Jack
Brenton
AshishDangerous Sea Creatures
September 16th 2009 02:42
This list of dangerous sea creatures focuses on the combination of likely contact, frightening personas, actual aggression and/or real pain or death to humans either by direct or indirect means. It also stays away from the normal list of sharks, crocs and stingrays.
Thses images and information sourced from Live Science. Read more here.
While no official tallies exist, anecdotal evidence suggest dozens of people and perhaps more than 100 or more die each year from the many species of box jellyfish that exist in all oceans.
Some 20 to 40 people die from stings by box jellyfish annually in the Philippines alone, according to the U.S. National Science Foundation. "But because death certificates are not required in many countries within the range of box jellyfish, worldwide fatalities from box jellyfish may be seriously underestimated," the NSF states.
One Australian box jellyfish can have dozens of tentacles, each up to 15 feet long, with enough toxin to kill 60 people. The sting of a Chironex fleckeri box jellyfish can kill a person in less than three minutes. Species of box jelly fish in Hawaii, Florida and other U.S. locations are known to induce heart failure.
They are the most venomous fish in the world, and are a master of disguise, hiding in plain sight on the seafloor, looking like any other rock.
The stonefish doesn't attack, but you don't want to step on it. Its spines are used as defence against sharks and other predators. The venom can cause temporary paralysis and death if not treated.
Popular in home aquariums, these docile fish sport a striking fan of venomous spines.
Although not fatal to humans, the spines deliver a painful sting that can cause headaches, vomiting, and respiratory distress, according to NOAA. The worst of the pain typically lasts only for about an hour, but some people report pain and tingling sensations for weeks.
Lionfish are not aggressive. So the fact is home aquarium owners are more likely to be stung by lionfish than divers or fishermen.
Snakelike body, protruding snout and wide jaws. These primitive creatures just look like death. They're fish, by the way, and they can be up to 8 feet long.
A bite from their razor-sharp teeth and powerful, locking jaws will produce ragged wounds that are prone to infection from the bacteria inside the eels' mouths, according to NOAA. The good news: If morays bite out of fear or by accident (especially when foraging for food), they will usually release their grip and let you go.
They tend to hide in crevices and holes during the day, then hunt at night. They'll eat any fish or other creature they can catch.
Some expert advice, from NOAA, on how to avoid being bitten by one: Keep your hands out of submerged, rocky holes and crevices. Oh, and avoid this common diver gaffe that leads to many moray eel bites: Don't feed them!
You don't even have to be near water for this creature to kill you. The pufferfish, also known as a blowfish, packs tetrodotoxin -- stronger than cyanide. Specially trained Japanese chefs prepare safe parts of the fish as a delicacy, but every now and then a diner dies.
The puffer, named for its ability to suck in water and swell to twice normal size, could end up saving people: a drug made from the puffer's toxin has been tested for treatment of withdrawal symptoms from drugs like heroin.
Thses images and information sourced from Live Science. Read more here.
Box Jellyfish
Some 20 to 40 people die from stings by box jellyfish annually in the Philippines alone, according to the U.S. National Science Foundation. "But because death certificates are not required in many countries within the range of box jellyfish, worldwide fatalities from box jellyfish may be seriously underestimated," the NSF states.
One Australian box jellyfish can have dozens of tentacles, each up to 15 feet long, with enough toxin to kill 60 people. The sting of a Chironex fleckeri box jellyfish can kill a person in less than three minutes. Species of box jelly fish in Hawaii, Florida and other U.S. locations are known to induce heart failure.
Stonefish
The stonefish doesn't attack, but you don't want to step on it. Its spines are used as defence against sharks and other predators. The venom can cause temporary paralysis and death if not treated.
Lionfish
Although not fatal to humans, the spines deliver a painful sting that can cause headaches, vomiting, and respiratory distress, according to NOAA. The worst of the pain typically lasts only for about an hour, but some people report pain and tingling sensations for weeks.
Lionfish are not aggressive. So the fact is home aquarium owners are more likely to be stung by lionfish than divers or fishermen.
Moray Eels
A bite from their razor-sharp teeth and powerful, locking jaws will produce ragged wounds that are prone to infection from the bacteria inside the eels' mouths, according to NOAA. The good news: If morays bite out of fear or by accident (especially when foraging for food), they will usually release their grip and let you go.
They tend to hide in crevices and holes during the day, then hunt at night. They'll eat any fish or other creature they can catch.
Some expert advice, from NOAA, on how to avoid being bitten by one: Keep your hands out of submerged, rocky holes and crevices. Oh, and avoid this common diver gaffe that leads to many moray eel bites: Don't feed them!
Pufferfish
The puffer, named for its ability to suck in water and swell to twice normal size, could end up saving people: a drug made from the puffer's toxin has been tested for treatment of withdrawal symptoms from drugs like heroin.
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