Had I not become an anthropologist, I’m sure I would have become a biologist. Over the years I’ve grown fond of learning about bizarre animals. What holds me in awe of such venomous creatures is their capability to render a person defenseless. Here are five nasty little critters that will make you think twice before wanting to play nice with them.

1. Golden Poison Frog

   Supposedly, depending on whom you’re arguing with, this little guy is the most poisonous creature on Earth (per lethal dose 50%).Terribilis (the terrible) as it is known amongst bio geeks, this frog contains enough toxin to kill 10-20 men. The toxin in its skin is so poisonous, that just touching it is enough to cause problems. The poison from the frog prevents nerves from transmitting impulses. The muscles in a person’s body then remains in an inactive state of contraction, which can lead to heart failure or unsynchronized contractions of the muscle fibers in the heart.

2. Lonomia

   Read more in Zoology

   « Nine Deadliest Snake in the World

   Anaconda »

   While the adult moth is not harmful, the caterpillar is. They are covered with urticating hairs (barbed hairs). They blend into the bark of the tree where they congregate, and unsuspecting victims brush up against them becoming envenomed. A person who receives multiple doses from multiple caterpillars can be quite severe. Symptoms can include internal hemorrhaging, kidney failure, and destruction of the blood. The skin around the site becomes warm to the touch, headache, nausea/vomiting may occur. Hemorrhaging can occur anywhere from 1-12 hours after contact. Such cases have even been known to kill men.

3. Banded Sea Krait (of Laticauda)

   All sea snakes are highly venomous animals. Their venom is about ten times as strong as a rattlesnake. Most cases of envenomation occur when fishermen are sorting out fish from their nets. Sea Krait venom is composed of neurotoxin (affecting the nervous system) and sometime myotoxin (affecting tissue). A fatal dose strong enough to kill a man contains about 1.5 milligrams. Many sea snakes can produce 10-15 mg of venom. And while there is antivenin, if you’re out in the middle of nowhere, the likelihood of getting quick attention is very slim, so you’re pretty much screwed.

4. Candiru

   Primarily found in the Amazon, these little guys have gained quite a reputation amongst the natives. They are parasites that feed on other fish by making their way into their gills and gorging themselves on their host’s blood. The candiru have been known to enter unsuspecting bathers by slipping into orifices (vagina, rectum, or through the penis). It then lodges itself deep inside the victim with its barbs and ballooning itself up like an umbrella. Infection and shock pose the biggest risks to victims. One victim of the candiru had it lodged so deep inside that his doctor removed it from his bladder. Another case involves the removal of the fish from a man’s urethra through his scrotum. He went untreated for three days, and on the fourth he finally sought attention with fever, intense pain, scrotal edema (swelling), and abdominal distention. The fish died inside his urethra and had it been alive and extracted, the barbs on the fish would have caused more trauma to the patient upon removal.

5. Platypus

   Who would have though God’s funniest joke could pack such a punch? This cross between a duck and beaver has spurs on its hindquarters (the male). Inside the spurs are venom glands. Getting spurred by one can cause vomiting that lasts for days, weeks, and even months. No amount of pain medications can alleviate the victim’s suffering. There are 25 components in platypus venom. There is a protein that lowers blood pressure and causes shock. Digestive enzymes and peptidases dissolve body tissue that helps the poison to spread. Acid in its sting causes the injection site and limb to swell, as well as causing severe pain.