The pain is unbearable. He does not much feel like talking, but Darian Baehler knows he is lucky to have his left foot. A rattlesnake bit his leg not once, but twice. He has had two surgeries, so far, to relieve pressure from the swelling. He was moved from intensive care to intermediate care at University Medical Center Brackenridge Tuesday afternoon.

Darian’s father, Todd Baehler, said, “It’s just unbelievable. I could not believe a snake bite could do this much damage. He’s going to be in the hospital another week or so. He’s going to have physical therapy, he’s going to have plastic surgery, he’s going to have a lot of problems.”

It happened Friday, when Baehler and a group of kids were headed home down a wooded path near Southwest Regional Park in Williamson County. His sister Nicole says it got dark all of the sudden. One of their friends unknowingly stepped over a rattlesnake. Soon they all knew.

“It was really loud,” Nicole Baehler said. “Like, you know, like moraccas or whatever, that’s what it sounded like.

Game warden Turk Jones says dusk and dark in the summer are prime time for snakes.

“They’re gonna be out in the evening, 9 o’clock, 10 o’clock, the time those kids were walking through here,” Jones said.

Six-year-old Carson Perreault was also in the group. “I wouldn’t have survived it,” Perrault said

Doctors agree, which strikes a chord with Todd Baehler.

“That was scary to me because people walk their dogs back there. People ride their bikes back there,” Baehler said.

Doctors at UMC Brackenridge say they see 40-50 snake bites a year, mostly during the summer months. They say rattlesnake anti-venom runs about $2,000 a vial. Baehler had to have 33 vials. Doctors say that the anti-venom can mean the difference between keeping and losing a limb, and in some cases, life and death. That is why they say anyone who is the victim of a snake bite, no matter how minor, should seek emergency medical treatment.

via Teenager fighting to keep his foot after rattlesnake bites | kvue.com | KVUE News | Austin, TX | Breaking News.

Wardens in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park were setting traps for coyotes Monday after one of the animals repeatedly bit a young woman in the head as she slept outdoors.

The attack occurred at a campground about 30 kilometres from the site where two coyotes mauled 19-year-old Toronto singer Taylor Mitchell last fall – causing wounds that led to her death in a Halifax hospital.

In the latest attack, a 16-year-old girl from Nova Scotia was fast asleep in her sleeping bag outdoors when she awoke at 4 a.m. with a searing pain at the top of her head.

Derek Quann, the park’s resource conservation manager, said that her screaming and swinging arms drove the coyote off after the animal had bitten her twice in the head.

“She was awakened by a sharp pain and something odd going on. She realized she was being bitten by a wild animal,” he said. “All the indications are that it was a single coyote. One coyote was seen by other people leaving the area.”

The girl’s parents were sleeping in a tent about three metres away in the popular camping area on the park’s eastern coast.

The teenager was sent to a nearby medical clinic where her head wounds were stitched and she received rabies shots. She was released early in the morning, and she and her parents departed the campground, said Mr. Quann.

“We’ve had incidents since last fall’s attack that involve coyotes chasing joggers and cyclists,” he said, estimating there were between six to 10 incidents since Ms. Mitchell’s death. He said there’s little indication the animals are starving or deprived of prey. Rather, said Mr. Quann, some animals appeared to have learned not to fear humans.

Park wardens are setting traps in an attempt to kill the coyote involved in the campground attack. It’s part of a strategy to trap and kill coyotes considered aggressive to humans. Mr. Quann estimated about eight to 10 animals have been killed since Ms. Mitchell’s death.

“Coyotes are intelligent animals. They lean and they pass on that learning, and we have to be careful that there isn’t an unacceptable level of aggression … towards humans,” Mr. Quann said.

via Park staff hunt for coyote that bit sleeping teen on head – The Globe and Mail.

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC-TV) – In the front row of Lake Grove Missionary Baptist Church Saturday morning, relatives held each other and wept as 71-year-old William Parker was memorialized.

“I just don’t want to see them close the casket,” said Parker’s daughter, Gardenia. “I don’t want them to close the casket.”

Gardenia Parker was overcome by emotional and physical pain after losing her father.  She was among the injured on July 20th, when two lose pit bulls attacked her, her father and two paramedics.

Gardenia survived, but William Parker went into heart failure and died.

Days after the attack, city officials moved controlling vicious and stray animals to the top of their priority list.

“Clearly we think it’s a problem,” city CAO George little said earlier this week. “It’s a problem we’d like to move forward on.”

City government is considering a number of animal control ordinances, including mandatory spay and neutering, and a finder’s fee for citizens who capture stray animals.

But changing animal control laws won’t reverse the Parker’s family tragedy.  Still, family members said knowing that William Parker didn’t die in vain will help them heal.

If you want to help William Parker’s family, you can make a contribution at any Bank of America branch. The official name of the account is “The William Alvin Parker Memorial Fund.”

via Family says goodbye to father killed in pit bull attack – WLBT 3 – Jackson, MS:.

A Texas fisherman is recovering Friday from injuries he sustained after he was bitten by a shark in the Texas coastal waters off Galveston, KPRC-TV reported.

Charlie Gauzer was fishing off Galveston Island when he said the shark approached his boat and bit down on his leg.

“I started to feel pain…I looked down and I had blood coming out of my leg,” Gauzer said. The shark bit deeper into Gauzer’s leg as the fisherman tried to escape.

“It was gashed pretty good, down to the bone,” Gauzer said. The shark missed the artery but did severe Gauzer’s Achilles tendon.

The attack on Gauzer is the second shark attack near Galveston’s 8 Mile Road Beach in less than a month.

A surfer, injured by a shark bite at the end of June, required 60 stitches to repair the gash made by the shark.

“The problem with Galveston is, especially right now, is that the water is all stirred up and brown and it’s hard to see,” Gauzer said.

Galveston is located more than 50 miles southeast of Houston.

via Texas fisherman bitten by shark off Galveston coast – NYPOST.com.

MARIETTA, Ga. – A 6-year-old girl from Marietta was recovering Tuesday from a shark attack that happened while she and her family were vacationing off the coast of South Carolina. Ella Morris was rescued by her father seconds after the animal pulled her underwater.

Morris was bitten while swimming with her father off Fripp Island in South Carolina. The 6-year-old girl received 22 stitches as a result of the bite.

Morris’ mother said the girl has required very little pain medication since the attack. Morris was unable to walk Tuesday, but she is expected to make a full recovery.

via 6-year-old Marietta Girl Bitten by Shark.

SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) — A teen is recovering in the hospital after a spider bite became infected.

Las week, Dillion Poulos was helping remodel his uncle's kitchen. “We were putting up new panels and stuff and that's when I felt a sting,” Poulos said.

The teen has been at the hospital since last Friday because of the severity of his wound, a big open sore where his flesh have been eaten by the poison. “I felt a sting on my leg and I pulled my pant leg up and it was just a little red mark,” said Poulos.

That little red mark turned into a gaping hole. “It was painful,” he said.

Doctors at Baptist Hospital determined that the sting was the bite of a poisonous spider, the dangerous Brown Recluse. “What happens is that it almost starts eating away at the tissue,” said Dr. Doris Aguilar.

It took the teen two days to realize something was terribly wrong. “I squeezed it and a little bit of puss came out. When I woke up it was all sore and blistered and nasty,” he recalled.

This spider is uncommon in Florida, but doctors believe his family has had unusual run-ins with the rare Recluse before.

“Apparently the mother has been bitten several times and she actually witnessed a brown hairy spider. You can't hardly tell right now, it's just a little bump,” Aguilar said.

As if the spider bite wasn't bad enough, the MRSA Virus also got into the wound, which made treating Poulos that much more difficult. “When they first told me I was like, 'Oh my God. I could be dead,' but thank God I'm still here.”

Doctors said if you get a spider bite, you shouldn't panic. Just don't scratch or pick at it, because that's usually how they get infected. If you notice that it is spreading go see your doctor.

As far as Poulos there is no anti-venom for a Brown Relcuse bite, all they can do is wash it out and give antibiotics, but after being here for a week he will be released on Friday.

via WSVN-TV – Teen recovering from spider bite.

“Hey Dad, I’m riding a turtle.”

My 13-year-old daughter, Abby, was helping clear some of the weeds from our pond and was calling out to me while standing neck deep in weedy water.

I glanced over at her smiling face from where I was lifting out clumps of weeds. The claim didn’t make much sense to me and I figured this was going to be some kind of joke: “Nah, you’re not riding a turtle.”

“Well I’m standing on its back and it’s moving.”

“It’s probably a rock.”

“How much will you give me if it’s a turtle?” she persisted.

“I’ll give you five bucks.” I was starting to think maybe she was really riding a turtle.

“If you’re really on a snapping turtle you’d probably better just swim away, those things have a bite.”

“I really want to catch him. Bring over a bucket so I can throw him in it when I get him.”

I waded over with a medium-sized bucket.

“That’s not big enough.”

I waded back with five gallon bucket. Abby paused. “What are you doing, Abby?”

“Praying.”

The next moment Abby went down under water while I stood with the bucket at the ready.

She came up with a huge snapping monster which she quickly pitched into the bucket.

We took this beast onto shore and surveyed him as he easily snapped off finger-thick sticks with lightning strikes from his powerful jaws.

I was picturing my daughter’s fingers.

“Abby, next time you’re riding a turtle just swim away. But, I have to say, I believe that’s a $10 turtle.”

Snapping turtles are just one of the dangerous creatures folks encounter in east Tennessee. However snappers almost never bother you unless you’re actively bothering them.

Let’s take a brief look at the other potentially dangerous creatures you might encounter around the woods, streams, ponds and backyards of our area.

Let’s start with snakes. There are four kinds of venomous snakes in Tennessee: northern and southern copperhead, timber rattlesnake, western cottonmouth and the western pigmy rattlesnake.

The copperhead is a relatively shy snake, but they account for the most reported bites each year in Tennessee.

Roughly 50 percent of their bites are dry bites; meaning that when they bite, no venom is injected.

Fatal bites are exceedingly rare in Tennessee. Although there are 50,000 deaths worldwide from venomous snakebites reported each year, only 12-15 are in the United States.

Within Tennessee, only four deaths from venomous snakebites have been reported since 1960.

If bitten, the best approach is to try to remain calm and get to a local emergency room. Remove all jewelry around or above the bite area, since there will probably be swelling. But do not apply a tourniquet, nor make cuts around the bite, nor try to suck out the venom. These are outdated approaches that can cause delay, tissue damage, and infection. Don’t try to capture the snake since anti venom is the same for all Tennessee snakes and trying to capture the snake only increases the chances of a second snakebite victim. On average, bites from copperheads result in a week of pain, eleven days of extremity swelling, and two weeks of missed work.

Moving to the smaller culprits, there are two spiders of concern: the black widow and the brown recluse. The black widow is black with a telltale yellow or red hourglass marking on its underside. They are often found in basements, woodpiles and rock walls. Symptoms of a bite may include profuse sweating, nausea, vomiting, headache, and muscle spasms.

The brown recluse hides out in unused shoes, attics, closets and boxes. Its venom destroys tissue. Pain may occur at the bite site six to eight hours afterwards. At 48 hours, there may be itching, redness, blisters, and then a dark crust may form at the bite site followed by sloughing off of some tissue. A visit to the doctor would be wise after a bite from either of these two venomous spiders.

Tennessee is also home to two species of scorpion, the southern unstriped scorpion and the introduced striped Scorpion. Rocky hillsides, rock or brick walls, crawl spaces, and log piles are favorite scorpion habitats. The sting of these scorpions is considered mild. The sensation is a sharp pain that usually lasts for 15 to 20 minutes.

What about fish? The dorsal and pectoral fins of many species of catfish, particularly the small mad toms, have venomous spines that can inflict painful wounds, though generally not life threatening.

Then, of course, there are the red and the black fire ants, bees, wasps, and hornets.

If you should get bitten or stung by any of these creatures, be sure to get immediate medical attention if any of the following occur: Difficulty breathing, swelling of the lips or throat, slurred speech, chest pain, faintness, rapid heart rate, nausea, cramping, vomiting, or a known venomous snakebite.

In spite of all these worrisome critters, the outdoors is still hard to beat here in east Tennessee. So enjoy it! But keep your eyes open.

via Dangerous creatures could ruin a summer.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — A teenager was injured in what authorities say may be a possible shark attack.

Authorities said Friday that 18-year-old Hannah Grace Foster of Snellville, Ga., was boogie boarding off Jacksonville Beach on Thursday when she felt a pain and pressure on her left foot. She said she saw a dark shadow swimming away.

Authorities say she sustained a 12-inch bite. Her boyfriend carried her in to shore and she was taken to a hospital for treatment and later released.

via Officials: Teen injured in possible shark attack – Florida AP – MiamiHerald.com.

Not be confused with Entophobia, the fear of ancient, walking talking tree people, entomophobia is the fear that insects will crawl into your ears, eyes, nose and mouth to eventually lay eggs on your brain.  Contestants on Fear Factor have bunjee jumped off helicopters, but ask them to lie in a coffin filled with bugs and their courage crumbles.  So why is it that we, the dominating species on the planet, capable of jumping out of airplanes, wrestling alligators, and rushing into burning buildings to rescue babies, are so utterly terrified of creatures hundreds of times smaller than us?  The following are some of the most horrifying, agony-inducing, flesh-melting, downright dangerous insects known to man.  10 damned good reasons to be afraid…very afraid!

Brazilian Wandering Spider

This little beauty is not only the world’s most venomous spider, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, but is also believed to be responsible for the most human deaths. These deadly arachnids got their name because, unlike most spiders, they don’t hang out in a web or a lair at night, but wander the jungle floor looking for prey—though these pests are increasingly found in cities. During the day Wandering Spiders hide in termite mounds, under logs or sometimes in banana plants.

The venom these spiders produce is similar to the neurotoxin found in Black Widow Spiders, causing pain, cold sweats and an irregular heart beat. It’s believed that between the year 1970 and 1980 Brazilian Wandering Spiders were responsible for hospitalizing about 7,000 people in southern Brazil.

If it doesn’t manage to kill you, however, there are some pretty embarrassing side effects that come with this spider bite.

Africanized Honey Bee (a.k.a. Killer Bees)

The world is full of dangerous things that can kill us, but we only have ourselves to blame for this one folks. Back in the day settlers in North and South America wanted a hardy bee that produced a lot of honey. Well, European bees were bigger and produced more honey, but they were kind of frail. African bees, though tough, were much smaller.

So to get the best of both worlds, they bred these two bees together. This produced a race of large, very aggressive honey bees with a habit of absconding (or abandoning their hives to start new ones elsewhere). These bees are hyper-defensive and attack relentlessly in giant swarms when threatened.

If an Africanized honey bee stings you they not only release their venom, but they release a banana-scented pheromone which signals the other bees to attack.  You can withstand approximately 7 stings for every pound you weigh before your life is in serious danger. These bees have been known to swarm and attack as far as ¼ mile from their hive, and can sting up to 500 times in 30 seconds.  You do the math.

These bees used to dwell mostly in South America, but have been migrating further and further north in recent years.

Giant Japanese Hornet (a.k.a Asian Hornet)

No, that picture isn’t Photoshopped. The bug is really that big. When these puppies aren’t picking fights with entire bee hives or eating honey bee larva, they can be found stinging annoying humans in the Tokyo region with their 6mm stingers (that’s about a quarter inch).

Not only are these bugs frighteningly big, but they’re also frighteningly dangerous. Giant hornet venom is more potent than that of its smaller, puny relatives; it’s a mixture of acetylcholine—which causes a lot of pain—and an enzyme that’s capable of dissolving human flesh. People who have experienced being bitten by these bugs say it feels like a hot nail being driven through your flesh. And once you’ve pissed one of these guys off it will chase you for over three miles. Each year in Japan, Giant Hornets kill more people than all other venomous and non-venomous animals combined.

Siafu Ants

Found mostly in central and east Africa, these ants aren’t so tough on their own. Problem is, you’re not very likely to find one of these little guys by themselves. Siafu Ants live in giant colonies of about 20 million individuals.

When food gets low the ants set out in search of food in columns that can consist of as many as 50 million ants. And that’s when you don’t want to mess with them. The columns defend themselves viciously, and have a military structure complete with sentries that set up a perimeter corridor to protect the smaller members of the colony. You’re not in too much trouble as long as you can run away from a column, but if you’re sick or debilitated or just generally stuck in one place these ants can kill you and consume your entire body. Most people die of asphyxiation rather than the painful venomous bite. These ants have such powerful jaws that in East Africa, people used them to perform emergency sutures.

Bullet Ant

So maybe swarms of tiny ants don’t scare you. How about this giant screaming mofo? That’s right, screaming. Bullet Ants hail from the low land rainforests of Nicaragua and Paraguay. Each ant is about an inch long and lives in a tree colony. When a predator approaches the colony some of these bad boys drop down onto it, letting out a shriek before they do.
While not the deadliest insect, the Bullet Ant’s sting is said to be the most painful in the world, according to the Schmidt Sting Pain Index. The insect’s sting causes waves of burning, throbbing, mind-blowing, pain that doesn’t stop for 24 hours. It hurts so much it feels like you’ve been shot with a bullet (Get it? Bullet Ant?)

Some South American societies use the Bullet Ant to test the manhood of young boys, making them endure 20 stings without crying out before they can be considered men. Some white people think that sounds cool and decide to do it just for kicks.

African Assassin Bug

This brightly-coloured bug is said to have venom 10 times more potent than a cobra, which it can either spit at or inject into its prey. One bug won’t kill a human, but get bit by enough and you’ll be in trouble.

The Assassin Bug’s venom, rather than paralyzing its prey, will liquefy their insides. It uses its proboscis to suck the liquid insides from its prey or to bite unsuspecting human beings. The Assassin hunts by covering itself with the dead bodies of past meals. When an unsuspecting insect wanders by and thinks one of the empty bug husks looks tasty, the Assassin Bug dumps the decoys and pounces.

Some brave—or crazy—humans have taken to keeping these bugs as pets because they can control most pest problems very efficiently. Other people keep them as pets so they can videotape them hunting, set it to whimsical music and post it all on YouTube.

Kissing bugs

These bugs aren’t really deadly because of their venom or because they’re particularly fearsome. Kissing bugs are dangerous because they infect human beings with Chaga’s disease. These insects don’t die after biting so it’s possible for them to bite multiple humans and pass the Chaga’s parasite along.  The bugs hide inside houses and drops down onto people while they’re sleeping, biting the soft tissue of the lips and eyes. Chaga’s disease, however, is actually passed to a new host through the bug’s feces that enter the human body through the wounds it inflicts.

As of 2008, 16 to 18 million people were infected with the disease, with 20,000 dying of the affliction yearly. Chaga’s causes sever heart damage. Heart transplants for victims are ineffective because the parasite just ruins the new heart as well.

Mosquito

Okay, so we’ve all seen Mosquitoes before and they’re not particularly terrifying. But their kill rate certainly should scare you. These blood suckers kill more people than all of the flying menaces and deadly spiders combined. Mosquitoes pass along diseases like yellow fever, denegue fever, Chikungunya, West Nile virus and the ever popular malaria. It’s estimated that in Africa alone mosquitos are responsible for infecting 700 million people with disease, killing 2 million in their infectious wake.

via 10 Most Terrifying and Dangerous Insects.

It is really hard to tell which animal is the most poisonous in the world. The one that has the most toxic chemicals? The one that kills the biggest amount of people a year? Or maybe the one with the biggest amount of poison?

First of all, I have to admit that the title is a bit incorrect, because there is a difference between poisonous and venomous animals. A poisonous animal carries harmful chemicals called toxins primarily used for self defense. Therefore venomous animals deliver their toxins by stinging, stabbing, or biting. So poisonous animals are passive killers, while venomous animals are active killers.

Nevertheless, theory aside, they are all really dangerous. So look really closely at each photo, cause next time you meet them can be the last thing you ever see.

1. Box Jellyfish

The top prize for “The World Most Venomous Animal,” would go to the Box Jellyfish. It has caused at least 5,567 recorded deaths since 1954. Their venom is among the most deadly in the world. It’s toxins attack the heart, nervous system, and skin cells. And the worst part of it is that jelly box venom is so overpoweringly painful, that human victims go in shock, drown or die of heart failure before even reaching shore. Survivors experience pain weeks after the contact with box jellies.

You have virtually no chance to survive the venomous sting, unless treated immediately. After a sting, vinegar should be applied for a minimum of 30 seconds. Vinegar has acetic acid, which disables the box jelly’s nematocysts that have not yet discharged into the bloodstream (though it will not alleviate the pain). Wearing panty hose while swimming is also a good prevention measure since it can prevent jellies from being able to harm your legs.

Jelly box can be found in the waters around Asia and Australia.

2. King Cobra

The King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the world’s longest venomous snake – growing up to 5.6 m (18.5 ft) in length. Ophiophagus, literally means “snake-eater” as it eats other snakes. One single bite of this deadly snake can easily kill a human. This snake is even capable of killing a full-grown Asian Elephant within 3 hours if the larger animal is bitten in a vulnerable area such as the trunk.

It’s venom is not as toxic as other venomous snakes, but King Cobra is capable of injecting 5 times more venom than black mamba and can result in mortality up to 5 times faster than that of the black mamba. It is quite widespread, ranging across South and South-east Asia, living in dense highland forests.

3. Marbled Cone Snail

This little beautiful looking Marbled Cone snail can be as deadly as any other animal on this list. One drop of its venom is so powerful that it can kill more than 20 humans. If you ever happen to be in warm salt water environment (where these snails are often found) and see it, don’t even think of picking it up. Of course, the true purpose of its venom is to catch its prey.

Symptoms of a cone snail sting can start immediately or can be delayed in onset for days. It results in intense pain, swelling, numbness and tingling. Severe cases involve muscle paralysis, vision changes and breathing failure. There is no antivenom. However, only about 30 human deaths have been recorded from cone snail envenomation.

4. Blue-Ringed Octopus

The Blue-Ringed Octopus is very small, only the size of a golf ball, but its venom is so powerful that can kill a human. Actually it carries enough poison to kill 26 adult humans within minutes, and there is no antidote. They are currently recognized as one of the world’s most venomous animals.

Its painless bite may seem harmless, but the deadly neurotoxins begin working immediately resulting in muscular weakness, numbness, followed by a cessation and breathing and ultimately death.

They can be found in tide pools in the Pacific Ocean, from Japan to Australia.

5. Death Stalker Scorpion

Contrarily to the popular belief most of the scorpions are relatively harmless to humans as stings produce only local effects (pain, numbness or swelling). However, the Death Starker Scorpion is highly dangerous species because its venom is a powerful cocktail of neurotoxins which causes an intense and unbearable pain, then fever, followed by coma, convulsions, paralysis and death. Fortunately, while a sting from this scorpion is extremely painful, it would be unlikely to kill a healthy, adult human. Young children, the old, or infirm (with a heart condition) are at the biggest risk.

Death stalker scorpions are spread in North Africa and Middle East.

6. Stonefish

Maybe Stonefish would never win a beauty contest, but it would definitely win the top prize for being “The World Most Venomous Fish”. Its venom causes such a severe pain that the victims of its sting want the affected limb to be amputated. It is described as the worst pain known to man. It is accompanied with possible shock, paralysis, and tissue death. If not given medical attention within a couple of hours It can be fatal to humans.

Stonefish stores its toxins in gruesome-looking spines that are designed to hurt would-be predators.

Stonefish mostly live above the tropic of Capricorn, often found in the shallow tropical marine waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans, ranging from the Red Sea to the Queensland Great Barrier Reef.

7. The Brazilian wandering spider

The Brazilian Wandering Spider (Phoneutria) or banana spider appears in the Guinness Book of World Records 2007 for the most venomous spider and is the spider responsible for most human deaths.

This spider is believed to have the most potent neurotoxic venom of any living spider. Only 0.006mg (0.00000021oz) is sufficient to kill a mouse. They are also so dangerous because of their wandering nature. They often hide during daytime in highly populated areas inside houses, clothes, boots, and cars.

Its venomous bite causes not only intense pain, the venom of the spider can also cause priapism – uncomfortable erections lasting for many hours that lead to impotence.

8. Inland Taipan

The prize for “The World’s Most Venomous Snake” goes to the Inland Taipan of Australia. Just a single bite from this snake contains enough venom to kill 100 human adults or an army of 250,000 mice. Its venom is at least 200 – 400 times more toxic than a common cobra. The Inland Taiwan’s extremely neurotoxic venom can kill an adult human in as little as 45 minutes. Fortunately this snake is very shy and there have been no documented human fatalities (all known bites were treated with antivenin).

9. Poison Dart Frog

If you ever happen to be running through the rain forests somewhere in Central or South America, do not ever pick up beautiful and colorful frogs – it can be the Poison Dart Frog. This frog is probably the most poisonous animal on earth.The 2 inch long (5cm) golden poison dart frog has enough venom to kill 10 adult humans or 20,000 mice. Only 2 micrograms of this lethal toxin (the amount that fits on the head of a pin) is capable of killing a human or other large mammal. They are called “dart frogs” because indigenous Amerindians’ use of their toxic secretions to poison the tips of their blow-darts. Poison dart frogs keep their poison in their skins and will sicken or kill anybody who touches or eats it.

10. Puffer Fish

Puffer Fish are the second most poisonous vertebrate on earth (the first one is golden dart Frog). The meat of some species is a delicacy in both Japan (as fugu) and Korea (as bok-uh) but the problem is that the skin and certain organs of many puffer fish are very poisonous to humans.

This puffy fish produce rapid and violent death..Puffer’s poisoning causes deadening of the tongue and lips, dizziness, vomiting, rapid heart rate, difficulty breathing, and muscle paralysis. Victims die from suffocation as diaphragm muscles are paralyzed. Most of the victims die after four to 24 hours. There is no known antidote, Most deaths from fugu happen when untrained people catch and prepare the fish.

Statistics show that there were 20 to 44 incidents of fugu poisoning per year between 1996 and 2006 in all of Japan and up to six incidents per year led to death. Since Fugu’s poison can cause near instantaneous death, only licensed chefs are allowed to prepare it.

via The World`s Biggests: 10 Most Poisonous Animals in the World.