Here are 10 of the world’s most venomous creatures.
Nature can be a rough place. As a means of survival, many of its inhabitants are equipped with arsenals of poison they can deploy at will. Some have more advanced weaponry than others.
Here are 10 of the world’s most venomous creatures.
Number 10. Platypus. Don’t let its goofy appearance distract you. This duck-billed mammal has over 80 ways to harm you, and all of them involve toxins. Depending upon which one it decides to deliver, the effects can range from inflammation to nerve damage.
Number 9. Brazilian Wandering Spider. Regarded as the world’s deadliest spider, some of them have venom powerful enough to kill a mouse with just a single teeny tiny drop. They can cause human fatalities, too, but thankfully there’s an antivenom available.
Number 8. Blue-ringed Octopus. They’re not always covered in brilliant blue spots. Those only show up when they’re very angry and probably about to kill you. One bite can paralyze and eliminate a full-grown person in minutes. Even if there was time to administer a poison-reversing serum, there’s no such thing in existence.
Number 7. Portuguese Man O’ War. What looks like a jellyfish is really a connected mass of small organisms. Their combined power allows them to produce a toxin that disables their prey, making for an easier catch. Any barefooted person who steps on one, even if it’s dead, is in for a whole lot of really unforgettable agony.
Number 6. Stonefish. Here’s one reef dweller nobody wants to see. Not only is it ugly, putting pressure on it with say, a foot, can cause the release of a fatal poison. There’s an antivenom, but before it kicks in the pain is said to be so extreme that victims pleading for amputation is not unheard of.
Number 5. Box Jellyfish. This is a big creature that’s always at the ready to cause even bigger problems. A single sting is enough to send a person into cardiac arrest, and it’s estimated that at least a hundred people die from their attacks every year.
Number 4. Inland Taipan. If you’ve ever wondered which snake would be the worst one to run into, this could well be it. It’s the world’s most poisonous, and one single bite has enough toxic power to claim the lives of 100 adult men.
Number 3. Belcher's Sea Snake. This reptile’s style is quite low-key. There’s no significant pain involved in being bitten by one, but don’t think for a minute that its gentle touch means it isn’t dangerous. Before long the neurotoxins it released into your body will cause spreading paralysis and ultimately suffocation.
Number 2. Pufferfish. Part efficient killer, part delicacy, one of the most popular places one will find this creature is on a high-end sushi menu. Its preparation is best left to the experts as if it isn’t done correctly, the person doing the eating could very well die. In fact, a single puffer has enough neurotoxin in it to kill 30 restaurant patrons.
Number 1. Poison Dart Frog. They’re brightly colored and pocket-sized, but you must resist the temptation to pick one up. They administer their poison through their skin, so handling the pretty little amphibian could be the last thing you ever do.
Which venomous creature do you think is the most menacing?
