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Lurking in the ocean depths, the heart of jungles, the desert sands, or just under your feet, venomous animals strike fear into the hearts of humans around the world. Although most won't attack people unless provoked, the sting, bite, or puncture from some of these scary critters definitely can kill. The Brazilian wandering spiders belong to the genus Phoneutria. They're the most venomous spiders in the world and an arachnophobe's worst nightmare. Luckily, these spiders can bite without transferring venom and most people who are bitten with venom don't die.
i Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images The stonefish (genus Synanceia) deliver their venom through spines in their dorsal fins. These predators have been named the most venomous fish in the world. Most people who are stung by a stonefish don't die, and an antivenin is available; however, the pain from the venom can be extreme. Each golden poison dart frog (Phyllobates terribilis) contains enough poison in its body to kill 10 humans. Wild poison dart frogs live exclusively in the rain forests of Colombia. Although the golden poison dart frog has only one natural predator other than humans, serious habitat destruction has put them on the endangered species list.
i Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images Tetraodontidae is a genus of fish that includes 120 deadly species. One pufferfish contains enough of its venom, called tetrodotoxin, to kill 30 humans. No antidote to this toxin has been developed. Many people die each year in Japan from eating pufferfish meat, which is considered a delicacy in that country. The geographic cone snail (Conus geographus) is the most poisonous of the cone snails. These animals deliver their poison through a sharp, hollow tooth they shoot out from under their shells. Several humans have been killed by its sting and no antivenin exists.
i Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Getty Images Because this scorpion kills about half of its prey victims when it strikes, the deathstalker (Leiurus quinquestriatus) is considered extremely deadly. When a human is bitten the scorpion's venom causes fever, convulsions, and blood pressure spikes, and the lungs fill with fluid. Resulting heart and/or respiratory failure can lead to death if no antivenin is administered.
i Jupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images The spectacled cobra (Naja naja) is the snake most likely to kill a person in India. Although the king cobra is more venomous, it lives in isolated jungle areas away from human populations, whereas the spectacled cobra lives in a wider variety of places, often much closer to people. A bite from the inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) can kill an adult in under 45 minutes. These snakes, also called "fierce snakes," hold enough venom in reserve to kill 100 people. These somewhat unassuming-looking snakes are native only to the Australian outback. They are the most venomous snakes in the world, but few people ever die from their bites because they're reclusive in nature and antivenin is available. Three species of blue-ringed octopus live in the Pacific Ocean: Hapalochlaena lunulata, Hapalochlaena maculosa, and Hapalochlaena fasciata. All of these cephalopods are highly venomous. The octopus' poison kills by causing respiratory and heart failure. No antivenin has been created for this poison, which is stronger than that of any land animal.
i Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images Delicate and graceful, no one would suspect just by looking at it that the box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) is the deadliest venomous animal on the planet. They earn this title because their venom can kill a person in under 3 minutes. Stings from box jellyfish kill several people per year, and about one per year in Australia.
The world is dangerous, there's no way around it. Some organisms, to deal with the Earth's hostility, have developed defenses more direct than their teeth and claws. The terms poison and venom are usually used similarly, but they truly have very different meanings. Below are five animals that have utilized the chemical warfare of toxins, poisons, and venoms, to their own advantage; these animals would certainly kill you in a hurry. 1. Box JellyfishThe box jellyfish won the top prize for "The World Most Venomous Animal," (life scientists have dropped the "fish" from "jellyfish" as it is misnamed). Since 1954, it has led to not less than 5,567 recorded deaths. Its toxins attack the nervous system, skin cells, and heart. And the unfortunate part of it is that venom of box jelly is so undeniably painful, that its human victims go into shock immediately, and suffocate or die of heart failure before even getting to the shore. Survivors go through pain weeks after an encounter with box jellies. The world's longest venomous snake is the King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) - growing up to 18.5 ft (5.6 m) in length. Ophiophagus means "snake-eater," because it eats other snakes (related to the King Snake). Just a bite can lead to the death of a healthy grown-up human within 15 minutes. This snake is capable of killing an adult Asian Elephant within 3 hours if the bigger animal is bitten in an area that is vulnerable like the trunk. Also Read: 45 Most Dangerous Animals In The World 3. Marbled Cone SnailThis little adorable looking cone snail can be as dangerous as any other animal on this list. A drop of its venom is enough to kill over 20 humans. If you ever happen to be in a warm saltwater environment - a place these snails are commonly found and see it, don't even try picking it up. Of course, the true use of its venom is to capture its prey, and not to kill you. The Blue-Ringed Octopus is tiny, just the size of a golf ball, but its venom is enough to kill a human. It possesses enough poison to kill 26 grown-up humans within few minutes, and there is no antitoxin. They are presently known as one of the most venomous animals in the world. Its pain-free bite may appear harmless, but the deadly neurotoxins start working instantly leading to numbness, muscular weakness, accompanied by a cessation and breathing, and death. They can be seen in tide pools in the Pacific Ocean, from Japan to Australia. Many scorpions are relatively nontoxic to humans as stings bring about only local effects such as numbness, pain, or swelling). However, the Death Starker Scorpion is a very dangerous specie because its venom is a powerful cocktail of neurotoxins that leads to intense and intolerable pain, then fever, accompanied by coma, convulsions, paralysis, and death. Sadly, while a sting from this scorpion is intensely painful, it would be improbable to kill a healthy, grown-up human Related Article: Beware: Top 6 Surprisingly Venomous Animals For more news, updates about venomous animals and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News! © 2022 NatureWorldNews.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Mother Nature has bestowed many wild and wonderful means upon her animals for defending themselves, but none of these methods, quite literally strike more fear into the hearts of humans than deadly venom. Find out which creatures carry the deadliest brew of toxins and are ready to strike! Before you dig your fangs into this collection you might want to remind yourself what is the difference between poison and venom. Most venomous fish – the stonefishLurking in the costal waters of the Indo-Pacific region lays the stonefish, a deadly fish that secretes its toxic venom from large spines that stick out of their dorsal fins when threatened. If you are unlucky enough to stomp on this camouflaged creature, the amount of venom it will squirt is proportional to the pressure you give, so tread lightly if you want to survive. It is also tremendously ugly – avoid! Most venomous snake – the Inland taipanSnakes always slither and slide their way into stories of the deadliest animals on the planet, but the one that packs the most venomous punch in its pincers is the inland taipan, found in some of the most remote parts of Australia. The deadly cocktail of neurotoxins, haemotoxins, myotxins and enzymes found within the inland taipan’s jaws make it drop-for-drop the most lethal snake venom, with one bite enough to kill 100 adults. But don’t ssssstart ssssssshivering in your boots if you’re planning a trip to Oz, these snake are not very common and are, quite frankly, sissies that are much more likely to slink away before injecting you with their terrifying toxins. Most venomous spider – the Brazilian wandering spiderAs if spiders weren’t terrifying enough, with their eight gangly legs, multitude of creepy eyes and ability to scuttle into every nook and cranny of the house, some of them are deadly! Fortunately, none of the spiders that are native to the UK will deliver a deadly dose of venom – you have to travel to Brazil for that luxury. There you can come eye-to-eyes with the deadly Brazilian wandering spider, with toxin so strong that it can kill a mouse with only 6 micrograms of venom. To put that into perspective, you would need 110 micrograms of venom from the notorious black widow to kill the same mouse. The effects of being bitten by the Phoneutria nigriventer range from paralysis, painful inflammation, loss of muscle control and even priapism. If you’re scratching you head as to what a priapism is then we’ll just let you work it out from what scientists are using the venom to help cure – erectile dysfunction. The effects of the wandering spider’s venom can lead to death, but there is effective antivenom available, so it is not common to hear of fatalities. Most venomous ant - The Maricopa harvester antOne nip on the leg from one of these angry ants is likely to fill your boots with what is believed to be the strongest insect venom in the world. It takes only 12 stings from the Pogonomyrmex Maricopa to see off a 2kg rat, and in humans the intense pain can last up to four hours. If that wasn’t enough, one of the chemical compounds of the venom releases a pheromone that alerts all the other ants in the area to come in for an attack. It’s not just ants in your pants if you see one of these coming for you… Most venomous mammal – the platypusvia GIPHY We know it sounds a bit weird having mammals on the list when so far it has been filled with weird creepy-crawlies, but believe us, there is an unusual mammal out with a sting in its tail - ok, we mean claws. The Australian platypus is one of the most bizarre mammals on the planet, what with laying eggs and having a duck’s bill, so it comes as no surprise that they also have a spur in their hind legs that secretes venom into their unwitting victims. Fortunately it is non-lethal for humans, though the pain is apparently excruciating. It is believed that because the venom only really becomes active in males during the mating season, it is less of a defensive mechanism and more a way of showing who is boss to other competitors. And you thought going out on the town on a Saturday night was risky enough… Most venomous crustacean - Xibalbanus tulumensisShellfish are another animal we rarely associate with being venomous, and for good reason – so far we have only discovered one venomous crustacean from a list of 70,000. The Xibalbanus tulumensis, a tiny remipede that lives in anchialine caves on the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, liquefies the body of its victim using venom similar to that of the rattlesnake, and is filled with paralysing toxins and digestive enzymes. Don’t worry if you do happen to find yourself swimming in the waters of the Caribbean Sea - at only 30mm long this venomous critter is nothing to worry about. Find out how scientists are using animal venom to create a new generation of wonder drugs in the February 2016 issue of BBC Focus magazine. Follow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard |