed Octopus The psychedelic coloring of this itty-bitty
Pacific Ocean dweller can show how scared or disturbed the animal is by turning bright
yellow with flashingly blue rings. That’s a warning sign that you or a predator should
keep your fins off and swim in the opposite direction! Although their bite is often painless,
the powerful neurotoxin in it is 1,200 times more toxic than cyanide. While it’s only
about 5- to 8-inches-long (12 - 20 cm), one Blue-Ringed Octopus can take down 26 adult
humans within minutes, making it one of the world's most venomous marine creatures.
#10. The Indian Red Scorpion Native to Nepal, Pakistan, and (obviously)
India, the Indian Red Scorpion is one of the most feared arachnids on the planet. What’s
worse, they like to live near people. And like any other scorpion species, it hunts
at night, so most encounters with humans happen at this time. It’s usually an accidental
rendezvous since the scorpion can creep into a bed or fall from a ceiling. Nonetheless,
if a person happens to roll over or step on it, this creepy crawly will see it as a blatant
attack and answer accordingly with that deadly stinger! Sweet dreams!
#11. Tarantula Hawk It’s not a bird or a spider – it’s a
wasp that hunts the latter. Did you catch that last bit? It’s a wasp that preys on
tarantulas! But it doesn’t eat its furry 8-legged victim. No, what it does is much
more sinister. A female wasp uses its sting to paralyze a tarantula before dragging it
off to a special nest where it lays a single egg into the spider’s abdomen. And then,
well, I’m sure you get it. The larva feeds on the spider until it’s reached maturity
and…uh…“moves” out of its temporary housing…
And if you’re not a big fan of tarantulas to begin with, then maybe you’ll pity them
once you find out how painful this wasp’s sting really is. Entomologist Dr. Justin Schmidt
was curious enough to find out for us all, so big thanks to him! In 1983, he developed
the Schmidt Sting Pain Index, yeah, to measure the painfulness of different stingers. He
described the sting of a Tarantula Hawk as causing quote “immediate, excruciating pain
that simply shuts down one’s ability to do anything, except, perhaps, scream.” End-quote.
Heh heh heh. The Tarantula Hawk Wasp nearly reached the top of the list, coming second
only to the infamous…
#12. Bullet Ant It’s the largest of all ants in the world
with a bite that feels like a bullet piercing the skin, hence the name! Dr. Schmidt described
the sensation as “waves of burning, throbbing, all-consuming pain that continues unabated
for up to 24 hours.” That probably explains why it’s known in its native Nicaragua and
Paraguay as the “24-hour ant.” Some local tribes even use bullet ants in a warrior-initiation
ritual. (Hey I did it, so you have to also). Long and disturbing story short, it includes
wearing a pair of leaf gloves with hundreds of these ants woven into them… nope, don’t
want to be a warrior that bad, thanks anyways, but count me out…!
So, can you add any more tiny terrorizers to the list? Let everybody know down in the
comments! And if you learned something new today, then give this video a like and share
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