Look at this beautiful shell.
What a great souvenir
from your trip to the beach.
Uh Uh. Not so fast, my friend.
Inside these tiny,
marvelous figures
hides the most venomous creature
on the planet.
Each of these snails
has the potential to kill 700 humans.
And even more frightening,
just by swimming
close to its spiral shell
you can fall under its spell.
Cone snails are small mollusks
that can measure
from 2 to 29 cm (1 to 11 in)
and thrive in tropical waters
near coral reefs.
The most dangerous species
hunt fish using a long
and fast-moving harpoon
that injects a powerful venom,
capable of immediately
paralyzing the victim.
Then, the snail
starts eating it alive.
Unfortunately,
this venom
is also extremely deadly to humans.
To come across this tiny killer,
you must be an outdoor enthusiast
who takes amazing nature photographs.
What?
You're not?
Fortunately for you,
Skillshare gives you access to the masterclass
"Nature Photography:
Recharge and Enjoy the Outdoors"
by professional photographer
Tabitha Park,
along with thousands of other classes
to explore your creativity,
learn new skills and polish your passion.
Skillshare is an online
learning community
where you can satisfy your curiosity
for creative disciplines,
not just photography.
You can take courses on illustration,
graphic design, animation and,
of course, self-development.
We use it to polish our visual storytelling
with courses like
"YouTube Success: Script, Shoot & Edit"
by famous YouTuber Marques Brownlee.
We've learned
how to get the most out of our gear
and we’ve also taken some tips from him
to grow our online community.
Thanks, buddy.
But that's our journey.
What's the skill
you've been waiting to improve?
Painting? Singing? Meditation?
There's everything on Skillshare.
The first 1,000 people
who click on our link
will get a whole month of Skillshare for free.
Don't waste a second
and start leveling up your career
or passion.
Ok. Now, back to this killer snail.
Are you wearing any shoes?
During their lifetime,
cone snails build
a beautiful shell
that would almost lure you
into grabbing them.
You should avoid doing this
like the plague.
In April 2019,
a 19-year-old TikTok user
known as Jono
from Queensland, Australia,
thought he had found
what would be the most amazing piece
in his shell collection.
In reality, he almost met his demise.
He picked it up thinking it was empty,
but after recording this video,
the snail stung him.
As he later stated,
he was "nearly killed at the beach."
Don't pick up
these spiral-shaped shells
without heavy-duty gloves,
no matter how pretty they are.
You don't have to be curious
to get killed by these tiny predators.
Just being inattentive is enough.
Some of these creatures
burrow in the sand,
waiting for fish to approach.
But imagine you're taking a walk
in shallow water
and inadvertently step on one of them,
as a 25-year-old Australian man
did in 2015.
Quickly, his respiratory system
began to shut down.
Considering the incoming tide
making landing nearby difficult,
it was hard to think
he would be rescued in time.
But before we continue his story,
try wearing sandals
when walking through
shallow tropical waters.
As with other deadly venomous stings,
panicking can trigger
increased blood flow
and will only cause the venom
to spread through your body
and kill you even faster.
Since survivors of this killer
consider the pain "unbearable",
it might be difficult,
but you'll need to remain calm.
Put pressure on the area
you've been stung
by wrapping something around it
to slow the spread of the venom.
But staying calm
doesn't mean you shouldn't rush to the hospital.
Cone snail venom
is made up of
about 100,000 bioactive compounds.
It's so complex
that it's been impossible
to create an antivenom for it.
And in case you were wondering,
it acts so fast
that there have been
36 fatalities recorded.
Remember the 25-year-old Australian?
Well, he suffered respiratory issues
and was found convulsing in pain.
Since the rising water levels
made it impossible
for an emergency helicopter
to pick him up directly at the scene,
an inflatable boat was needed
to bring him to the chopper
before being taken to the hospital.
This fascinating and deadly snail
has developed very sophisticated
hunting techniques.
One involves releasing
insulin-based toxins
into the water
when prey is nearby.
This lowers its target's blood sugar,
making it slower and easier to attack.
And guess what?
A team from the U.S.
National Institutes of Health
discovered that these toxins
are capable of also
affecting humans.
So, if you start feeling a little dizzy,
it's time to get out of the water, my friend.
Unfortunately,
you're not safe from venomous creatures
even on dry land.
Like the world's most venomous spider
who lives
inside the bunch of bananas
you just bought at the supermarket.
Could you avoid its nasty bite?
Keep watching, here at How to Survive.