Their shiny blue color says it all: danger. With enough poison to wipe out 20,000 mice, and so tiny that they could fit on a human fingernail, this amphibian can kill a large animal just by touching it, as its poison is on their skin. Each frog has unique black spots, making it possible to distinguish between them.
They spend most of their day hopping around and being aggressive towards one another and to other animals. To fend off outsiders, they display a series of calls, chases, and wrestling.
Portuguese Man o’War
Similar to the Jellyfish, this is a type of Physalia found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Although similar in looks to a shell, don’t touch it. It has long tentacles that give a powerful and venomous sting, capable of killing or paralyzing fish, or in rare instances, humans. They are identified by their gas-filled bladders, which sit at the surface of the water, while the rest of them is submerged. Their name comes from their resemblance to the Portuguese 18th-century armed sailing ship, the man-of-war, at full sail.
They are responsible for stinging up to 10,000 humans in Australia every summer, especially on the east coast. Their detached tentacles may float for several days in the water or wash up on shore and remain potent. Their stings may generate intense pain to humans and red welts that last two or three days after the first sting. They may also lead to airway blockage, cardiac distress, and an inability to breathe.
Yellowjackets
If you see a nest, avoid it at all costs. Like other stinging insects, they kill humans by causing anaphylactic shock. The bigger ones are the most fearful, as their stings become more powerful as they age. Yellowjackets are social insects, living together in colonies that have workers, queens, and males.
Queens come out during late spring or early summer, choose a site to nest, and build a small paper nest to lay eggs in. The queen stays there, lying until her death in the fall. The colony grows fast, reaching a size of 4,000 to 5,000 members and a nest of 10,000 to 15,000 cells by the end of the summer.
Asian Lions
The king of the grasslands and the second-largest animal after the tiger, they are very dangerous and cause around 100 human deaths a year. They hunt in groups and usually go after vulnerable animals, like young and old members of the pack they are chasing.
These lions have a sparser mane than their African cousins. They live in and around Gir Forest National Park in Gujarat, western India.
Box Jellyfish
Small but deadly, these jellyfish are the cause of more human deaths a year than sharks, crocodiles, and stonefish combined. Its poison is extremely potent. They are found mostly in the tropical Indo-Pacific region, with some species living in tropical and subtropical oceans including the Atlantic Ocean and the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Be especially alert during the months between October and May, as this is when swimmers are at the highest risk. However, stings do occur all year round. The riskiest conditions are in calm water with a light, onshore breeze. Hey, that’s just how we like it too!