Being stabbed by a hypodermic needle that pumps painful toxins into your body is a terrifying thought. But that\u2019s, essentially, what happens when a venomous creature injects you with toxins through its spines. From the most venomous fish on the planet to a cartoonishly cute egg-laying mammal, here are some of the most dangerous spined creatures on Earth.<\/p>\n
The first on our list is the most venomous fish on the planet: the stonefish. These fishes have up to 15 dorsal spines which can release a toxic venom when pressure is applied to them, for example if someone steps on them. These ambush predators only use their venomous spines for self-defence, but stings bring agonising pain, paralysis, breathing issues, and even cardiac arrest. Its relative, the scorpionfish, packs a similar punch, causing immense swelling and cardiac problems.<\/p>\n
The horrific 2006 death of TV presenter Steve Irwin made many people afraid of sharing the water with stingrays. Usually, this isn\u2019t something you need to worry about, as they tend to be shy. Their iconic sting is their last line of defence, delivering symptoms including severe pain, cramping, swelling, nausea, dizziness, and difficulty breathing.<\/p>\n
Although they look like an adorable mash-up of a duck and an otter, male platypuses feature a spine-like ankle spur on their hind legs. They use these roughly 12mm-long weapons to fight rivals over territory. If a human gets stung, it won\u2019t be fatal, but the venom disrupts blood regulation and pain receptors, causing excruciating \u201cwhole-body\u201d pain that lasts for weeks and cannot be alleviated by morphine.<\/p>\n
Assassin caterpillars (Lonomia), found in South America, are believed to be the deadliest caterpillars in the world. Instead of true spines, their bodies are covered with hollow, hair-like bristles called setae that break off to deliver toxins causing massive internal haemorrhaging and renal failure. Another one to watch is the asp or puss caterpillar, whose stings result in severe pain, blistering, and systemic symptoms like fever and vomiting.<\/p>\n
Flower urchins deliver venom via pincer-like organs called pedicellaria that can lead to severe pain, respiratory problems, and paralysis. Meanwhile, the vibrant Crown-of-thorns starfish is covered in sharp thorns tipped with toxins that cause aches, nausea, and sometimes long-lasting injuries requiring surgery to remove embedded spines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Being stabbed by a hypodermic needle that pumps painful toxins into your body is a terrifying thought. But that\u2019s, essentially, what happens when a venomous creature injects you with toxins through its spines. From the most venomous fish on the planet to a cartoonishly cute egg-laying mammal, here are some of the most dangerous spined […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4093,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,13,33],"tags":[162,159,109,161,160,158],"class_list":["post-4092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-animal-news","category-nature","category-wildlife","tag-caterpillars","tag-dangerous-wildlife","tag-marine-life","tag-platypus","tag-stonefish","tag-venomous-animals"],"yoast_head":"\n