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On land, humans are king. For better or worse, we’ve managed to cultivate the continents to our need, and we’re at the top of the food chain.
Not so much in the water. We’re slow enough as is on land, but on the water? We’re practically the water equivalent of land snails. And depth? Unless you’re a seasoned diver with loads of experience, you’re not getting any deeper than a couple of feet under the water if you don’t want your head to get squashed from the water pressure.
And as it turns out, there are a lot of dangers untold in the depths unknown from creatures you probably never heard of, such as……
Blue-ringed octopus
What’s that?
Aww, just look at it, with its small yellow body and blue rings all over. Compared to other octopuses, it’s quite tiny and it can even fit in the palm of your hand. Isn’t it cute?
Oh god, don’t touch it!
As it turns out, this “cute” little octopus has enough venom in its body to kill 26 fully grown humans. That means it can kill you and your entire extended family while still having enough poison for your neighbors to spare.
You’d think it being small would make it unlikely to latch onto you, but its tiny stature means that it might have already bitten you without you even noticing it, and by that point, it’s too late.
If you still remember your biology class, then you probably remember the advice about staying away from shiny-looking animals. Those iconic blue rings aren’t just for making it look pretty, they’re warning you to stay the hell away from them.
Can my body handle it?
If you’re alone, then no. The venom this octopus produces causes muscle paralysis – even the respiratory kind. Especially the respiratory kind. You know, the system in your body that helps you breathe.
There is no antidote either, so the only way you’re getting out of this alive is if someone else conducts artificial respiration immediately. It doesn’t take too long for muscle paralysis to set in.
The only silver lining to all of this is that the octopus isn’t aggressive to humans, though that likely doesn’t make it any less scary.
Sea Wasp
https://www.flickr.com/photos/65578066@N00/1285937237/
What’s that?
Known in the scientific community as Chironex fleckeri, this underwater balloon is a species of the box jellyfish, which are best known for their cube-like exterior and extremely painful or even potentially fatal sting. They are common in coastal waters of northern Australia, New Guinea, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
Oh god, don’t touch it!
Because sea creatures love competing about how strong their venom is and bragging to their friends, here’s this box jellyfish spitting on the blue-ringed octopus’s coffee. “What, your venom can kill 24 adult humans? I can kill 60, easy.” That’s not an exaggeration, by the way.
I guess there’s a reason why they used nex (which means “murderer” in Latin) as part of its name.
Can my body handle it?
The good news is that an antidote exists. The bad news is that in the worst-case scenario, death occurs in less than five minutes, so you best hope that you actually packed some on your ocean trip to use immediately.
The best-case scenario from getting stung is usually only excruciating pain, though I’m not sure if that’s something worth risking your life over, considering that you won’t know immediately know which category you belong in once you get stung.
Pufferfish
https://www.flickr.com/photos/leszekleszczynski/4666050342
What’s that?
You’re probably not used to seeing the puffer fish not all… inflated with its spikes sticking out, so here it is, in its all its fishy glory.
When not busy turning into what is essentially a floating underwater sea urchin, it looks like a relatively normal fish. It only turns into a giant spiky ball whenever it feels threatened.
Oh god, don’t touch it!
They are also extremely poisonous.
Pufferfish skin can secrete the deadly venom Tetrodotoxin, which, if you didn’t know, is the same dangerous venom that the blue-ringed octopus inflicts on you when it goes in for the bite. Though, unlike the blue-ringed octopus which uses the venom when it hunts and attacks, pufferfish only use it as a method of defense, so people would actually have to actively be trying to kill themselves to get poison laced on them from this thing when underwater.
Another thing of note, pufferfish is a delicacy in some parts of the world. In Japan, it is known as fugu. Only expert chefs are allowed to cook it, as even one slip-up would mean that a customer gets sent to an early (and painful) journey to the afterlife.
Can my body handle it?
It’s the same type of venom the blue-ringed octopus uses. No way in hell you’re getting out of that.
For the unlucky diners of fugu that get that one pinch, they would experience numbness of the mouth, before collapsing due to body paralysis, and finally, death, while being completely conscious the entire time.
Stonefish
What’s that?
It’s a stone! It’s a fish! No, it’s a stonefish! True to its name, stonefish are fish that look like, well, stones, and they’re quite good at camouflaging themselves to look like one.
Oh god, don’t touch it!
Have you ever touched a poisonous rock? No? Well, now you can by stepping on this thing. While not aggressive, stonefish blend in with their environment so well that the unwary scuba diver may simply see them as a regular rock that they can use to gain their balance and step on them, only to get struck by their dorsal spine fins, where they are then injected with a venom strong enough to kill an adult in an hour. What doesn’t help is that they hide primarily in coral and rocky reefs, which is a perfect spot for a thorny ambush predator to lie in wait.
Can my body handle it?
Unlike the box jellyfish which only gives you a few minutes, the stonefish gives you a little more leeway in survival… Not that this is still a lot of time, mind you. You’ll need to use anti-venom immediately to make a full recovery.
You’ll start off experiencing extreme pain and swelling in the stung part, quickly followed by paralysis, tissue necrosis, and possibly even heart failure.
Cone Snail
https://www.flickr.com/photos/krokodiver/32485371395/
What’s that?
Turns out, snails can also live underwater. Who would have thought?
They have beautiful shells too. Probably prettier than the dull brownish ones you see those annoying garden snails chewing your tomato plant are wearing.
Oh god, don’t touch it!
Don’t even try to pick up that beautiful shell, no matter how tempting it looks. Unless you want to risk getting stung by a cone snail, a very toxic ocean resident.
Their method of hunting involves launching a harpoon from their bodies at any direction towards nearby fish, paralyzing them, which they then eat alive. If you get stung by one, you’re likely not going to feel much more than a pinch, as the venom has pain-killing properties.
Luckily for you, humans aren’t on the menu; likely by virtue of being too big to be a part of diet. Unluckily for you, the poison can still affect you in all sorts of ways to mess up your body, depending on the type of snail you picked up.
Can my body handle it?
Make no mistake, size doesn’t matter, venom potency does. So, don’t go thinking you’re off the hook when you simply feel a tiny pinch. Smaller cone snails have venom as potent as bee or wasp things, but the bigger ones can prove to be extremely dangerous or even fatal. The geographic cone snail, for example, is said to be the most dangerous in the species, as its venom is a complex concoction of hundreds of different toxins.
There is no existing anti-venom. The only thing other people can do is to keep you alive while you lay there suffering until you’ve managed to flush all of the venom out of your body.
Wrapping Up
Are you scared yet? You shouldn’t be. While most of these sea creatures can be dangerous, they’re not actually after your body.
If you follow regulations and don’t touch things you shouldn’t, you’re likely to be fine.