Here are some small, yet horrifying little monsters prowling around out in Mother Nature’s backyard. Mother Nature is a deadly, terrifying force that we should all be deathly afraid of. And apparently, Mother Nature has a heck of a sense of humor because she packages some of her most deadly assassins in small, and often cute and cuddly packages. Sure, most of the terrifying animals on the planet are big and have razor sharp teeth, like bears and sharks and Kim Kardashian, but those aren’t the only frightening creatures out there, each of which could kill you just as easily as it could look at you.
Pufferfish
Don’t let this ridiculous looking animal that gained some fame in Finding Nemo fool you, the Pufferfish is one of the most poisonous animals in the ocean – to the point where fishermen refuse to touch them without thick gloves.
Poison Dart Frog
Okay, so the danger for this little guy is right there in his name, but in fairness if you stumble across this dude out in the wild you’re unlikely to exchange pleasantries than to suffer its poisonous wrath. Native Americans used its venom on the tips of blowdarts, that’s how dangerous its poison is.
Blue-Ringed Octopus
An octopus by nature is generally kind of freaky, but the tiny blue-ringed variety is pound-for-pound one of the most venomous animals in the world, and lucky us, there exists no antivenom for its deadly poison.
Slow Loris
Looking like that, and having the word “slow” in its name probably makes you think the Slow Loris is perfectly harmless, but the fact is this little guy is one of the very few poisonous mammals in the world, and a simple lick could infect you with its deadly toxin.
Black Widow Spider
It’s not much of a secret that the black widow spider is extremely dangerous, as they are considered the most venomous species of spider in North America, though fortunately fatalities are pretty rare following a black widow bite.
Anopheles Mosquito
Mosquitos are always annoying, but the Anopheles mosquito in particular is horrifying as its bite has a nasty tendency to infect victims with malaria.
Tsetse Fly
Found throughout Africa, the Tsetse fly is a mass murderer of both humans and livestock, with its bite potentially infecting the victim with a parasitic disease that has killed thousands.
Indian Red Scorpion
It’s probably not very surprising that a scorpion is dangerous, but the Indian Red Scorpion may be the most deadly of them all, with fatality rates ranging anywhere from 8-40% of its victims.
Irukandji Jellyfish
The absurdly tiny Irukandji Jellyfish are remarkably toxic, and give the victim what is known as Irukandji syndrome, which can lead to cardiac arrest if not treated within the first 20 minutes.
Geographic Cone Snail
It’s hard to imagine any sort of snail being particularly dangerous, but the Geographic Cone Snail is extremely venomous and has no qualms about spearing and infecting you, leading to severe vomiting and diarrhea and, potentially, death.
Africanized Honey Bee
We have a Brazilian scientist to thank for Africanized honey bees, as these genetic freaks more commonly known as killer bees are relentless when it comes to swarming and chasing down victims.
Pfeffer’s Flamboyant Cuttlefish
It’s hard to imagine anything with the name “flamboyant” in its actual name being particularly dangerous, but this freaky looking fish has enough poison to induce heart failure within minutes.
Bullet Ant
Ants are just ridiculously annoying to begin with, but the bullet ant may just take the cake since its very name is derived from the fact that its bite is so painful that it actually feels very much like being shot with, you know, a bullet.
Candiru Fish
Guys, prepare to be terrified, because the Candiru fish is a parasitic little monster that lives in the Amazon and is believed to swim straight up the urethra and into the bladder, resulting in internal bleeding and death.
Short-Tailed Shrew
Common in North America, the short-tailed shrew is one of the only venomous mammals on the planet, though thankfully they aren’t deemed dangerous to humans.
Kittens
Yep, those playful little balls of fur should actually scare the crap out of you, because if you have any immune deficiencies they could severely mess you up thanks to toxoplasmosis, which most young cats carry and which can cause lesions, brain inflammation, and even plays a part in developing schizophrenia. - See more at: http://www.take-a-pause.net/news_page/107/Small-but-Terrifying-Creatures.html#sthash.LYK9uRnI.dpuf
Pufferfish
Don’t let this ridiculous looking animal that gained some fame in Finding Nemo fool you, the Pufferfish is one of the most poisonous animals in the ocean – to the point where fishermen refuse to touch them without thick gloves.
Poison Dart Frog
Okay, so the danger for this little guy is right there in his name, but in fairness if you stumble across this dude out in the wild you’re unlikely to exchange pleasantries than to suffer its poisonous wrath. Native Americans used its venom on the tips of blowdarts, that’s how dangerous its poison is.
Blue-Ringed Octopus
An octopus by nature is generally kind of freaky, but the tiny blue-ringed variety is pound-for-pound one of the most venomous animals in the world, and lucky us, there exists no antivenom for its deadly poison.
Slow Loris
Looking like that, and having the word “slow” in its name probably makes you think the Slow Loris is perfectly harmless, but the fact is this little guy is one of the very few poisonous mammals in the world, and a simple lick could infect you with its deadly toxin.
Black Widow Spider
It’s not much of a secret that the black widow spider is extremely dangerous, as they are considered the most venomous species of spider in North America, though fortunately fatalities are pretty rare following a black widow bite.
Anopheles Mosquito
Mosquitos are always annoying, but the Anopheles mosquito in particular is horrifying as its bite has a nasty tendency to infect victims with malaria.
Tsetse Fly
Found throughout Africa, the Tsetse fly is a mass murderer of both humans and livestock, with its bite potentially infecting the victim with a parasitic disease that has killed thousands.
Indian Red Scorpion
It’s probably not very surprising that a scorpion is dangerous, but the Indian Red Scorpion may be the most deadly of them all, with fatality rates ranging anywhere from 8-40% of its victims.
Irukandji Jellyfish
The absurdly tiny Irukandji Jellyfish are remarkably toxic, and give the victim what is known as Irukandji syndrome, which can lead to cardiac arrest if not treated within the first 20 minutes.
Geographic Cone Snail
It’s hard to imagine any sort of snail being particularly dangerous, but the Geographic Cone Snail is extremely venomous and has no qualms about spearing and infecting you, leading to severe vomiting and diarrhea and, potentially, death.
Africanized Honey Bee
We have a Brazilian scientist to thank for Africanized honey bees, as these genetic freaks more commonly known as killer bees are relentless when it comes to swarming and chasing down victims.
Pfeffer’s Flamboyant Cuttlefish
It’s hard to imagine anything with the name “flamboyant” in its actual name being particularly dangerous, but this freaky looking fish has enough poison to induce heart failure within minutes.
Bullet Ant
Ants are just ridiculously annoying to begin with, but the bullet ant may just take the cake since its very name is derived from the fact that its bite is so painful that it actually feels very much like being shot with, you know, a bullet.
Candiru Fish
Guys, prepare to be terrified, because the Candiru fish is a parasitic little monster that lives in the Amazon and is believed to swim straight up the urethra and into the bladder, resulting in internal bleeding and death.
Short-Tailed Shrew
Common in North America, the short-tailed shrew is one of the only venomous mammals on the planet, though thankfully they aren’t deemed dangerous to humans.
Kittens
Yep, those playful little balls of fur should actually scare the crap out of you, because if you have any immune deficiencies they could severely mess you up thanks to toxoplasmosis, which most young cats carry and which can cause lesions, brain inflammation, and even plays a part in developing schizophrenia. - See more at: http://www.take-a-pause.net/news_page/107/Small-but-Terrifying-Creatures.html#sthash.LYK9uRnI.dpuf
