W B Australia is an oceanic country with extravagant landscapes embellished with really incredible animals. Its fauna isn’t only made up of beautiful animals, but it also has some that are extremely poisonous. So much so, that even a slight touch is enough to kill you. Keep your eyes wide open and join us in this dangerous adventure.
#10 SHORT-TAIL STINGRAY
Traveling through the beaches of exotic Australia you’ll come across one of the most threatening creatures on this continent: the short-tailed stingray. Its usually brownish gray with small white spots on the lower half of its body that can reach 169.29 feet in length. Really intimidating! But don’t worry, this fish feeds only on plankton, squid, crustaceans and smaller fishes. Many may be familiar with this marine species because of its powerful stinger located in the middle of its tail. If you look closely, you can witness that its powerful sting is made up of small serrated teeth, which give it the ability to traverse and hurt its victim with great force. Manta rays have a sting drenched with powerful poison. This particular substance was the one that ended up killing famous Australian researcher, Steve Irwin, because it was embedded directly in his chest, causing a cardiac arrest and, therefore, death. Dramatic, don’t you think?
#9 KIMBERLEY DEATH ADDER
This is one of the deadliest snakes in Northwest Australia and all over the world. Its body is short, robust and its powerful head is pointed pear shaped, making it look intimidating. The Kimberley Death Adder is orange-brown colored on the back and sides of its scaly body. Simon Maddock is the head researcher from the London’s Natural History Museum, who explains that they rediscovered the Kimberley Death Adder as a new species when working and researching genetic and ecological analyzes of snakes. It was exactly in the area of Kimberley, in the Western part of Australia, where they found this nice, poisonous and fearsome snake. A finding to fear!
#8 EASTERN BROWN SNAKE
The eastern brown snake, commonly known as the brown snake, bears the title of being the second most poisonous earth snake in the world. Are you afraid? This snake lives in the Australian eastern coast, being the reptile that has caused the most damage and deaths in the area. This fearsome snake likes to be active during the day, so it is known as a diurnal snake. When it feels threatened, it stands, making the classic “S” shape upwards, giving it a larger and more threatening appearance. The brown snake is the deadliest and most poisonous representative of the Pseudonaja genus, being astonishingly 12 times more poisonous than the famous Indian Naja Naja cobra. The venom of this reptile is made up of neurotoxins that may take a while to manifest, but they eventually present symptoms such as cardiorespiratory failure and intravascular coagulation.
#7 CANE TOAD
Following the path through the exotic and dangerous Australian species, here’s a small but fearsome amphibian. The famous cane toad, also known as the marine toad which belongs to the Bufonidae family. Being native to Central and South America, this poisonous amphibian arrived in Australia in 1935 directly from Hawaii. The main reason why it was introduced into the oceanic country was because of the cane beetle plague. It was exactly 102 cane toads that were introduced in Australia with the objective of controlling and exterminating the native beetles. The inhabitants never thought that the animals that offered so much support would end up becoming the new national plague. Ironic, right? That is why this toad is featured in “100 of the most harmful invasive exotic species in the world”, which was made by the International Union for Conservation of Nature – IUCN. This cane toad’s famous poison is expelled through its parotid glands, the same ones that are found around its eyes and back. This poison, that is called bufotoxin, is secreted only when the amphibian feels threatened. It can kill both animals and humans. Don’t even dare touching it!
#6 GEOGRAPHY CONE
Setting aside the threatening Australian lands, we shall return to the Oceanic Ocean and submerge ourselves for a few moments. This is where we’ll fine the cone snail also known as Geography cone. This animal is really dangerous despite being calm and benevolent. We really mean it! The cone snail has the most toxic sting among all the conus species. Such is the magnitude of its threatening poison that it has managed to end the lives of more than 30 people, because it is made up of multiple and different types of toxins, all of them expelled by means of their radula, a kind of harpoon that stretches out of its body when attacking. You should know that there is currently no antidote for the snail cone bite, the only resource that can save you is to exterminate the terrible toxins from your body through a special treatment. It isn’t a good idea to try your luck, so we recommend you not to challenge this scary little Australian snail either. Not even those in your garden!
#5 ESTUARINE STONEFISH
Already settled in the warm waters of the Australian Sea, it will be reason enough to pay a visit to a curious and fearsome fish. That’s the famous stonefish. It may seem to be one more stone in a reef at first glance, but be careful. This is their main strategy to camouflage themselves and not be found by their victims and humans alike. Their diet is distinctly carnivorous, so any small fish that prowls its habitat will be easy prey for this dangerous marine species. The poison of the stone fish is released through its powerful, sharp and fearsome thorns located in the back. If you ever walk the colorful Australian coral reefs, it will be better to go with cement shoes since the force exerted by this fish and the poison that it releases through its thorns could end up destroying your nervous system. Even worse! If you were to get stung in the abdomen or chest it could be the last thing you ever felt. Literally!
#4 SYDNEY FUNNEL-WEB SPIDER
This arachnid is one of the most poisonous species of the lush Australia. The Sidney spider is also popularly known as “funnel-web spider”. It is common to see it prowling the city of Sydney in a 62 miles radius. The bite of this monstrous species is capable of causing the most terrible injuries and even death if not treated promptly. If you’re used to seeing small spiders coming down from the ceiling, this one will terrify you since its small and mutant looking. This spider’s poison is composed of a substance known as atracotoxin, which is responsible for attacking cells of the human body mainly, becoming very toxic both for us and for any animal around them.
#3 GREATER BLUE-RINGED OCTOPUS
We’ll need to dive in the Australian sea to find yet another poisonous species. In the area of the colorful and majestic coral reefs, you’ll find the smaller great blue-ringed octopus, a cephalopod mollusk that can measure up to twice the size of a golf ball. Now, if you’re unlucky enough to get poisoned by this animal, our deepest condolences: there is no antidote on Earth that can save you. The main substance of its potent poison is tetrodotoxin, which is responsible for blocking the sodium channels in the body’s cells, causing motor paralysis. This powerful toxin exists thanks to a bacteria present in the cephalopod’s salivary glands, the reason why this octopus possesses those characteristic blue rings around its body. Pretty cute and deadly, don’t you think?
#2 INLAND TAIPAN SNAKE
This reptile is popularly known as the western Taipan or small-scaled snake. It is known for being the most poisonous terrestrial snake on the planet. You heard it right! A simple bite of the Taipan can contain enough poison to kill 125 people or 253 thousand mice. Impossible? Well, not really! The poison that this fearsome reptile has is 200 to 500 times more harmful than that of the Rattlesnake and 50 times more harmful than a cobra. The power of the Taipan’s poison is capable of killing a human in barely 45 minutes.
#1 SEA WASP
The Australian sea is always known for surprising us and this next creature won’t be the exception. The sea wasp, or popularly known as box jellyfish, belongs to the Chirodropidae family. It lives specifically on the Australian Sea shores and is considered the deadliest living species on the planet. Scared? I am! The sea wasp is square-shaped, has 60 translucent tentacles that glow in the dark. But be very careful, if its extensive tentacles touch you, you’ll experience incredible pain, burning, small cramps and painful electric touches. If the poison of the sea wasp enters the bloodstream in large quantities, it is very likely that your body suffers a complete shock and shuts down, causing a cardiac arrest that will end your life in a matter of seconds. You won’t ever want to swim again!
If you liked this top don’t forget to comment and share this post with your friends who love danger. See you in the next adventure!
