Top 10 Deadliest Ocean Creatures #10. Electric Eel
These creatures grow between 6 to 8 feet long and are typically distributed across northern
South America. Despite the fact that they live in the ocean, they are air breathers. They can
be solitary or they can hunt in packs. Electric eels are infamous for being able to generate
electric currents. They have three pairs of abdominal organs that generate electricity.
These organs make up four-fifths of their body and give electric eels the ability to generate
two types of electric organ discharges: low voltage and high voltage. These voltages are
used for hunting or for warding off predators. Human encounters with electric eels aren t
uncommon. On May 24, 2016, in an incident caught on camera, a fisherman in Brazil visited a muddy
pool with his friends to hunt for electric eels. To his shock, the large creature jumped out of the
pool and landed on his chest. Before it was able to discharge an 860-volt shock that would stop his
heart, he shook it off, and then his friend killed the eel with a knife. The fisherman lived to tell
the tale of this strange ambush. #9. Flower Urchin
The flower urchin is the most commonly encountered species of urchin in the ocean. It can typically
be found in coral reefs, seagrass beds, and rocky or sandy environments at depths of up
to 295 ft. Even though it typically feeds on small organisms like algae, bryozoans,
and organic detritus, it is capable of delivering extremely painful and extremely dangerous stings.
Its venom has several components and can cause symptoms like fever, blurry vision,
weakness, slowed breathing, and death. Flower urchins have been known to claim
the lives of some humans. A 54-year-old father by the name of Chris Wilson died after stepping on a
flower urchin off the coast of the East African island of Zanzibar. He had been kayaking at the
time and the sting happened so stealthily that he wasn t even aware. He began to feel
horrible as time went on, and when he reached his hotel room, he complained of being in pain.
His wife gave him some painkillers and went out to read. When she came back, he was dead.
#8. Cone snail Cone snails are a group
of predatory snails that can be found in warm or tropical oceans and seas worldwide. They live in
or near coral reefs. They use a radula tooth as a harpoon-like structure for predation. This barbed
structure injects venom known as conotoxins into victims. These conotoxins are quite potent and
cause symptoms like paralysis, blurry vision, and respiratory failure leading up to death.
On June 9, 2015, a tourism guide was stung by a cone snail off the coast of Whitsunday Island,
Australia. The 25-year-old was walking barefoot in shallow water near the beach when the cone snail's
harpoon pierced his skin. His respiratory system began to shut down and he had only a few moments
to live without intervention. Due to the heroic actions of bystanders, he managed to be airlifted
out to a hospital. Although he was in severe pain, the doctors managed to save his life.
#7. Blue-ringed Octopus Despite the small size of this creature,
it carries enough venom to kill 26 adult humans. The venom can result in nausea,
respiratory arrest, heart failure, severe and sometimes total paralysis, blindness, and can
lead to death within minutes if not treated. On December 9, 2018, a 28-year-old fisherman was
bitten by a blue-ringed octopus. The incident happened off the coast of Western Australia.
He had been pulling up a crayfish pot when the octopus whacked him.
He did not have his boots on and was completely vulnerable. With only six minutes to live,
the panic kicked in. However, lucky for him, there were some navy paramedics on the scene, who gave
him first aid. He was eventually transferred to a hospital where he was given further treatment.
#6. Box Jellyfish Stings from these species
are extremely painful and can lead to death. They can grow up to 8 inches in length, have
tentacles up to ten feet long, and can weigh up to 5 pounds. They typically hunt small fish and can
move as fast as 5 miles per hour when hunting. A woman by the name of Lisa Schroder was stung
by a box jellyfish in Townsville, Australia on April 11, 2021. She was paddleboarding with her
family when she was stung on the top half of her right leg. The sting made her feel excruciating
pain and she wanted to throw up. Her husband, present at the site, poured vinegar on the wound.
She tried to drive home herself, but the pain got so bad that she stopped in the middle of
the road. And so, a bystander called an ambulance that arrived to give her further treatment.
#5. Stingrays Stingrays have had a bad rep
ever since they took the life of Steve Irwin, one of the most beloved wildlife experts in history.
These creatures are cartilaginous fishes that are related to sharks. They can typically be found in
tropical and subtropical waters around the world. What makes them dangerous is their venom, which
they deliver through the stinger for which they are named. This venom is relatively understudied
but has been known to cause death in humans. The most infamous stingray attack happened on
September 4, 2006. Steve Irwin had been filming a show in the Great Barrier Reef off the coast
of Queensland, Australia with a small team. While handling a sting ray, the animal went berserk and
punctured his chest with its stinger. The venom probably would have been enough to take him out,
but the stinger also pierced his thoracic wall, causing massive damage. It went through his chest
like hot butter, stabbing him several times with a few seconds. While on the way to the hospital,
he died. #4. Sea Snakes
Sea snakes aren t just land snakes that live in the sea. Rather, they are a little anatomically
and physiologically different from their land counterparts. For one, they are flatter along
the lateral plane, allowing them to swim better. They also have paddle-like tails
and happen to grow between 4 to 5 feet in length. The largest species have been known
to reach lengths of up to 10 feet. They are mostly confined to the warm tropical waters of the Indian
Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. Like some of their land counterparts,
Sea Snakes are very venomous. Their bites are typically painless and the effects may not be felt
for several hours. A fisherman in Ahmedabad, India was the victim of a sea snake bite. This happened
on December 12, 2021. He had been retrieving fish nets far from the coast at the time.
Left to his own devices, he would have died, but fortunately for him, there was a coast guard boat
nearby. First aid was provided on board the boat, after which he was taken to a hospital
for further treatment. #3. Pufferfish
Unlike most other creatures on this list, pufferfish are not venomous. Instead,
they are poisonous. This means they have no way of getting their toxin into their victims unless
their victims eat them. Interestingly, pufferfish are considered a delicacy in certain parts of
the world like Japan. When prepared wrong, they have been known to cause symptoms like numbness,
swelling, dizziness, vomiting rapid heart rate, decreased blood pressure, and muscle paralysis.
If treatment is not given quickly, death will occur.
Three people died and four people were hospitalized after eating pufferfish in a small
town in the Philippines on December 29, 2020. One of the victims was a food stand vendor and
he offered a free tasting of his pufferfish meal to customers. The undercooked pieces happened to
include the liver of the creature. Moments after eating, the victims all started to vomit. Then,
they started to lose consciousness. After being rushed to the hospital,
only four of them survived. #2. Great White Shark
The great white shark can grow up to 16 feet long and can weigh up to 5000 pounds. It can
detect prey from long distances and has several rows of large teeth to crush and tear prey to
pieces. It also has special adaptations, such as countershading, that allow it to
remain undetected when approaching prey. Although sharks are known to be dangerous,
shark tourism is quite popular. Divers usually descend in cages to observe these creatures
and swim among them. This kind of activity has been known to go awry before. On January 25, 2022,
two divers descended into the shark-filled waters of Guadalupe Island in Mexico to observe
these creatures through a cage. Soon enough, an 11-feet-long shark approached them. This shark,
seeking a meal, charged at the divers and managed to get its head through the bars.
Lucky for the divers, the shark got stuck and could not proceed beyond a certain point. The
shark eventually died after getting stuck and the divers were able to get away.
#1. Killer Whale Killer whales are also
known as Orcas. In spite of their name, they are not whales but are rather dolphins. They are also
apex predators and are fantastic at tracking down and killing their prey. Other than minor conflicts
with great white sharks, there are few creatures that can give them any trouble. They can grow up
to 26 feet long and can weigh up to 8000 pounds. Even though some orcas are kept in captivity,
they never lose their aggressive nature. A 40-year-old SeaWorld trainer by the name of Dawn
Brancheau was killed by a 12000-pound 22-foot orca known as Tilikum. In a prolonged attack
that happened in February 2010, the creature dragged the trainer to the bottom of the pool
and completely mauled her. It severed her spinal cord and then crashed her ribs and jaws.
Would you rather step on a Pufferfish or have to swim away from a Great White Shark?