Top 10 Most Poisonous Animals in the World

Here are ten of the most poisonous animals in the world! From the Box Jellyfish to the Puffer Fish! 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. Biologists think pufferfish, also known as blowfish, developed their famous “inflatability” because their slow, somewhat clumsy swimming style makes them vulnerable to predators. In lieu of escape, pufferfish use their highly elastic stomachs and the ability to quickly ingest huge amounts of water (and even air when necessary) to turn themselves into a virtually inedible ball several times their normal size. Some species also have spines on their skin to make them even less palatable. 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.

Read more ...

Hachiko: The World’s Most Loyal Dog

Hachiko, an Akita dog in Japan, sets an example for loyalty by waiting patiently for its master’s return from work in a railway station. It did this routine for 11 years every day.

The Akita breed dog, Hachikō was born on November 10, 1923 and died March 8, 1935. It is known in Japanese as (chūken hachikō, lit. 'faithful dog Hachikō'). It is remembered fondly in Japan for its intense loyalty, waiting for its master for more than 11 years.

In 1924, Hachiko was brought to Tokyo by its master Hidesamuro Ueno, a professor in the agricultural department at the University of Tokyo. When Hachiko’s master went to work, it greeted him off at the front door, and when his master came back from work he usually went to the nearest railway station and waited for him there. It used to do this as a routine every day. However, his master died a year later in May 1925, but Hachiko kept this routine and waited for its master at the station for the next 11 years until its death in 1935.

Others at the station initially thought it was waiting for something else or roaming around but later realized it was waiting for its dead master. So the vendors there used to give some bits of food and water for its unwavering loyalty. But others doubted it and said the dog might have come because of the food the vendors gave for it. If so, then the dog could have come at other times also, but appeared only in the evening time, precisely when the train was due at the station.

One of the professor's students was able to document the reason for the dog coming to the station for its master. And the student returned several times over the years and saw the dog appear precisely when the train was due at the station in the evening. He published this fact in one of the Tokyo’s largest newspaper after which the dog became a national figure and everyone were impressed with the loyalty shown by the dog and used it as an example for their children and students to follow.

Soon after a well known artist did a sculpture of the dog which was erected at Shibuya Station and Hachikō himself was present at its unveiling. The statue had to be recycled later for World War II. However, they did the sculpture again, and the original artist’s son made the statue of the dog in 1948. This statue has become a popular meeting spot in Japan.

Source:http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/218509/Dog_faithfully_awaits_return_of_his_master_for_past_11_years

Films

Hachikō was the subject of the 1987 movie Hachi-kō (Hachikō Monogatari) ハチ公物語 (literally “The Tale of Hachiko”), directed by Seijirō Kōyama, which told the story of his life from his birth up until his death and imagined spiritual reunion with his master. Considered a blockbuster success, the film was the last big hit for Japanese film studioShochiku Kinema Kenkyû-jo.

Hachiko: A Dog's Story,^] released in August 2009, is an American movie starring actor Richard Gere, directed by Lasse Hallström, about Hachikō and his relationship with the professor. The movie was filmed in Rhode Island, and also featured Joan Allen and Jason Alexander.

The story and statue of Hachikō at Shibuya Statue are featured in the direct-to-video animated film Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword.^{[citation needed]}

Books

Hachikō is also the subject of a 2004 children's book entitled Hachikō: The True Story of a Loyal Dog, written by Pamela S. Turner and illustrated by Yan Nascimbene. Another children's book, a short novel for readers of all ages called Hachiko Waits, written by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Machiyo Kodaira, was published by Henry Holt & Co. in 2004. Hachiko Waits was released in paperback by Square Fish (an imprint of MacMillan) in 2008.

Hachikō is featured prominently in the 2008 novel The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski.^[ The novel revolves around the extraordinary relationship between the title character, his family and the dogs they raise.

Video Games

The statue of Hachiko is featured in the Square Enix game The World Ends With You (released in the US in April 2008) and is even part of one of the game's first missions.

Radio

In 1994, the Culture Broadcasting Network (CBN) in Japan was able to lift a recording of Hachikō barking from an old record that had been broken into several pieces. A huge advertising campaign ensued and on Saturday, May 28, 1994, 59 years after his death, millions of radio listeners tuned in to hear Hachikō bark.

(Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachik%C5%8D

Read more ...

Interesting facts about Elephants

Did you know that there are only three species of elephants living today?  They are the African savanna elephant, African forest elephant and the Indian elephant. All other species have disappeared from the face of the Earth. This article  offers some interesting facts about elephants.

Elephants are the world's largest land animals alive today. The largest elephant ever recorded was shot in Angola in 1956. This male weighed about 11,000 kg, with a height of 3.96 meters, a meter higher than the average male African elephant.

The gestation period of a female elephant is 22 months, which is longer than that of any land animal. At birth the calf weighs an average of 120 kilograms.  They usually live for 50-70 years, but the age of the oldest recorded elephant was 82 years old. In healthy adult elephants have no natural enemies, predators, although lions may attack young or weak animals

With a mass just over 5 kg, elephant brains are larger than those of any other land animal. They are characterized by a wide variety of emotions and feelings, including grief, altruism, playfulness, compassion and self-awareness. They hear music and even can use musical instruments, as well as draw.

Elephants live in a structured social order. Public life in males and females are very different. Females spend most of their time in close-knit family groups made up of mothers, daughters, sisters and aunts. These groups are led by the eldest female elephant, or matriarch. Adult males, on the other hand, live mostly solitary.

Fangs of the elephant - ie the  second upper incisors that grow continuously. Adult male canines grow about 18 cm per year.  They are used to pull water, salt and roots, tearing the bark from trees, baobab pulp extract and clear trees and branches, clearing the way. In addition, they are used to establish territory, and occasionally as weapons.

Elephant's trunk is a fusion of the nose and upper lip, elongated and specialized to become the most important and versatile appendage of the animal. African elephants can boast of two such processes at the finger tips of their trunk, while in Asia there is only one.  Elephant trunk sensitive enough to pick up a single blade of grass from the ground, but still strong enough to uproot a tree. The trunk is also used for drinking. Elephants suck water up to 14 liters at a time, and then transfer it to the mouth. Snouted animals also sprayed water on their bodies during bathing. In addition to this cool soul animals sprayed mud, which dries and acts as a sunscreen. During swimming trunk serves as a tube for breathing.

Elephants swim well, but can not jump, run or gallop. They really have only two options gaits: walk and a faster gait that is similar to running.

African elephants now live in 37 African countries. They are distinguished from Asian elephants in several ways, but first and foremost they have much larger ears. In addition, the African elephant is usually larger than the Indian elephant and has a concave back. In Asian elephants only males have tusks, and tusks of African stocked with all of the individual.

Elephants are herbivores and spend up to 16 hours a day in search of food. Their diet is very variable, depending on the season and habitat. Above all, they feed on the leaves, bark, fruit trees and shrubs, but they may also eat large amounts of grass.

Read more ...

Fascinating Facts About Tigers!

There is little doubt that tigers are some of the most beautiful, royal and scary animals nature has ever produced. They are incredible hunters, the biggest of all cat species (excluding the liger, which is a combination of lion and tiger) and can hunt in the water or land in equal measure.

__._,_.___

Read more ...

10 Most Intelligent Animals

Apes—or more specifically, chimpanzees—share 94% of their DNA with humans and demonstrate incredible signs of intelligence. We are always super-impressed and emotionally moved whenever animals display the “human” quality of learning. 

 

The following are some of the world’s smartest animals, doing some pretty smart things.

1 – Octopus

                                     Octopus

Octopus is one of the smartest creatures in the sea. This animal is still poorly understood, but scientists are constantly discovering new and impressive octopus abilities. They play, solve problems, navigate through mazes and have a respectable short-term memory.

2 – Pigeon

                                        Pigeon

 They have a great memory that can recognise themselves in the mirror, can remember hundreds of different images/photos and learn routes to their home from long distances.

3 – Pigs

                                         Pigs

It is said that they have emotion, sensitivity, hurt feelings and easily bored. They are very sociable to humans and they are trainable. Some say they are more trainable than dogs. In laboratories, pigs play video games better than primates. Pigs can also dream and recognize their own names.

4 – Dog

                                        Dog And Cat

Human’s best friend, very trainable, sociable to humans, can understand commands and obedience. Dogs can identify and remember animal or human faces they’ve met, they can recognise radio, television, etc. They also can be sensitive, jealous and they won’t forget someone hurting them in their entire life.

5 – Parrot

                                          Parrots

Parrots are widely recognised as the smartest birds. They can do many wonderful things with their stunning beaks. According to recent study, the Cacadu Parrots have 90% accurate bird’s skills. A Parrot can mimic human words, understand the meanings, can remember many words and make sentences.

6 – Rats

                                          Rats

Rat is a highly intelligent yet much-maligned animal in Western cultures. Widely used in research, the lab rat has been known to find shortcuts, loopholes and escape routes in the laboratory experiments designed by the top scientific minds of our time.

7 – Sheep

                                          Sheep

British scientists and researchers stated that sheep have an incredible kind of instinctive ability and intelligence beyond your imaginations. If threatened, they make large groups and run away together from predators. Sheeps can remember and identify animal faces and also human faces.

8 – Dolphins

                                         Dolphins

Dolphins are extremely social animals. They can find their relatives separated miles away in the sea for unknown reason but they have their own language to communicate. The most significant aspect about the dolphins is that they never sleep with their systems due to their incredible piece of brain power and aesthetic sensibility.

9 – Elephants

                                       Elephants

The elephant brain is very heavy. It weighs in at about 5 kilos or more. Other large mammals, such as rhinos and hippos don’t have that kind of brain size. Scientific research has proven that elephants have the ability to use different objects in creative ways without being taught firsthand. They have been known to clean their food and use tools in various ways in the wild, and they can also follow human commands in captivity.

10 – Gorillas & Chimpanzees (Primates)

                                     Chimpanzee

The impressive intellectual abilities of these animals have long fascinated humans. They can make and use tools, hunt collectively, and are capable of advanced problem-solving. They are also able to learn sign language to communicate with humans and can remember the name sign for individuals they have not seen for sever

Source:: http://www.themost10.com/intelligent-animals/

Read more ...