“Lions and tigers and bears, oh my..!”
One of the best parts of travel, in our opinion, is the opportunity to see all kinds of weird and wonderful wildlife. Imagine seeing a Blue Whale come up for air off the Californian coast, meeting the cheeky residents of a monkey sanctuary in Asia, or a herd of elephants on the move in Africa while you float above in a hot-air balloon? Amazing right?
But there’s also plenty of animals out there that you maybe wouldn’t want to run into, and honestly, if we saw them, we’d probably run a mile. Here’s a rundown of the world’s most deadly creatures, and where to find them, or rather, where to avoid them. And if you’re thinking it’s lions and tigers and bears, you’re way off…
Box Jellyfish – Many oceans, especially the Indo-Pacific region
Most of the creatures that are most dangerous to us humans are found, luckily enough, where relatively few of us actually go. The sting from a box jellyfish can kill within minutes, so although antivenoms exist, you need to get to it quickly. Worst of all is that these fearsome beasts are virtually transparent in the water, so you may not see it until it’s too late. If you’re in Hawaii, stay out of the ocean after a Full Moon, because great swarms of them come into shore to spawn around then.
Cone Snails – Coral Reefs
Snails are usually about the most harmless creature there is, unless you’re a lettuce. There is one particular variety though, again found underwater and usually around coral reefs, that isn’t likely to end up anyone’s plate drenched in herby butter. The cone snail is from nightmares. Preying mainly on molluscs and small fish, it shoots out a barbed ‘tooth’ which injects a fatal toxin and is sharp enough to pierce a wetsuit. Terrifyingly, one variety is known as a “Cigarette Snail”, because it’s said that once it stings you, you’ve probably only got enough time left to smoke one!
Black Mamba – Sub Saharan Africa
Not only one of the most venomous snakes in the world, but also one of the fastest. That’s about as welcome a combination as mustard and porridge. Thankfully they normally flee at the sight of humans, but bites often occur when handling them. One lucky guy survived a bite from a black mamba, and actually managed to get a shot of it biting his leg! Take a look here if you think you can handle it!
Cape Buffalo – South and East Africa
The largest animal on our list, and probably the one you’d least fancy your chances against in a straight fight, the Cape Buffalo can weigh up to 900kg, including their scary-looking horns. Notoriously bad-tempered and unpredictable around humans, they kill more hunters than any other African animal, and they’ll even pick on lions!
Stone Fish – Indo Pacific, Florida, Caribbean
Called a Stone Fish because it looks like, duh, a stone, for camouflage purposes, swimmers and divers sometimes make the mistake of stepping on one of these unpleasant critters, triggering an injection of venom from its spines often proportional to the pressure exerted, so tread lightly.
Deathstalker Scorpion – North Africa to the Middle East
Contrary to popular beliefs, scorpions aren’t normally that dangerous to humans. This one is though, especially if you’re young, elderly or infirm. But while it’s best to give it a wide berth if you see one, scientists find them of great interest. It’s believed their venom can be used in treating medical conditions from diabetes to brain tumours.
Puffer Fish – South East Asia
The puffer fish has several ways of dispatching anything dumb enough to try and eat it: it’s pointy spikes for one, it’s poisonous skin loaded with tetrodotxin for another, and thirdly, the predator might get a nasty surprise when it swallows, as the puffer fish swells up in its throat, choking it. Nasty huh? Yet in parts of Asia it’s flesh is often regarded as a delicacy, which is how most human deaths occur, if it’s not prepared correctly.
Poison Dart Frog – Central and South America
These admittedly cool-looking, vibrantly coloured frogs like humid, warm environments, so if you’re trekking in the rainforest, better sleep with your boots on. Some tribes have been known to dip their arrows into the frog’s poison, the better to bring down their prey.
Sydney Funnel Web Spider – New South Wales
If you suffer from Arachnophobia, never holiday in Australia. Seriously, how come so many of the world’s most nasty spiders live there? Are the flies really tasty? Anti-venom is very effective against bites from these horrendous beasts luckily, so deaths in recent years have dramatically tailed off, but why take the risk? Go to New Zealand instead.
Mosquitos – Almost Everywhere except Antarctica
The worst thing most of us will get from a mosquito bite is a nasty itch, but in some parts of the world they are absolutely deadly. In fact they kill more humans than any other animal, by a long, long way. Species of mosquito can carry anything from dengue fever to ebola to malaria and yellow fever. Bill Gates is on a mission to wipe them out but until he succeeds, if you’re going to a region where they’re common, cover up and consider wearing catnip, which is said to be very effective at repelling them!