10 Deadly Creatures of The Animal Kingdom

Candiru

A parasitic freshwater catfish native to the Amazon River, candiru, which can grow to a size of 16 inches, can invade a man’s body through his penis and can result in excruciating death unless removed surgically.

Electric Eel

Also native to South American rivers such as the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers, electric eels is capable of discharging powerful electric shocks up to 500 volts, sufficiently lethal to kill an adult human.

Mosquito

When a mosquito bites, it can transmit viruses and parasites through its saliva. Mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria, yellow fever and dengue fever, have caused more fatalities than any other disease.

Piranha

Inhabiting South American rivers, Piranhas are small, sharp-toothed fish known for their ravenous appetite for meat; and can shred an animal to the bone in mere minutes.

Golden Poison Frog

The skin of a golden poison frog is saturated in alkaloid poison, which, when seeped into one’s skin through direct touch, can result in paralysis and painful death in less than an hour.  A milligram of the poison is potent enough to kill 10 to 20 adults.

Japanese Pufferfish

An expensive and popular delicacy in Japan, a Japanese pufferfish, better known as fugu, is a highly toxic fish that releases neurotoxins to defend itself against predators.   The toxin is called tetrodotoxin, which is more than a thousand times more poisonous than cyanide and for which there is no known antidote.

Scorpion

All known scorpion species are capable of inflicting painful venomous stings, but which rarely result in deaths in healthy adults.  Only 25 out of more than 1,500 known species of scorpion possess venom that is dangerous to humans.

Sea Wasp

Commonly known as box jellyfish, the sea wasp is infamous for its very powerful and lethal sting that causes intense pain and burning sensation. Deaths have been documented to have occurred within three minutes after envenomation, remarkably faster than any snake, insect or spider , leading to its reputation as one of the world’s deadliest venomous creature.

Stingray

Stingrays are named after its barbed-tail stinger, which is used mainly for self-defense.  Although they do not aggressively attack humans, stings usually happened when they are startled or accidentally stepped on. The injury is agonizingly painful, but hardly ever life-threatening unless the stinger punctures a vital area.  A notable casualty was that of Steve Irwin, an Australian wildlife expert and a well-loved TV personality.

Tiger

A Bengal tigress, popularly known as the “Champawat man-eater”, killed a record of 436 documented deaths in Nepal and Kumaon District in India before she was shot in 1911 by British hunter and conservationist, Jim Corbett.