Great White Shark

10 Deadliest Sea Creatures

Humans are dangerous to the living beings on Earth. Similarly, some animals are dangerous for humans as well. Such animals use different methods to kill or paralyze a human being. Some of the methods are strength, bite and venom. Like on the land, there are thousands of sea animals with dangerous killing tactics. Sea animals are more powerful and dangerous than land animals. As life’s origin was from water, these animals have some evolutionary features that are powerful and deadly. So, which are the deadliest sea animals in the world?

Here are 10 deadliest sea creatures in the world which are extremely dangerous:

10. Barracuda

Barracuda

The barracudas are long, lean master predators. They use the razor-sharp teeth to kill the prey and cause serious injuries to humans. They use the ambush tactics to kill the prey. The great barracudas seen in Atlantic, Caribbean and the Pacific are bold, fearsome and inquisitive. They are attracted by shiny object and hence avoid wearing shiny objects while venturing into the sea. They are large fishes which are 3 feet in length and weigh 8 kg. Like sharks they are reputed to be dangerous to swimmers, especially near mangrove coastlines.

4. Stingrays

Stingray

The stingray’s spine or barb has serrated edges and a sharp weapon and produce venom which can be fatal to humans. It is not aggressive but attack humans when provoked and the injury is very painful. Contact with the stinger causes local trauma, muscle cramp. It lives in shallow, tropical sea. The reason for the stingrays listed under this category is, they spend most of their time lying dormant, partially buried in sand and an inadvertent contact proves fatal. One amazing fact about stingrays is it chews food like humans.

8. Sea Snakes

Olive Sea Snake
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Generally snakes are dangerous but sea snakes are more dangerous as our escape routes are limited. Sea snakes are evolved form of land snakes, closely relating to cobras and kraits. Sea snakes have small fangs and mouth but venomous. Beaked sea snake, Belchers’ sea snake, olive sea snake are the deadliest and should be handed with great caution. The important symptom of its bite is paralysis. It is reported that there are 62 species of sea snakes that exist. World’s biggest snake – the Anaconda found in Africa’s Amazon River that took Africa’s Royal British commandos 37 days to get it killed.

7. Indonesian Needle Fish

Needle Fish

This living needle is not a venomous animal but highly dangerous because of its features. Its moving speed is 37 miles per hour and has sharp, elongated (needle) jaws up to 3 feet length. The needle fish can hurl itself out of water and can become flying dagger. The artificial lights excite the fish during night-time and try to attack the source. It likes live food; gorge one day and hardly eats anything the other day. The fish falls prey to tuna fish and humans.

6. Textile Cone Snail

Textile Cone Snail

Having armed with microscopic needles to inject the toxin, textile cone snail uses a conotoxin to kill its prey. Its radular tooth is capable of extending to any part of its own shell. This potent “cloth of Gold” (its nickname) has venom enough to kill 20 adults. This hunter snail aims its prey which are sleeping at night, secretes chemicals into water to sedate them. It feeds predominantly on worms, fishes and molluses. Care should be taken not to pick up any pretty looking cone snail off beaches.

5. Stonefish

Stonefish
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One of the most venomous fishes in the world, stonefish is a dangerous critter, having unbelievable camouflage techniques and hiding in between rocks on sea bed. It is one of the most venomous fishes known. Though, it is a slow swimmer, its speed during an attack on prey is less than a second. It emits poison through spines which is armed with a set of 13 needles. It lives in the Indo Pacific oceans and Australia. The venom is enough to damage our kidney lifelong. It can survive 24 hours when kept out of water, so beware! Great gaps may be filled with small stones (fish).

4. Great White Shark

Great White Shark

Great white shark is ranked first in having the most recorded shark bite incidents on humans. The sight of this animal is enough to make us shiver. Interestingly some of the baby sharks may not live up to one year as they become prey to elder white sharks. They are good swimmers (speed of 50 km/h), live up to 70 years. They are the largest known macro-predatory fishes in the world. Though humans are not their preferred menu, any unfortunate and light bite may also prove fatal or traumatic. They have 300 teeth, yet do not chew the food. They feed on small fishes to large seals and dolphins. Jaw dropped in surprise?

 

3. Blue Ringed Octopus

Blue Ringed Octopus

If anyone inadvertently contacts with this innocuous looking octopus, he would get the gift of TTX (the Tetrodotoxin), an extremely deadly toxin. Bites are usually painless but the victim begins to experience numbness, nausea, vomiting, and difficulty in speaking or moving. Its venom is 1000 times more powerful than cyanide. The blue ringed octopus measures only 12-20 cm in length and weighs only 50 grams. It lives no more than 2 years. If the prey is little farther it will release the poison in the water and wait for its immobility. Blue eyes say, love me or I die; Blue octopus say leave me or you die.

2. Saltwater Crocodile

Saltwater Crocodile

Saltwater crocodile is the largest extant riparian predators in the world. Amazingly, its size is about 28 cm on birth. Male of this species can grow up to at least 6.3 meters in size. It is a territorial animal. They prey by ambushing, drowning and swallowing in whole. It can prevail over sharks and hence all animals. Saltwater crocodile holds the record of highest bite force (16,000 Newton) ever recorded in any animal. This is 10 times that of great white shark. It can be found throughout Southeast Asia and far west as India. It is powerful, quick in water and fast on land. They hunt a wide range of prey including monkeys, kangaroos, buffalo, and sharks on its death roll.

1. Box Jellyfish

Box Jellyfish

One of the world’s most poisonous sea creatures, box jellyfish exists in all oceans. More than 100 die every year from its venom. The toxins in the venom cause instant deaths as the heart collapse immediately. This bell-shaped villain lives primarily in coastal waters off Northern Australia and the whole of Indo-Pacific. A full-grown box jellyfish has up to 15 tentacles, each 10 feet in length and about 5000 stinging cells. It is pale blue and transparent. One sting is enough to kill 60 humans, if not treated within three minutes. Its diet consists of small fish, prawns, shrimps and sometimes other species of jellyfish. A wonderful feature is the bell of the box jellyfish which can grow to a size of a basketball and its eyes act like human’s.