By Fida Hussain

You must have been warned several times by your mum to stay away from lizards or spiders as they can be poisonous. And she is right!

However, scientifically, not all domestic lizards and spiders are poisonous, but it doesn’t mean you get too close to them. The warning is given because these creatures feast on other small pests which are nasty and pose threat to our health, so it is always safe to stay away from them. If you are living in an urban area you won’t be threatened by most creatures that really are poisonous but if you are living in suburban or rural areas, you need to be more careful and keep your eyes open to the greater danger of snakes, scorpions, spiders and bees which roam around.

There are so many poisonous creatures in the world that it is not possible to list them all here, so we are narrowing down our list to the most infamous creatures in terms of their poison. But before making any judgement about one creature being the deadliest over the other, keep in mind that these creatures use venom to protect themselves or in defence against their predator or to feast on their victim. So it would be wrong to qualify one over the other or that a particular animal is the most venomous since these species have evolved to target different or certain species.

creatures which use venom to protect themselves against their predator or to feast on their victim. So it would be wrong to qualify one over the other or that a particular animal is the most venomous since these species have evolved to target different or certain species.

Let’s just explore who they are and what makes these creatures deadly.

Puffer fish/Fugu

Puffer fish is widely known for its ability to turn itself into a ball by ingesting a huge amount of water. While there are 150 species of this fish found all over the world, we will keep our focus to the one mostly found in and around the waters surrounding Japan, China, Philippines and also Mexico.

The weird thing about the fish is that despite being too poisonous to cause immediate death, it is ‘edible’. Yes, in parts of Japan and China it is considered to be a very expensive delicacy. Only chefs with a special licence “Fugu chef” can cut and cook the fish.

So what actually is toxic in the fish? The skin, muscle tissue, liver, and gonads contain poison known as tetrodotoxin (TTX). If someone unfortunately consumes it, they are likely to experience headache, nausea and, if taken in larger quantities, one can suffer convulsion, paralysis and ultimately death.

Brazilian wandering spider

Found in Brazil and the Amazon forest, the Brazilian wandering spider, also known as banana spider, had been rated as the most poisonous animal on the planet by Guinness Book of World Records in 2007.

The high dose of serotonin in the Brazilian wandering spider’s venom is extremely painful and cause loss of muscle control and inflammation. Fortunately, the antidote for the venom of this spider specie is available. However, if not treated on time, the neurotoxins present in the venom can cause paralysis and death.

Unlike other spiders which sew their victims on the webs, the Brazilian wandering spiders ‘wanders’ on the ground in search of its prey such as insects and other spiders.

Poison dart frog

With their bright colours and petite body of not more than two inches, they look so cute! But don’t go on their cuteness, they bear venom so deadly that it is enough to kill 10 adult men, reports National Geographic.

So where is the poison? The frog keeps the poison in its glands beneath its skin, which contain the batrachotoxin and it can block the nerve signals to muscles, causing paralysis and death.

The poison dart frogs are found in rainforests and in south Central America and Hawaii. The native (tribal) people use the poison of the frog on the tips of their blowgun darts. This is where the specie has got its name.

Among many species of the frog, the golden dart frog is considered the deadliest. However, a pretty unusual fact about these frogs is that if they are reared in captivity, they may not develop the poisonous toxin which the wild ones do. This is due to their eating habits, for instance the frogs inhibiting in the wild are exposed to certain bugs and species with toxins while those in captivity are not.

Death stalker

It inhibits in the deserts of Middle East and North Africa, hunts for its prey like centipede, worms and other scorpions in the night. The death stalker also has one of the deadliest venom as compared to other species of scorpions.

The neotrotoxin element is present in its venom sacs which are found at the last segment of its tail — deadly enough to paralyse its prey. According to tests by scientists, 0.25mg of death stalker venom would be enough to kill a mouse weighing one kilogramme.

Box jellyfish

Box jellyfish floats in the water surrounding Asia and Australia. It is transparent enough to be unnoticed until one feels a sharp stinging pain wrecking their nervous system, heart and skin cells. Because the nematocysts present in its venom increases the blood pressure, it ultimately leads to heart attack and sometimes death.

The translucent blue jellyfish gets its name ‘box’ from its cube-shaped body and it grows up to 15 tentacles from each corner of their bell, which can reach to 10 feet in length. Each tentacle has tiny cnidocyst which contains a dart with a load of poison. When this dart pierces through the skin, it shoots the cnidocyst toxin through the skin of the victim.

It is estimated that about 100 people die each year from the sting of different species of box jellyfish.

Lizard hazard

It was not until 2009 when it came to light that the bite of the Komodo dragon is also venomous. The venom which is present in the mouth glands has some compounds common to that of the inland taipan, causes a rapid decrease in blood pressure and gives shock. But still it doesn’t kill immediately.

The venom works for days and till then Komodo keeps stalking its victim. So when the venom makes the victim too slow to defend itself, the Komodo takes the opportunity to have the meal. Fortunately, they can’t follow their human victim to their homes.

Another lizards, but not giant, is ‘Gila monster’. It tops the list of the deadliest venoms among lizards. Gilas are native to the US and can be easily spotted by their black body patterned with yellow, pink or orange colours. They were first discovered in the Arizona’s Gila River basin, hence their name.

Both Komodo and Gila don’t have fangs like that of a snake but they do possess teeth with grooves full of venom. The venom is injected when the grooves pierce into the skin. Though the bite is extremely painful and venomous, there have been no reported human deaths.

Cone snail

These slow moving snails have shells as their armour, some of them prey on worms while some feast on fish. This seemingly innocent cone snail is very deadly. When taking down their targets, cone snail uses its teeth known as ‘radulae’. The teeth are shaped like a hollow hook, but the edges are sharp like a blade. It stings the unsuspecting fish and delivers toxins until the fish is paralysed. And then they easily devour it.

It is also reported that in many instances the sharp teeth of cone snails have pierced divers’ wetsuit fabric so divers have to also take great care in water.

Blue-ringed octopus

They are tiny and cute, with beautiful blue rings on their body, but don’t be fooled by their cuteness. With no anti-venom of their poison, they are deadly enough to kill an adult man within minutes.

They have got their name from the blue rings which brighten up when they are alarmed or feel threatened and immediately bite. The poison they have is the same as that of a puffer fish, that is TTX which paralysis a person’s muscles, breathing stops. So, without oxygen, the heart ultimately stops.

Snakes — the killing machines

King cobra

King cobra is the longest venomous snake in the world. It has the ability to rise up a third of its entire body and still move on forward, while hissing and then attacking.

It has 11 large scales on his head, resembling a king’s crown, hence the title ‘king’ cobra. King cobra delivers a tremendous amount of paralysis-inducing neurotoxins (the doses range from 200 to 500 mg and even higher) which are so strong that they can kill an elephant in just a few hours. And around 50 to 60 per cent of deaths have been reported in untreated human cases.

Inland taipan

Found across central Australia, the inland taipan is said to have a venom 200 times more dangerous than the common cobra. With a shy nature, they prefer to live in dunes and under or behind rocks.

It hunts only mammals so it can be lethal to humans. In aggression, this snake can bite several times in quick succession while delivering its full load of venom.

Black mamba

No, it’s not the name of any movie, it is the most feared snake in the sub-Saharan Africa that the natives even call it ‘death incarnate’.

Black mamba’s colour is not black but light olive in colour, however, the inside of its mouth is so black, hence the name. The creature is famous for its aggressive nature, speed and attacking without provocation.

Published in Dawn, Young World, November 5th, 2016