50 Most Venomous/Poisonous Animals On Earth (+ Toxicity Level)

Even if you love the outdoors, there are always marvels you should only see from a distance. Among these wonders are the enthralling—or occasionally terrifying—poisonous animals that can endanger your life while you’re just having fun.

Thus, we have compiled a list of the Top 50 most Venomous/Poisonous Animals On Earth that you should steer clear of at all costs. However, some also happen to be so fascinating that you will find yourself reading articles about them nonstop. So without further ado, let’s get going. Have fun scrolling!

Most Poisonous Animals Underwater

1. Australian Box Jellyfish

• Scientific name – Chironex fleckeri
• Size – 16 to 35 cm
• Habitat – Coastal waters of New Guinea, northern Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Vietnam
• Toxicity Level – cause death as quickly as 3-5 minutes
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – 50 to 100

The Australian Box Jellyfish or sea wasps, have the fastest-acting poison on Earth. It’s not the strongest poison available, though. However, running across one of these guys could be your worst nightmare, as you could die within 15 minutes after the encounter.

It’s all because of the Nematocysts that they are covered with. These are little venom-filled darts that release heart-stopping poisons wherever they come into contact with the body.

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2. Stonefish – Synanceia verrucosa

• Scientific name – Synanceia verrucosa
• Size – 27 to 40 cm
• Habitat – shallow tropical marine waters in the western Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, coastal East Africa, French Polynesia, southern Japan, and surrounding Taiwan
• Toxicity Level – Can be fatal at a dose of only 18mg
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – No data available

The proteinaceous toxin verrucotoxin (VTX) is the potent venom of stonefish, which remains in its dorsal fine spines.

Intense pain, respiratory weakness, necrosis, hemorrhage, damage to the cardiovascular system, convulsions, paralysis, and occasionally even death is possible with its sting.

With only six of its thirteen spines, the stonefish may release venom that is lethal at doses as little as 18 mg. It is sometimes called the most venomous fish in the world.

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3. Blue-Ringed Octopus

• Genus – Hapalochlaena
• Size – 4 to 12 cm including its arms
• Habitat – Coral reefs and rocky regions of the bottom, while some can also be found in tide pools, seagrass, and algal beds.
  
• Toxicity Level – 1,000 times more toxic than cyanide
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – 7 to 16 deaths

Blue-ringed octopus venom may kill a human in 20–40 minutes as it is 1,000 times more lethal than cyanide.

Its saliva contains bacteria that produce a very strong neurotoxin that paralyzes your muscles. You will be dead from asphyxia in a matter of minutes after that paralysis affects your ribs and diaphragm.

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4. Pufferfish (Fugu)

• Scientific name – Takifugu rubripes
• Size – up to 6 cm
• Habitat –Tropical and subtropical ocean waters
  
• Toxicity Level – contain dangerous nerve toxins
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – 2 to 6 approx.

This fish contains tetrodotoxin, a strong neurotoxin, even though it is not venomous in the traditional sense. Inadequate preparation can result in death or paralysis from consumption.

The pufferfish’s spikes, liver, and kidneys are home to harmful nerve poisons that are lethal to humans.

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5. Striated Surgeonfish

• Scientific name – Ctenochaetus striatus
• Size – 18 to 26 cm
• Habitat – Inhabits seaward reefs, lagoons, and reef flats down to a depth of more than 30 meters
  
• Toxicity Level – It accumulates toxins through its diet
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – causes poisoning to around 20,000 to 50,000 people each year

Through its food, a striated surgeonfish accumulates toxins. They occasionally eat microscopic dinoflagellates that create maitotoxin when they are grazing on algae.

Every year, 20,000 to 50,000 people suffer from ciguatera fish poisoning due to the accumulation of this toxin in their flesh.

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6. Comb Starfish

• Scientific name – Astropecten polyacanthus
• Size – up to 20 cm
• Habitat – Shallow tropical and sub-tropical seas throughout the Indo-Pacific region from Red Sea, Zanzibar, and Hawaii Also Japan, Australia, and New Zealand
  
• Toxicity Level – a potent neurotoxin that can cause paralysis and eventual death from respiratory failure
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year –No data available

Comb starfish are capable of paralyzing victims and finally killing them from respiratory failure due to the strong neurotoxin, Tetrodotoxin, they contain.

This toxin can kill 520 mice per gram, and as in the present scenario, there is no known antidote for tetrodotoxin.

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7. Geography Cone Snail 

• Scientific name – Conus geographus
• Size – 10 to 16 cm
• Habitat – reefs of the tropical Indo-Pacific
  
• Toxicity Level – Even one sting is potent enough to kill 15 humans
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – As much as 700 deaths have been recorded over the years 

They appear to be simple, conical shells at first glance. However, they have a harpoon attached to a venom gland—that they employ to hunt and protect themselves, and in certain cases, even kill humans.

The geographic cone is a marine predator that goes by the term “cigarette snail” because of its powerful 200-ton toxin cocktail. If you get stung by one of these creatures, you can only grab a chance to smoke a cigarette before you die.

The second hidden weapon of this cone snail is that it stuns fish before attacking them by shooting a fog of insulin out of its mouth.

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8. Marbled Cone Snail

• Scientific name – Conus marmoreus
• Size – around 2 to 3 inches
• Habitat – Coral reef terraces and sandy ocean bottoms
  
• Toxicity Level – affects the nervous system and is capable of causing paralysis, highly potent
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – No data available

This creature’s venom is strong enough to kill twenty adult humans with just one drop. This species predominantly eats marine mollusks, such as other cone snails.

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9. Hawksbill Sea Turtles

• Scientific name – Eretmochelys imbricata
• Size – around 2 to 3 feet
• Habitat –Oceanic tropical and sub-tropical waters
  
• Toxicity Level – causes severe poisoning as its flesh can become venomous through its diet
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – No data available

The flesh of hawksbill sea turtles can become extremely toxic due to their diet, which includes venomous cnidarians and a range of toxic algae and sponges.

This implies that anyone consuming the meat of one of these turtles runs the risk of developing poisoning, which involves vomiting, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal issues.

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10. Giant Mushroom Anemone

• Scientific name – Rhodactis howesii
• Size – around 2 to 3 feet
• Habitat – Inhabits reef slopes and reef shallows
  
• Toxicity Level – can cause severe poisoning and eventual death due to prolonged effects
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – No data available

This is the world’s most toxic sea anemone. To make comment on its toxicity – shortly after consumption, the poisoning symptoms manifest as an anesthesia-like coma with pupillary dilatation and the lack of involuntary motor reflexes.

Blood pressure and heart rate remain normal throughout this period, but after 8 to 36 hours in this state, people go into shock and die from pulmonary edema. Thus,  we can deduce that severe poisoning eventually results in death.

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11. Portuguese Man O’ War

• Scientific name – Physalia physalis
• Size – float can be up to 6 inches (15 cm) tall while the tentacles grow as long as 50 m
• Habitat – Found in the Indian, Pacific, Atlantic, and Caribbean oceans, but also in warmer tropical and subtropical waters
  
• Toxicity Level – causes cardiotoxicity and abnormality in ionic transport across membranes
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – No data available

Many people mistake these jellyfish-like aquatic poisonous animals for jellyfish because of their colonial bodies, floating lifestyles, and potent stings.

Portuguese man-of-war stings are common, extremely painful, and can cause dangerous side effects like fever, shock, and disruption of heart and lung function. The stings leave victims with red welts and blisters.

Although they are uncommon, Portuguese man-of-war sting deaths have been documented.

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12. Hell’s Fire Anemone

• Scientific name – Actinodendron arboreum
• Size – 10 to 20 cm
• Habitat – Indo-pacific waters
  
• Toxicity Level – severe blisters can occur from its sting and eventual death too (upon consumption)
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – No data available

Actinodendron arboreum is known as “hell’s fire anemone” due to its extremely poisonous nature, which can result in severe blisters from its sting. In fact, ingesting it can cause grave belly and intestinal ulcers, which can ultimately lead to death.

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13. Night Anemone

• Scientific name – Phyllodiscus semoni
• Size – 10 to 20 cm
• Habitat – shallow seas in the central Indo-West Pacific
  
• Toxicity Level – painful, long-lasting sting that can cause renal failure
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – No data available

When Phyllodiscus semoni comes into contact with humans, it can result in severe dermatitis that swells and ulcerates the affected area and can last for months. Phyllodiscus semoni has many hemolytic toxins, and its venom can cause acute renal failure by damaging the kidneys.

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14. Haeckel’s Sea Anemone

• Scientific name – Actinostephanus haeckeli
• Size – about 10 to 12 cm in diameter
• Habitat – sandy bays, lagoons and bottoms
  
• Toxicity Level – painful, long-lasting sting that can cause blisters
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – No data available

This strange-looking anemone is one of the extremely poisonous animals. And if its bite is not treated, the results can be long-lasting and include severe blisters and scars.

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15. Striped Pyjama Squid

• Scientific name – Sepioloidea lineolata
• Size – about 7 to 8 cm
• Habitat – Indo-Pacific Oceans of Australia
  
• Toxicity Level – neurotoxic
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – No data available

Beneath their bodies, Sepioloidea lineolata possess glands that can create a deadly slime that is loaded with various proteins and poisons. Its saliva contains tetrodotoxin, one of the most potent neurotoxins that is capable of killing a person.

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16. Nudibranch

• Scientific name – Nudibranchia
• Size – up to 45 cm
• Habitat – sandy bays, lagoons and bottoms
  
• Toxicity Level – painful but not fatal
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – No data available

One of the very poisonous animals, nudibranchs consume the stinging cells of hydrozoids and store them in the back of their bodies for defense. They may also absorb poisons from sponges, turning them poisonous and unfit for consumption.

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17. Boxfish

• Scientific name – Ostracion cubicus
• Size – 3 to 16 inches
• Habitat – Indo-Pacific regions
  
• Toxicity Level – food poisoning, irritation, and dizziness, plus renal effect is also possible upon bite
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – No data available

Although boxfish can produce their own toxins to ward off predators, they are able to release toxic mucus through their skin rather than storing these toxins in their bodies. This poison, which is classified as an Ostracitoxin, explodes red blood cells due to its hemolytic impact.

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18. Flamboyant Cuttlefish

• Scientific name – Metasepia pfefferi
• Size – about 6 to 8 cm
• Habitat – Indian and Pacific Oceans
  
• Toxicity Level – highly poisonous, as lethal as the blue-ringed octopus’s bite
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – No data available

Flamboyant cuttlefish are only the third known cephalopod to be poisonous due to their highly toxic muscle tissue. Its poison is just as deadly as that of the blue-ringed octopus. But they rarely encounter humans, so no fatalities are recorded.

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19. Irukandji Jellyfish

• Scientific name – Carukia barnesi
• Size – bell is about 5 to 25 mm in diameter with approx. 1 m long tentacles
• Habitat – deep offshore waters of northern Australia
  
• Toxicity Level – can cause deadly brain hemorrhages
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year –50-100 people get hospitalized annually

Irukandji jellyfish are capable of injecting venom and shooting stingers from the tips of their tentacles, so do not get fooled by their size. Their stings are so strong that they can result in deadly brain hemorrhages.

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20. Lionfish

• Scientific name – Pterois volitans
• Size – about 10 to 12 cm in diameter
• Habitat – mostly all warm marine habitat
  
• Toxicity Level – painful, severe, even cause paralysis and convulsions
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – No data available

When their fins and spines are injected into prey or predators, lionfish venom is strong but unlikely to kill a healthy adult person. However, in the case of severe stings, it can result in paralysis, numbness, nausea, edema, and convulsions.

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21. Striped Anemone

• Scientific name – Dofleinia armata
• Size – 20 to 50 cm
• Habitat – tropical waters of Australia, Philippines, and Indonesia
  
• Toxicity Level – painful, long-lasting injuries
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – No data available

This is a highly toxic sea anemone that resides in the waters of the South Pacific. Humans are at risk from Dofleinia armata stings. Contact with this species causes extremely painful injuries that can take months to heal.

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22. Striped Eel Catfish

• Scientific name – Plotosus lineatus
• Size – Maximum 32 cm
• Habitat –marine systems including coral reefs, estuaries, tide pools, and other coastal areas of the Indo-Western Pacific
  
• Toxicity Level – painful, long-lasting injuries
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – Mortality rate is 11%

The striped eel catfish, like many other poisonous catfish, has venomous spines on its dorsal and pectoral sides that can cause severe skin irritation at just contact. A person may die after receiving many stings from the striped eel catfish.

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Top Spiders Among Poisonous Animals

23. Brazilian Wandering Spider

• Scientific name – Phoneutria nigriventer
• Size – body sizes up to 3.5 cm and leg spans up to 15 cm
• Habitat – Amazon
  
• Toxicity Level – severe symptoms including priapism, hypertension, blurred vision, sweating, and vomiting
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – 4,000 envenomation accidents each year, but only 15 deaths over many years

This spider’s bite can cause pain, paralysis, and death if left untreated. It’s among the planet’s most poisonous animals. Although antivenom makes death unlikely, the neurotoxic venom in its bite can be fatal to people, especially young ones.

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24. Male Sydney Funnel-Web Spider

• Scientific name – Atrax robustus
• Size – female: 35 mm; male: 25 mm
• Habitat – moist upland forest areas
  
• Toxicity Level – severe symptoms including priapism, hypertension, blurred vision, sweating, and vomiting
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – 13 deaths over years, but only 1 death since the antivenom is developed

Its venom may kill a human in one to two hours since it is 60 times more toxic than cyanide. The neurological system is attacked by the venom, which throws it into overdrive and eventually causes it to shut down!

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25. Redback Spider

• Scientific name – Latrodectus hasselti
• Size – female: 1 cm; male: 3-4 mm
• Habitat – Throughout Australia
  
• Toxicity Level – severe symptoms such as discomfort, muscle weakness, nausea, vomiting, sweating, and hypertension
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – 13 deaths over years, but only 1 death since the antivenom was developed

A very powerful neurotoxin is present in its venom, which can produce severe symptoms in humans such as discomfort, muscle weakness, nausea, vomiting, sweating, and elevated heart rate.

Redback spider bites can cause excruciating pain, although they seldom result in death and very few people ever die from them.

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26. Black widow spider

• Scientific name – Latrodectus spp.
• Size – 3 to 13 mm
• Habitat – Throughout Australia
  
• Toxicity Level – symptoms such as discomfort, muscle rigidity and cramping, burning, and soreness surrounding the bite
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – 4 to 8 deaths each year

After a black widow spider’s bite, diffuse muscle rigidity and cramping, burning and soreness surrounding the bite, discomfort in the abdomen, and nausea are some of the symptoms. Seizures and even death may result from black widow spider venom poisoning in rare and severe cases. In healthy individuals, death rarely happens, though.

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Most Poisonous Animals Crawling On Land

27. Eastern Brown Snake

• Scientific name –Pseudonaja textilis
• Size – 1.5 to 2.4 m
• Habitat – woodlands, scrublands, and savannah grasslands
  
• Toxicity Level – quickest killing and second most toxic of all snake venoms in the world
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – 10 to 20% mortality rate

Its venom is 8,000 times stronger than cyanide and can kill a human in about one hour. Its venom also attacks the central nervous system but this time it slows everything down. And to top it off, the venom has a coagulant that causes the blood in your veins and arteries to clot. Between the two, it’s not a good way to go.

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28. Inland Taipan

• Scientific name – Oxyuranus microlepidotus
• Size – 1.83 to 2.74 m
• Habitat – Cracked black-soil floodplains and gibber plains
  
• Toxicity Level – The venom of one bite is strong enough to kill 100 men
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – no data available

In LD50 testing on mice, the venom of the Inland Taipan is deemed the most lethal of all snake venoms, or among the most poisonous animals, due to its incredible strength.

The venom is very neurotoxic and also has an enzyme called hyaluronidase, which acts as a “spreading factor” to speed up absorption.

Headache, nausea, vomiting, stomach discomfort, collapse, and paralysis are some of the signs and symptoms of envenomation from this species.

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29. Eastern Tiger Snake

• Scientific name – Notechis scutatus
• Size – 1.83 to 2.74 m
• Habitat – Cracked black-soil floodplains and gibber plains
  
• Toxicity Level – The venom of one bite is strong enough to kill 100 men
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – no data available

The Asian tiger snake is the only snake species that is both venomous and poisonous. Not only does it produce toxins for its bite, but it also stores poison it obtains from its toad prey in its skin.

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30. King Cobra

• Scientific name –Ophiophagus hannah
• Size – 10 to 18 feet
• Habitat – favor streams in mangrove swamps, bamboo thickets, close-by agricultural areas, and dense or open forests
  
• Toxicity Level – The venom of one bite is strong enough to kill 20 men or an elephant
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – fewer than 5 a year

Although its venom is not the strongest among poisonous snakes, it can kill up to 20 humans or an elephant with the amount of neurotoxin they can inject into a single bite. The venom of the king cobra damages the brain’s respiratory centers, leading to cardiac failure and respiratory arrest.

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31. Russell’s Viper

• Scientific name – Daboia russelii
• Size – 1.5 m
• Habitat – open, grassy or bushy areas, scrub jungles, forested plantations and farmland
  
• Toxicity Level – The venom of one bite is strong enough to kill 20 men or an elephant
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – As many as 1000

Within one to fourteen days of the bite, or perhaps even longer, septicemia or renal, pulmonary, or cardiac failure may result in death. One of the deadliest snakes in all of Asia, the Russell’s viper takes hundreds of lives every year.

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32. Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake

• Scientific name – Crotalus adamanteus
• Size – 3 to 6 feet, max. 8 feet
• Habitat – scrublands, coastal forests, barrier islands, and pine and wiregrass flatwoods
  
• Toxicity Level – cause major, even fatal envenoming. All cases require urgent assessment and management
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – 10 to 20% fatality rate

They can be lethal to people with their painful, deadly bite and rattle. Hemotoxin, the toxin found in the venom of Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, cause tissue damage and kills red blood cells.

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33. Saw-Scaled/Carpet Viper

• Scientific name – Echis pyramidum
• Size – 0.3 to 0.9 m
• Habitat – arid regions and dry savannas north of the Equator
  
• Toxicity Level – Fatal, even the smallest and least powerful bite will kill two persons
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – Fatality rate is 2.8%

A single bite from a saw-scaled viper can release up to 70 mg of venom, while an average victim only needs 5 mg to die. Hence, even the smallest and least powerful bite will kill two persons at least because its minimum bite releases 10 mg of the venom.

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34. Common krait

• Scientific name – Bungarus caeruleus
• Size – 0.9 to 1.75 m
• Habitat – fields and low scrub jungle to settled areas
  
• Toxicity Level – causes severe neurotoxic envenoming with life threatening respiratory paralysis
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – mortality rate of 70-80% in untreated cases

When it comes to Asian snakes, the Indian Krait has one of the deadliest venoms. Its venom contains β-bungarotoxin, a presynaptic blocker whose only clinical symptom is paralysis of the muscles.

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35. Dubois sea snake

• Scientific name – Aipysurus duboisii
• Size – 80 to 148 cm
• Habitat – tropical northern Australia, Papua New Guinea, and New Caledonia
  
• Toxicity Level – contains a potent neurotoxin with low that is fatal in even a very low dose
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – No data available

Because sea snake venom contains a strong neurotoxin, envenomation by these reptiles can be lethal if left untreated. Following paralysis of the skeletal muscles and diaphragm, respectively, there may be a risk of drowning or respiratory failure.

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Toads/Frogs Among Most Poisonous Animals

36. Golden Dart Frog

• Scientific name – Phyllobates terribilis
• Size –1.3-5.1 cm
• Habitat – It lives on the forest floor in tropical rainforest
  
• Toxicity Level – even 1 mm of its poison is enough to kill between 10 and 20 humans
• Estimated no. of Deaths in a Year – No data available

The golden poison frog is one of the most deadly and poisonous animals on the planet. To put its venom’s toxicity into perspective, we estimate that as much poison as two to three table salt grains can kill a human.

Other Poisonous Animals