00:00 Having kept a low profile throughout the day, this predator emerges from its sandy hiding spot.
00:07 A carnivorous cone snail.
00:17 Its movements are deceptively slow, but it conceals a lightning-fast pneumatic weapon.
00:29 One that delivers a fatal dose of venom.
00:33 Conus geographus is the most deadly of all the cone snails.
00:40 Its venom is more complex than the deadliest of snake venom, and has claimed the lives of more than 30 people.
00:50 There is no antivenom to treat its fatal sting.
00:56 The cone snail prowls the ocean floor, creeping forward with its muscular foot.
01:10 Its siphon, packed with chemo sensors, probes the water.
01:20 With this appendage, it can sense the chemical trails of prey from considerable distances.
01:27 It's picked up a scent.
01:32 A venomous weaverfish.
01:43 The dorsal spines of this fish are delivery mechanisms for its own mix of defensive toxins.
01:50 But the cone snail is undeterred.
01:56 As the sinister assassin creeps towards its mark, the faster-moving weaverfish makes no attempt to flee.
02:08 It's paralyzed, not by fear, but by a mixture of chemicals that the cone snail has released into the surrounding water.
02:18 Fast-acting sedatives that immobilize prey.
02:23 The cone snail now casts its net.
02:28 Its extendable mouth begins to engulf the weaverfish.
02:34 Its elastic appendage doubles the snail's length and appears impervious to the weaverfish's toxic defenses.
02:42 With the fish trapped, the cone snail extends its proboscis and readies a kill shot.
02:51 It fires a hollow tooth filled with toxins.
03:00 The harpoon floods the fish with venom, instantly attacking the nervous system and shutting down nerve impulses,
03:08 quickly leading to the prey's demise.
03:12 The cone snail begins its slow escape from the scene of the crime.
03:26 Returning to its darkened lair to ingest its meal in solitude and safety.
03:33 When next holidaying on an Australian beach, you should remember one thing.
03:43 The crystal clear waters of this island paradise are both beautiful and deadly.
03:50 Stonefish plague the shallows.
03:54 Lethal octopi haunt the rock pools.
03:58 And great white sharks will see you before you see them.
04:05 Applying the tools of their trade, these deadly Australians are closer than you think.
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