Swimming in the salty waters of oceans and seas, parasailing, surfing and diving are always excellent pastime activities. However, in addition to the extraordinary experience they provide for enthusiasts, the saltwater also accommodates numerous dangerous creatures, some of which can even prove fatal for humans. While not all of them will attack you unprovoked and this guide does not mean to spoil the thrill of the vacation you were planning in a tropical location, some sea creatures are best avoided. Here’s a quick list of the deadliest ones you can encounter.
1. The Stonefish, the camouflaged assassin
This particular sea creature is currently considered to wield the most potent poison in the world. However, it would probably be less dangerous for humans – especially because it is not known for its aggressive behavior – if it weren’t for its incredible camouflage capabilities. The poisonous spikes (all 13 of them) are located on the back of the Stonefish, which means that you can easily step on them by mistake. At the same time, since the rocks on the bottoms of the seas and coral reefs constitute their favorite habitat, people are even more prone to accidental poisoning that causes paralysis, muscle atrophy and even death, not to mention the excruciatingly painful sensation.
2. Lionfish, the lance wielding menace
There are numerous varieties of the Scorpaenidae fish species and they can be found in virtually all seas and oceans around the world, in one form or another. The Lionfish is frequently encountered in the Pacific and Indian oceans and it is equipped with highly poisonous lance-like spines. While their sting rarely proves fatal for a human, the effects are definitely unpleasant and include vomiting, nausea, headache and severe pains.
3. Sea urchins, the hedgehogs of saltwater masses
The sea urchin is essentially a large collection of extremely sharp spines that you should steer clear of. The flower sea urchin is highly venomous in spite of his flower-like appearance and numerous death cases as the result of its poison have been recorded. However, even getting stung by the non-venomous varieties is dangerous, because the needles can break inside the skin/tissue and will necessitate a surgical intervention.
4. Catfish have nothing to do with cuddliness
Other than the funny whiskers, catfish have nothing to do with your cute house animal. Well, not if you don’t count the claws which, for the catfish, come in the form of poisonous barbed spines. Few deaths resulting from catfish poisoning have been recorded so far, but a noteworthy fact is that their powerful venom stays active in the victim for the next few days. This entails that you can contract the poison from eating other fish that have been stung, even when the meat has been refrigerated properly.
5. Box Jellyfish, the toxic mini-octopuses
It may be difficult to believe that a primitive form of life like the box jellyfish can secrete such a powerful toxin, but you can definitely take them as proof for the theory of evolution. Because they did not develop an external armor, their body is highly vulnerable to even the smallest fish. However, their 60 tentacles that come equipped with approximately 5,000 stinging cells and measure up to 5m for an adult box jellyfish constitute a powerful protection mechanism. Their presence in the vicinity of beaches as well as their translucent body are the two factors that really make these sea creatures dangerous for humans.
Scorpions live mostly in the Tropical Rainforest. They largely eat insects and spiders. Their enemies are snakes and animals that are larger than them. Interestingly enough, the female kills and eats the male scorpion after mating.
Eucalyptus Oil is a very powerful substance to drive away the rodents or any other insects. Eucalyptus is a tree which is normally a huge and tall tree with sleek and long leaves. The oil extracted from the eucalyptus leaf is a very powerful and useful substance to sprinkle all around the home. The fragrance of the eucalyptus oil is soothing to human nose but they are too strong for those small rodents. So this normally keeps away the rodents from your home and the danger of destruction of property.
This is very important aspect of keeping the rodents away. Heap of clothes creates a dirty and clumsy atmosphere in the room or the house in general which makes it easy for the rodents to settle down at your home. This would be really disgusting for you to discover at a later stage that the clothes are destroyed. This also allows the rodents to build a home for themselves at your home and at a later stage they spread all over. Therefore, make sure you don’t have any heap of clothes stored for longer time.
This is also an important aspect of driving away the rodents. Empty boxes are the best place for the rodents to make home in. Make sure you don’t leave any empty boxes at home. If you have to keep boxes, fold the boxes and keep it safe. Most of the times the rodents like the rats search for empty spaces like a box so as to they can build their home and give birth to more rats. Therefore, try to not keep any empty boxes at your home.
This is also a very important aspect which will keep the rodents away. If you keep the heap of clothes or any sort of paper heaps in a particular spot without moving the heap, rodents would find it comfortable enough to settle in those heaps. If you keep moving the heap every alternate day, the rodents if any would be noticed and can driven away. So, try moving the dumped clothes or the heap of papers at a regular interval.
Cleaning is very important to stop any kind of rodents to settle in your house. Cleaning a room or the entire house twice a month is a good habit. It keeps away even any kind of insects from home. This is absolutely necessary aspect of driving away the rodents. Rodents do not normally like clean places and as a result they won’t settle in your house if you keep it as clean as possible.
With it’s ability to change colours in accordance with the environment, temperature and the light around it, the Chameleon has become the generic term for quick changes of moods and colour. How we wish we could also easily change from red to white or green or blue as and when we feel like it!
Butterflies have always been graceful and beautiful, but the Monarch Butterfly is extra special. It’s magnificent colours are a warning against predators and enemies since the wings are poisonous.
Usually these salmon are blue and silver in colour, but just before the spawning season they turn into green and red colours. Beautiful in any colour, they are found mainly in the Northern Pacific ocean and in the rivers discharging into it.
These fish can be red, orange, yellow or black in colour and often have white bands or patches covering them. Even though they look great, beware of them since they are generally covered in slime. They live among the anemone in the sea and the slime protects them from the sting of the anemone.
With feet which range from a pale turquoise to a deep aquamarine, these birds are generally clumsy on land but are great seabirds. The brighter the colour of their feet, the greater the attraction for the female birds!
African Cichlids are found in Victoria, Malawi and Tanganyika. They can grow to length of seven inches and are usually blue in color. Because they are bred in freshwater lakes, they can survive in aquariums which means that you can raise them if you like. African Cichlids are quite aggressive and want their water to have the perfect pH level.
Parrotfish are extremely colorful- their bodies are streaked with different shades of green, orange, purple and blue. Their tails practically glow with the colors and sometimes their patterns are placed in such a way that it looks like they’re smiling! They have strong beaks which they use to eat the other fish and keep the food cycle going.
If you have seen Finding Nemo and fallen in love with Dory, you will know what a Regal Tang looks like! They have bright blue bodies that are sometimes streaked with black and lime yellow tails and fins.
This fish has been named quite suitably because it is truly gorgeous to look at. A thin portion from its eyes to its fin is orange and the rest is navy while a lining of bright blue can also be found in some species.
This fish looks like it has literally burst into flames. It is orange and black and looks quite disinterested most of the times. Its tail is a slightly lighter orange when compared to its body. The part where the fin begins is usually electric blue in color. If you want to buy one, keep in mind that its behavior is quite fickle and erratic.
Regular vultures are revolting looking with their large bodies and black feathers. However, the King Vulture is very colorful- half of it is black and the rest is white. Its head is streaked with colors like purple, red, yellow and orange.
The Japanese Spider Crab is gigantic and can weigh up to 20 kilograms. Not only that, but it can reach a height of 13 feet and live more than a 100 years! If you want to have nightmares for the rest of your life, you should look for this creature’s photograph.
These scorpions are quite different from the kinds we are used to. They can spray chemicals like formic acid and octanoic acid as well as acetic acid! They are black with massive whips and you will find yourself running for your life if you happen to see one.
These fish like to swim upside-down. According to studies, they do this because they want to consume those particles that are too light to sink to the bottom of the ocean. While most fish have darker upper bodies and lighter bottoms, these catfish are upside down in that respect too!
This moth looks like a mosquito but has two needle-like structures that protrude out of its head. They like to suck on blood and are extremely ugly and usually yellow in color. If you happen to see a Vampire Moth drinking your blood, do not panic- you will not contract any disease. You will be alarmed because it is not too normal too look at but that’s not as important.
This animal is definitely the tiniest most dangerous animal on Earth as it transmits malaria. This disease leads to about 3 million deaths on a yearly basis. These mosquitoes also transmit yellow fever and dengue.
Even though you may live to tell the tale after getting bitten by a bullet ant, it is an experience that you will never forget. The pain is excruciated and lass for 24 hours. There are certain rituals in some parts of the world wherein young boys are told to keep their hands in gloves that are filled with bullet ants as this marks their entry into adulthood.
Individually these ants are not dangerous but can be when they are found in swarms. They are native to Asia and Africa and tend to build anthills as they travel. These ants are dangerous because they can enter a person’s lungs and suffocate him to death. They will enter your house if you leave food uncovered for extended periods of time.
This spider’s venom could kill a human being almost instantly as it is not only effective but is secreted in large amounts. The females are bigger and are known to bite the male’s head off after the mating ritual is over.
Deathstalker belongs to the scorpion family and is dangerous becomes its venom is extremely poisonous. The irony is that the venom also has the ability to remove a tumor from the brain and fight against diabetes in human beings.
Argentinosaurus is the largest dinosaur whose giant size is supported by evidence. Its remains were found in Argentina and it is named after the same place. It is a giant eater of plants which measured about 120 feet from head to tail. Its weight must have been about 100 tons.
Named after the Greek ocean god, Sauroposeidon was also one of the largest dinosaurs. It is said to have weight over 60 tons. This dinosaur was the tallest because evidence proves that it neck alone was 40 feet long!
Spinosaurus had a mouth similar to that of a crocodile and was also a very heavy animal. This dinosaur was a heavy meat eater and its sail which was an extension of its skin helped it to cool faster. It was also known to be very tall.
This dinosaur was named after the Aztec god having wings namely Quetzalcoatl. Its wingspan was about 45 feet and it was one of the largest creatures to have lived on this planet. Research hints that this dinosaur may not have filed and must have had a purely land based existence.
This pliosaur has mixed features of the shark and orca and has thick jaws and large flippers plus a heavy body. They reached a height of over 50 feet, and are thought to have weighed over 30 tens equivalent to the weight of an adult whale.
Although ‘box jellyfish’ denotes the entire Cubozoa class, the most dangerous of them all is the deadly Chironex fleckeri. The venom of this species is the most deadly in the animal kingdom and is reported to be able to kill 60 humans within a period of 3 minutes.
The venom of this dangerous sea snake is several times more potent and deadly than the most venomous land snake. The bite itself is painless and may even go unnoticed by the victim. Symptoms start showing around after half an hour of the bite, and if immediate medical attention is not received, the victim goes into cardiac arrest after six to twelve hours.
Crocodiles are territorial and they do not like intruders. They have been known to attack small boats and canoes and result in human deaths. Though you may argue that this is not exactly an aquatic animal, it hardly matters when you are been attacked by in water.
All of us are familiar with the Great White – the popular star of the movie “Jaws”. Great Whites are expert hunters and know how to immobilize prey and render them helpless while they finish them off. There are reported incidents of Great Whites being responsible for the deaths of innocent swimmers off the coast of USA.
This common name refers to several octopus species of the genus Hapalochlaena – small and beautiful octopuses that have a venom powerful enough to kill humans.
These shrimps are a taxon of tropical shrimp in the super family Palaemonoidea. They are colorful and hugely popular for aquariums. Harlequin Shrimps dwell in coral reefs found mostly near the beaches of Australia on the sides of the Great Barrier Reef. These grow up to 2 inches in length and have unusual front legs that are shaped like paddles.
These animals are called “Dumb octopuses” because of the ear-like fins protruding from the top of their head-like bodies and resembling Walt-Disney’s flying elephant character. These animals live at very deep depths like 3000 to 4000 meters and feed on, bivalves, pelagic copepods, and other crustaceans. This species of octopuses can flush the transparent layer of their skin at will.
Commonly known as Christmas tree worms are small, have their biological name as Spirobranchus giganteus. These are tube-building polychaete worms belonging to the family Serpulidae. The worms’ most distinct features are the two “crowns” that are shaped like Christmas-trees.
It is the most popular species of Natalius. Its shell shows the natural beauty as a mixture of colors and perfect equiangular spirals shell and exhibiting counter shading, being light on the bottom, and dark on top. It also has a great importance in art and literature since the Renaissance period .The Chambered Nautilus is the title and subject of a poem by Oliver Wendell Holmes.
The whale shark is the biggest fish in the world. It’s often confused with a whale which is wrong. Some of the characteristics of Whale Shark are wide and flat head, small eyes, very large gill slits, dorsal fins and pectoral fins. The whale shark is up to 46 feet (14 m), weighing up to 15 tons. The whale shark has light-yellow markings on its very thick dark gray skin which are very distinct.
