16 Small but Terrifying Creatures

Don’t let this ridiculous looking animal that gained some fame in Finding Nemo fool you, the Pufferfish is one of the most poisonous animals in the ocean – to the point where fishermen refuse to touch them without thick gloves.

Okay, so the danger for this little guy is right there in his name, but in fairness, if you stumble across this dude out in the wild you’re unlikely to exchange pleasantries than to suffer its poisonous wrath. Native Americans used its venom on the tips of blow darts, that’s how dangerous its poison is.

An octopus by nature is generally kind of freaky, but the tiny blue-ringed variety is pound-for-pound one of the most venomous animals in the world, and lucky us, there exists no antivenom for its deadly poison.

Looking like that, and having the word “slow” in its name probably makes you think the Slow Loris is perfectly harmless, but the fact is this little guy is one of the very few poisonous mammals in the world, and a simple lick could infect you with its deadly toxin.

It’s not much of a secret that the black widow spider is extremely dangerous, as they are considered the most venomous species of spider in North America, though fortunately, fatalities are pretty rare following a black widow bite.

Mosquitos are always annoying, but the Anopheles mosquito in particular is horrifying as its bite has a nasty tendency to infect victims with malaria.

Found throughout Africa, the Tsetse fly is a mass murderer of both humans and livestock, with its bite potentially infecting the victim with a parasitic disease that has killed thousands.

9Indian Red Scorpion

It’s probably not very surprising that a scorpion is dangerous, but the Indian Red Scorpion may be the most deadly of them all, with fatality rates ranging anywhere from 8-40% of its victims.

8Irukandji Jellyfish

The absurdly tiny Irukandji Jellyfish are remarkably toxic and give the victim what is known as Irukandji syndrome, which can lead to cardiac arrest if not treated within the first 20 minutes.

7Geographic Cone Snail

It’s hard to imagine any sort of snail being particularly dangerous, but the Geographic Cone Snail is extremely venomous and has no qualms about spearing and infecting you, leading to severe vomiting and diarrhea and, potentially, death.

6Africanized Honey Bee

We have a Brazilian scientist to thank for Africanized honey bees, as these genetic freaks more commonly known as killer bees are relentless when it comes to swarming and chasing down victims.

5Pfeffer’s Flamboyant Cuttlefish

It’s hard to imagine anything with the name “flamboyant” in its actual name being particularly dangerous, but this freaky looking fish has enough poison to induce heart failure within minutes.

4Bullet Ant

Ants are just ridiculously annoying, to begin with, but the bullet ant may just take the cake since its very name is derived from the fact that its bite is so painful that it actually feels very much like being shot with, you know, a bullet.

3Candiru Fish

Guys, prepare to be terrified, because the Candiru fish is a parasitic little monster that lives in the Amazon and is believed to swim straight up the urethra and into the bladder, resulting in internal bleeding and death.

2Short-Taled Shrew

Common in North America, the short-tailed shrew is one of the only venomous mammals on the planet, though thankfully they aren’t deemed dangerous to humans.

1Kittens

Yep, those playful little balls of fur should actually scare the crap out of you, because if you have any immune deficiencies they could severely mess you up thanks to toxoplasmosis, which most young cats carry and which can cause lesions, brain inflammation, and even plays a part in developing schizophrenia.