Hey YouTube, Jim here!
Welcome to Top10 Archive!
We’re all aware of the big predators that roam our planet.
From the sharks that sometimes mistake humans for prey to ferocious lions terrorizing remote
villages, you’d be forgiven for thinking that all dangerous animals are huge.
But that’s not the case: there are plenty of tiny predators ready and willing to attack,
should you accidentally get too close for their comfort.
Which brings us to the top 10 smallest animals that can kill you!
But before we get started, why not become an archivist today by clicking that subscribe
button and notification bell so you don't miss out on any future uploads!
If you end up enjoying this video, let us know by giving it a thumbs up and in the comment
section, tell us which animal you fear the most!
10.
Blue-ringed Octopus Weighing in at an ultra-adorable 1 ounce,
and sporting super cute blue rings on its jolly orange body, the blue-ringed octopus
looks anything but deadly.
Despite being super cute though, it’s one of the most dangerous animals in the world.
These cute, killer critters are found in the Pacific and Indian oceans from Japan to Australia
and the attractive blue and black rings appear when the animal feels threatened.
So if you see them, go the other way, otherwise, you may fall victim to its incredibly potent
neurotoxin that has the power to paralyze or even kill.
The venom, known as tetrodotoxin, is released through the salivary glands.
It’s 1,000 times more dangerous than cyanide and the amount that just one blue-ringed octopus
carries can kill up to 26 people.
And, if you’re lucky enough to not die, you might end up paralyzed for up to 24 terrifying
hours.
Oh, and there’s no antidote, so if you do get bitten all you can do is seek respiratory
assistance and hope for the best.
9.
Deathstalker Scorpion Some creatures just sound terrifying, and
the deathstalker scorpion is definitely one of them.
Found in Africa and the Middle East, these guys usually use burrows abandoned by other
animals, but sometimes they find their way into houses.
The sting of a Deathstalker scorpion is extremely painful and the venom it injects into your
body can cause serious issues with your cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
It’s unlikely that a healthy adult will die from a sting, although maybe you might
die from the shock of one of them being in your house.
You should definitely seek out immediate medical attention if you do get bit, though.
8.
Geographic Cone Snail You’d be forgiven for thinking that there’s
no way a snail could be dangerous.
But you’d be dead wrong.
Of the 500 known cone snail species, the geographic cone is by far the most venomous.
They only grow to be about as big as a teacup, but their toxic venom has the power to instantly
paralyze their victims.
This is so the fish it preys on can’t swim away, which gives the slow-moving snail an
opportunity to devour it.
If you’re swimming around the reefs of the Indo-Pacific Ocean, beware, you’re in the
habitat of this tiny killer.
And if it pricks you with its harpoon-like tooth you’re in trouble.
There’s no known antivenom for the geographic cone snail, so all doctors can do is try to
keep you alive until the venom wears off.
7.
Brown Recluse Spider If you live in the Midwest or Southwest of
the United States you might want to get into the habit of checking your shoes for brown
recluse spiders.
These secretive spiders like to tuck away in warm, dry, and dark environments and have
been known to hide in closets.
The brown recluse isn’t particularly aggressive, but if you stick your foot into its hiding
place or disturb its cozy resting place in your closet, you run the risk of receiving
a defensive bite.
It can take three or more hours for the bite to develop and around three weeks to heal,
so if you or someone you know has been bitten, you’ll need to keep a close eye on the wound.
Brown recluse venom can be highly toxic and lead to severe allergic reactions, especially
in children, the elderly, or people with pre-existing medical conditions.
6.
Irukandji Jellyfish This tiny species of jellyfish only measures
a maximum of 25 millimeters or 0.98 inches, but it’s their four long tentacles you need
to be careful of.
Used mainly for incapacitating prey, if you accidentally get caught up in them you’re
in for an incredibly painful and potentially fatal sting.
Irukandji jellyfish are native to Australia and send up to 100 people to the hospital
each year.
They’ve also been responsible for two deaths and those that have been stung are reported
to beg for death because the pain is too much for them to handle.
If you’re ever unlucky enough to be injected by this deadly venom, you can expect severe
pain and confusion, potentially followed by unconsciousness, respiratory failure, and
cardiac arrest.
Is it just me, or do Australia’s oceans terrify you too??
5.
Hooded Pitohui Did you know that there are poisonous birds
in the world?
Me neither!
But back in 1989 when a scientific researcher traveled to Papua New Guinea, he stumbled
upon the Hooded Pitohui: the most poisonous bird on the planet.
And to clarify, these guys are poisonous rather than venomous as they don’t bite or sting
you to get their toxicity into you.
Although the orange and black songbird looks harmless, its feathers actually contain the
same type of toxin as the deadly Dart Frog.
They get the toxin from the type of beetles that they feed on, and if you accidentally
come into contact with one you will suffer numbness and tingling.
With too much exposure things get a lot worse, and you could experience paralysis, cardiac
arrest, and even death.
4.
Poison Dart Frog As their name suggests, poison dart frogs
are, well, poisonous.
Found in Central and South America, these tiny, brightly colored frogs may look cute
but if you happen to brush up against one it could end up being a deadly mistake.
These toxic little guys secrete poison through their skin, which is their chemical defense
against the much larger predators that live alongside them.
There are 170 different species of dart frog and the secretions from some of them are so
toxic that indigenous groups use the liquid on the tips of their blow-darts to make them
poisonous and extra deadly.
The most poisonous species is the golden poison frog, and its secretions are powerful enough
to kill twenty men or ten thousand mice.
The poison can actually benefit humans in some instances though, and one species produces
a chemical that can serve as a painkiller with a potency 200 times that of morphine.
3.
Lonomia Obliqua Caterpillar Otherwise known as the Giant Silkworm Moth,
this killer caterpillar claims several lives each year.
The species is native to South America and are most common in southern Brazil.
The coloration of it makes it incredibly hard to spot if they’re resting on the bark of
a tree, so most people accidentally come into contact with it when they learn against a
trunk covered in these stinging little monsters.
The venom is found on the caterpillar’s spines that cover its entire body, and when
they’re ingested or touched, they deliver a deadly dose.
Victims may not initially know that they’ve been stung, but the symptoms progress quickly
and within just a couple of days they can fall into a coma and eventually die.
The way it kills you is by causing extreme internal bleeding, including bleeding in the
brain.
For the best chance of survival, the spines must be removed from the victim’s skin and
they must be given the type of treatment that’s used for bleeding disorders.
So far the lonomia is said to have killed at least 500 people, and its anti-blood clotting
properties have led it to become the most studied caterpillar in the world.
2.
Japanese Giant Hornet Imagine a wasp that’s capable of growing
to more than 4 centimeters or 1.6 inches long, and that sometimes attacks as part of a group.
Sounds like something out of a horror movie, right?
Well, sadly for the residents of Japan, this terrifying creature is real and goes by the
name of the Japanese Giant Hornet.
These guys kill up to 40 people each year, as their venom can cause extreme allergic
reactions.
As a rule of thumb, you don’t need to worry if you’re only stung once, but if there
are over ten stings you need to get checked out and any more than 30 is a serious medical
emergency.
And it’s not only Japan that needs to be worried about flying striped assassins.
Killer bees were created by cross-breeding other species of bees, but more than two dozen
swarms escaped and have since spread throughout the Americas.
They’re aptly named, too: they’ve killed more than 1,000 people to date.
1.
Mosquito You probably expected to see the mosquito
at the top of this list, right?
After all, it’s the most well-known deadly creature on Earth, regardless of size.
Among other hideous diseases, these tiny bloodsuckers are responsible for spreading malaria which
causes over 600,000 deaths every year.
Malaria occurs in most tropical and sub-tropical parts of the world including Africa, Asia,
and Central and South America.
Symptoms can initially present as flu and like muscle pain, fever, and vomiting, and
it only takes a single bite to become infected.
It’s important to seek medical attention the minute symptoms are noticed, even if it’s
been months since you visited a malarial part of the world.
If doctors begin treatment quickly enough the survival rate is actually very high, but
without it, the disease can develop very quickly and can soon lead to death.
Sadly, treatment is inaccessible to many communities in many parts of the world, which is why the
death rate is so scarily high.