Animals are fascinating.
Be it as pets or as spectacular beasts in the wild, they have something special about them.
And while most of us like to spend some time trying to watch them either in zoos or forest reserves,
there are some animals we would not want to come across.
Let’s take a look at some of the most poisonous animals in the world.
20.
Stone Fish.
Found primarily in the Indo Pacific ocean,
this fish could teach even the marines a thing or two about camouflage.
They usually lurk around the ocean floor and their unique coloration makes them extremely hard to spot.
And that is not their only defence mechanism.
They have 13 sharp poisonous dorsal spine and are known to be very quick to attack.
Once stung, you will probably suffer from pain, swelling, muscle weakness, paralysis
and if you don’t get immediate treatment, even death!
19.
Poison Dart Frog.
Frogs are generally known for their icky factor.
We often think of them as disgusting, but nothing life threatening.
And when you come across the poison dart frog, its eye catching bright colours might interest you.
But stay away.
The poison dart frog has a compound known as batrachotoxin which block nerve signals
to muscles and can cause paralysis and even death!
18.
King Cobra.
Whenever one thinks of snakes,
they generally conjure up an image of a coiled serpent with its fanned hood.
That image is basically of the King Cobra, and for good reason.
It is highly toxic and it can actually spit its venom at its victims!
The poison is extremely painful and can cause death in a very short time.
In fact, 7 ml of this venom is enough to kill even an elephant.
Or 20 people, whichever is closer!
17.
Puffer Fish.
Also known by the name of blow fish, Puffer fish might look cute,
but they are definitely very far from that!
Usually found in waters around Japan, China and Philippines, they are also quite a delicacy.
But if you ever happen to catch one, do not try to cook them.
It takes years of training before a chef becomes qualified to cook puffer fish
because it is extremely poisonous.
Estimates say that the amount of poison contained in a single fish can kill up to 30 grown men.
So dangerous is the puffer fish that it is the only thing that the Emperor of Japan is
forbidden from eating.
16.
Brazilian Wandering Spider.
Spiders are generally icky creatures to begin with.
The many limbs and frightening fangs are enough to make anyone stay away from them.
But when it comes to the Brazilian wandering spider,
be sure to keep as big a distance as you possibly can from them.
Their bite can cause intense pain, loss of muscle control, inflammation and even death.
No wonder they are called the most venomous spiders in the world!
While an antidote is available, one should get immediate medical attention if bitten!
15.
Marble Cone Snail.
If you ever come across one of these, you will most probably want to touch it,
because it look very extremely intriguing with its polka dotted shell!
But be warned, they are extremely poisonous.
Even a single drop of their toxin can kill up to 20 humans!
Found mainly in the Indian Ocean, their deadly weapon is their way to catch the prey and
make sure that you do not become one, because there is no known antidote.
14.
Inland Taipan.
Everyone is pretty much scared of snakes because they are poisonous.
But in reality, not many species of snakes are actually poisonous.
However, don’t let that fool you because many species like the Inland Taipan, are extremely dangerous.
The Taipan is one of the deadliest animals in the world.
Found in Australia, their venom can kill a person in less than 45 minutes but weirdly
enough, there have been no reported deaths due to Inland Taipan till date!
Probably the reason is that its bite can readily be treated!
13.
Blue Ringed octopus.
Found mainly in the waters near Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines,
the blue ringed Octopus is actually pretty small.
It could probably fit in the palm of your hand but if you ever feel tempted to do so, resist!
The blue ringed octopus is one of the most venomous sea creature and its venom can cause
blindness, nausea, paralysis and respiratory problems.
Not to mention death of course!
12.
Death Stalker Scorpion.
Scorpions may look cool on stereotypical movie villains,
but it is generally a good idea to leave them alone.
And the Death stalker scorpion more so!
Found in the Middle East and North Africa, the scorpion is pale yellow in colour and is usually translucent.
But its venom can cause a great deal of pain.
Not to mention respiratory failures.
And if by chance you have heart problems or allergies, you could pretty much die from a sting.
11.
Sydney Funnel Web.
Along the east coast of Australia,
the people actually live in the fear of the Sydney funnel web spider.
And is looks pretty dangerous too with its fearsome fangs.
Probably more scary than the fangs is that the ataro toxin that the spider contains is
actually twice as potent as cyanide
and causes breathing problems, muscle spasms, drooling, vomiting and diarrhoea.
10.
Duck Billed Platypus.
While mammals are generally not associated with poisons,
the duck billed platypus is an exception.
While its weird structure in as intriguing as it is cute,
it is probably a good idea to stay away from them.
The male platypus contains tough spurs on its hind legs
and its sharp tip injects the venom into its victims.
But while its victims are mostly competing males in the mating season, they do pack quite a punch.
Although the venom is not fatal to humans, it does cause excruciating pain and the fact
that the pain does not go away even with morphine, it makes it that much more painful!
9.
Komodo Dragon.
The komodo dragon looks dangerous.
But until recently, everyone thought that they did not have any actual venom.
But recent studies have shown that the komodo dragon actually secretes poison from its glands
which gets injected into its victims when it mauls them.
The venom causes rapid blood pressure fall and shock, which is why it usually follows
its victims around after an attack and eats them merrily as they fall down from the effect of the venom!
The venom does not have too much effect on humans though,
so if you ever feel like petting a Komodo dragon, you could!
8.
Bullet Ant.
When it comes to stings being painful, the bullet ant comes second to none.
The large central American ants are quite toxic and their bite can cause excruciating pain!
Apparently, some researchers who were studying the most painful stings had to come up with
a new rating point to accommodate the pain caused by this ant!
7.
Black Widow.
Yes, the name sounds dangerous.
And so it the spider that is associated with it.
Found mostly in Australia,
the black widow loves to lurk under the seats of toilets and attack unsuspecting toilet goers!
There are over 10,000 recorded bites every year in Australia caused by the black widow
and the only good thing about it is that its small size doesn’t allow it to produce that much venom,
or there would be more deaths reported!
6.
Indian Red scorpion.
Perhaps one of the most dangerous scorpions, the Indian red scorpion has become even more
notorious because it lives in highly populated areas and hence, incidents are more!
What makes it worse is that there is no effective anti-venom.
The venom attacks the hearts and lungs with sweating, vomiting, convulsions being common side effects.
The venom is in fact so deadly that it has a high mortality rate of 8 – 40%.
The sting can also lead to pulmonary edema,
where fluid accumulates in the lungs which leads to suffocation!
5.
Coastal Taipan.
A close cousin of the inland taipan, the venom of the coastal taipan is actually less potent.
But the coastal taipan is much larger and its bite is also much more deadly.
The snake is pretty aggressive and delivers a huge amount of venom in a single bite.
Apparently, the amount of venom in a single bite is enough to kill 59 men!
If left untreated, the coastal taipan’s bite will kill you!
4.
Deathstalker.
Now that’s a name which will give anyone nightmares by itself!
Add to it the fact that it actually belongs to a tiny scorpion makes it a little ironic,
but all the more scary.
The toxin of the deathstalker contains neurotoxins which can cause a huge amount of pain.
While the venom is not powerful enough to kill a normal human adult, severe allergic
reactions are not uncommon and in case you suffer from heart problems, it can be fatal!
3.
Belcher Sea Snakes.
Sea snakes are very dangerous.
The only reason people are not afraid of them as much as they should be is because they
are not found on land, where people mostly are.
The belcher sea snake is perhaps one of the deadliest sea snakes
and its bite can kill you in 30 minutes.
But there is some good news as well.
The belcher sea snake is actually pretty docile and is not known for biting humans.
In the unfortunate case that you do manage to get bitten, it releases its venom only
it releases its venom only once in 4 bites!
So if you are looking for a poisonous pet, the belcher might be a good idea.
2.
Box Jellyfish.
Often considered the most poisonous sea creature,
the box jellyfish is one of the worst encounters you can have in the water.
But while most box jellyfish venom is not harmful to humans,
there are some which can cause a lot of damage.
The box jellyfish usually has long tentacles which grow up to 10 feet,
and the venom contained in one of these is enough to kill 60 humans.
And not only is the venom very potent, it is also very fast.
It attacks the nervous system and kills within minutes.
But the silver lining is that in case you are bitten, you probably won’t die from the poison.
The bite itself is so severe that shock will probably make you lose consciousness and drown!
Also, they have 4 brains and 60 asses for some reason!
1.
Black mamba.
They say not to judge a book by its cover.
So if you are on the lookout for a black snake with the name black mamba, you won’t find it.
The snake is actually brown in colour and are among the most dangerous creatures on earth.
Found mostly in Africa, the black mamba is actually one of the longest venomous snakes
and are also extremely fast.
They are aggressive in nature and are responsible for countless human deaths.
A bite from the Mamba would kill you within 20 minutes, but thankfully, with the discovery
of an antivenom, fatalities have gone down.
Have you ever encountered any of these poisonous animals?
Do let us know in the comments below!
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