Most of these animals are dangerous because of the toxicity of the poison, while other specimens, such as the white shark, because of the power of the bite.
Sea wasp
The Chironex fleckeri, better known as "sea wasp" or "box jellyfish", is a type of cnidarium that belongs to the class of cubomeduse. Its sting would be deadly if the poison came into direct contact with our skin. They have a singular, cubic shape, of these jellyfish there are less than 40 species that are classified into two families: the Chironomidae and the carybdeidae. They live in the waters of Australia, the Philippines and in other tropical zones of south-east Asia, and feed on small fishes and crustaceans. Every year, the wasp kills more people than the sum of the deaths that all marine animals cause together.
Even if they are not aggressive animals, they have the deadliest venom on the planet, with only 1,4 milligrams of the toxin contained in their tentacles, they can cause the death of a human being. The slightest rubbing with our skin causes its poison, after an initial reaction of necrosis of the skin accompanied by a terrible pain similar to that produced by corrosive acid, to produce a cardiac arrest. All this in just three minutes.
The Chironex fleckeri
The Chironex fleckeri, better known as "sea wasp" or "box jellyfish". Its sting would be deadly if the poison came into direct contact with our skin. They have a singular, cubic shape, of these jellyfish there are less than 40 species that are classified into two families: the Chironomidae and the carybdeidae. Every year, the wasp kills more people than the sum of the deaths that all marine animals cause together.
Sea snake
Sea snakes (hydrophiinae), are the snakes that possess the most powerful venom, more lethal than that of the royal cobra and the taipan, its terrestrial cousins. They look similar to eels but have a difference in the tail that allows them to swim better.
Even if they are not aggressive animals they attack only when they feel threatened, these serpents have a venom 2 to 10 times more powerful than that of the terrestrial cobra. Their bite produces muscular pain, spasms of the jaw, drowsiness, blurred vision and respiratory paralysis. The good news is that their small teeth cannot cross a wetsuit of neoprene reaching the layer of the skin.
Stonefish
The stonefish (synanceia horrida), together with the pufferfish, is one of the most poisonous fish in the marine world. It belongs to the species of actinopterygians escorpeniformes as it has spiny protuberances similar to those of scorpions. These animals blend in perfectly with the environment, especially with marine rocks, which could lead divers to step on them.
The venom of these animals is located on the spines of the dorsal fins, anal and pelvic, and contains lethal neurotoxins and cytotoxins. Its sting produces headaches, intestinal spasms, vomiting, and arterial hypertension, and if it is not cured in time, it leads to muscular paralysis, convulsions, cardiac arrhythmia and, in the worst case, to cardiac arrest.
Blue-ringed octopus
In the list of the 5 most dangerous marine animals in the world, also the octopus with blue rings, scientifically known as hapalochlaena, wins a place in the ranking. The color of these animals is very characteristic, and when they feel threatened their blue and black rings shine with greater intensity.
The neurotoxic poison of their sting initially produces itching and, gradually, a respiratory and motor paralysis that leads to the death of a person in just 15 minutes. There is no antidote for their bite. A curiosity: in the salivary glands of these octopuses there is enough poison to kill 20 people in a few minutes.
White shark
The white shark (Carcharodon Carcharias) is one of the largest fish in the world and is the largest predatory fish on the planet. It belongs to the cartilaginous fish species, can weigh more than 2,000 kilograms and measure between 4.5 and 6 meters in length. These sharks have 300 large, sharp teeth, and a powerful mandible capable of cutting through human extremities. They live in the waters of almost all the oceans and feed mainly on marine mammals.
Despite their bad reputation, they are animals that hardly attack humans. More people die from insect bites than from sharks, and in addition, 75% of these attacks are non-fatal. These sharks do not attack humans out of hunger, but because they feel threatened.