The Most Venomous Animals
Which is the most venomous animal of the world? Is it a spider? A snake? Or a scorpion? Even though you might think of spiders and scorpions first: The most venomous animal is very fragile!
The Most Venomous Animals in the World
| Category | Animal | Poison could kill: |
|---|---|---|
| Most venomous jellyfish | Sea wasp | up to 250 people |
| Most venomous snake | Fierce snake | 100-200 people |
| Most venomous fish | Blowfish | 24-30 people |
| Most venomous octopus | Blue-ringed octopus | 10-26 people |
| Most venomous snail | Marble cone | 20 people |
| Most venomous frog | Golden poison frog | 10 people |
| Most venomous sea snake | Dubois’ sea snake | |
| Most venomous stonefish | Stonefish | |
| Most venomous scorpion fish | Fire fish | |
| Most venomous ray | Grey stingray, American stingray |
|
| Most venomous spider | Brazilian wandering spider *, Sydney funeral web spider |
|
| Most venomous scorpion | A. australis **, Deathstalker |
|
| Most venomous cuttlefish | Pfeffer’s flamboyant cuttlefish |
* Most poisonous spider according to the Guinness Book of Records
** Most poisonous scorpion according to the Guinness Book of Records
The Seawasp
The most venomous animal is a jellyfish with a rather misleading name: the sea wasp. It lives in Australia and has about 50 tentacles with 5,000 stinging cells, which burst open when touched and release a poisonous substance. Unfortunately they can often be found in shallow coastal waters directly under the surface.
Many people have been critically injured after getting in contact with sea wasps. The poison paralyzes the muscles, so that the victim is no longer able to breathe. Luckily, humans never get the full load of poison, which theoretically could kill up to 250 people.
Venomous ≠ Lethal
The most poisonous animals are hardly ever the most deadly creatures. They generally have only small amounts of poison available and use only a little bit of it when stinging or biting. Less poisonous animals however can be very aggressive and sting or bite as often as they can. Therefore they also use more poison. The blue ring octopus for instance is a rather quiet chap that does not attack if you do not threaten or (accidentally) provoke it.
Where do Most of the Poisonous Animals Live?
If you live in Europe you can be relieved: Most of the venomous animals live very far away, in Australia. The sea wasp, fierce snake, blue-ringed octopus, Sydney funeral web spider, and Pfeffer’s flamboyant cuttlefish all live in Australia and Asia. In North Africa you can come across the most venomous scorpions. The golden poison frog and the Brazilian wandering spider live in Central and South America.
No Antidote
Luckily there is an antidote for dangerous animals such as the sea wasp. Yet there is still no remedy against two of the most venomous animals of the world: the blue-ringed octopus and the blowfish. But it is rather easy to evade them. By the way: You can come across the blowfish not only in the water, but also in restaurants: The Japanese dish “Fugu” consists of parts of the blowfish. If it has not been properly prepared, people can die from it. This is the reason why it is prohibited to serve the dish in Germany.
Most Fatalities Caused by Animals
Poison seems to be the most obvious reason, but this is not the case. The most dangerous animal is the mosquito, because it transmits severe diseases. The second most dangerous animal is the snake and the third is the dog (because of rabies)!
- Find out more:
- The most dangerous venomous snakes in Africa
- The most dangerous venomous snakes in Africa
- The most dangerous venomous snakes in Australia and New Guinea
- The most dangerous venomous snakes in Central and South America
