Think you know the most poisonous animals? Think again! From toxic frogs and beetles to deadly sea creatures, this countdown will blow your mind and maybe make you rethink your next aquarium trip. Watch to find out which animal tops the list! Don’t forget to subscribe for more wild facts and drop a comment below telling us your favorite toxic critter! #animals #nature #science #wildlife #facts
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@noelpolotv
0:00 - Difference Between Poisonous and Venomous
1:19 - Cane Toad: Toxic Invader
2:22 - Spanish Fly: Misunderstood Toxin
3:27 - Flamboyant Cuttlefish: Colorful Danger
4:38 - Marine and Amphibian Toxins
9:03 - Potent Beetles and Poisonous Birds
11:09 - Deadly Dart Frogs and Sea Anemones
13:22 - World’s Deadliest Organic Toxins
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@noelpolotv
0:00 - Difference Between Poisonous and Venomous
1:19 - Cane Toad: Toxic Invader
2:22 - Spanish Fly: Misunderstood Toxin
3:27 - Flamboyant Cuttlefish: Colorful Danger
4:38 - Marine and Amphibian Toxins
9:03 - Potent Beetles and Poisonous Birds
11:09 - Deadly Dart Frogs and Sea Anemones
13:22 - World’s Deadliest Organic Toxins
Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00Just like in our last video, let's get this out of the way first.
00:03Poisonous and venomous are different.
00:05Go ahead, try to Google the most poisonous animals in the world and look for a list that isn't half
00:11venomous.
00:11You probably won't find one.
00:13After spending hours searching, I just ended up thinking about how hard the job of toxic zoologists must be.
00:20Both venomous and poisonous animals produce toxins, but they differ in how they deliver them.
00:26Venomous animals need to inject the toxin into their victim.
00:30While poisonous animals simply release their toxin on their skin, body, or surroundings.
00:36And you can be affected if you touch, taste, or eat them.
00:39Actually, there are only a few truly poisonous animals.
00:42Because think about it, the predator would have to eat half of you before it gets harmed.
00:46And that's not a good survival strategy.
00:50But the animals that manage to endure and survive with this style,
00:53they are the ones that possess the most dangerous, the strongest toxins on the entire planet.
00:58This list is arranged based on the oral lethal dose 50,
01:03which means that as the number increases, the less is needed to kill a person.
01:08But before we start that, if you're new to our channel,
01:11please don't forget to subscribe so you'll always be updated with videos like this.
01:19Number 15, Cane Toad
01:25The Cane Toad is a giant frog that's even bigger than your hand,
01:29and it releases some of the most toxic poisons in the world,
01:33with an LD50 of 5 to 1 mg per kilo.
01:37If you're holding a dollar or a small paper clip,
01:40that's about one gram, and 1 mg is a thousand times lighter than that.
01:44The BFO toxin of the cane toad can kill 50 rats with just 1 mg.
01:50And for animals, including humans, less than 100 men can already be dangerous.
01:55Take note, this is just the least potent one on the entire list.
01:59They were brought to Australia to control pests in sugarcane.
02:02But because they had no natural predators, their numbers grew to millions.
02:08Even venomous snakes, lizards, and even crocodiles die when they swallow this toxic cane toad.
02:14So, if you ever touch one, wash your hands immediately.
02:21Number 14, Spanish Fly
02:27You really didn't hear me wrong.
02:29The Spanish Fly is not an ant, not a fly, and it's also not some magic potion being sold in
02:35alleyways.
02:36It's an emerald green beetle, part of the blister beetle family,
02:39and it produces a toxin with an LD50 of 5 mg per kilogram.
02:44The Spanish Fly, along with about 7,500 other species of blister beetles,
02:48produces cantheridin, a toxin used as a defense against predators.
02:53Since the time of the ancient Greeks, crushed blister beetles have been used.
02:56In various folk medicines, they're even used as an aphrodisiac.
03:01The cantheridin from the Spanish Fly is absorbed through the skin,
03:04causing blisters, intense pain, and burning sensations.
03:08And when swallowed, it can cause ulcers, blistering, and bleeding in the digestive tract that can lead to death.
03:14And yes, it can also cause priapism,
03:16similar to the effect of the Brazilian wandering spider.
03:19But this comes with bleeding, extreme pain, and a lot of suffering.
03:26Effect number 13. Flamboyant Cuttlefish
03:32This is probably the most poisonous animal on our entire list.
03:36The flamboyant cuttlefish is only as big as a hamster.
03:39Small, fearless, and extremely adorable.
03:42And it has an LD50 of about 0.35 miniglass per kilogram.
03:47And according to some studies, this toxin is as deadly as the tetrodotoxin carried by the blue-ringed octopus,
03:52which is number 15 on our venomous animals list.
03:55But this hasn't been studied that much yet.
03:57And the current comparison comes from Mark Norman, a renowned marine biologist.
04:02This is just one of three cephalopods in the whole world that are poisonous or venomous.
04:07And they can be found in the sea near northern Australia and New Guinea.
04:10It can't swim well because its cuddle bone is small, so it just walks on the seabed.
04:16But if it lacks buoyancy, it makes up for it with flamboyancy.
04:20When there's danger, they display different colors like Christmas lights.
04:24And it's like they're showing a fighting stance to scare off threats.
04:28And considering that their muscle tissue is super poisonous, it's not useful at all.
04:33Very cool, but it can't be controlled.
04:37Number 12, Suntid Crabs
04:3912 Suntid Crabs
04:43This family of crabs doesn't look unusual, except for their colorful shells.
04:48But this is where they get their strength because they carry symbiotic bacteria that produce tetrodotoxin,
04:53which has an LD50 of 334 per milligram per kilogram.
04:57There are quite a few marine animals that use tetrodotoxin.
05:02And in fact, five of our next entries all have the same LD50.
05:06Fortunately, scientists have created a measurement called the mouse unit,
05:10which tells us how many mice can be killed by one gram of the animal's flesh.
05:15Using this measurement, the Suntid crab can kill nine mice with just one gram of its flesh.
05:20And they're actually on the lower end of the mouse unit scale compared to others.
05:25There are many species of Suntid crab found on coastlines all over the world.
05:29And even on other worlds if you play StarCraft.
05:32You know why they annoy so many StarCraft players.
05:43Another marine animal on the list uses tetrodotoxin as protection against predators.
05:48And every gram of its flesh has enough tetrodotoxin to kill 520 mice.
05:53And I just want to go back.
05:55There is still no known antidote for tetrodotoxin.
05:58So be careful with the seafood you eat.
06:01The spines on the sides of the arms of the comet starfish are used to dig in the sand
06:05while searching for food like decaying fish, biofilm, and small mollusks along with their shells.
06:12And because of this, they are excellent cleaners of the ocean floor and are often kept in aquariums.
06:17But they are dangerous if a fish ever thinks of tasting them.
06:23Number 10. Rough-Skinned Newt
06:29This cute amphibian is one of the three poisonous salamanders in the world.
06:33And it's the deadliest among the three.
06:36Just one gram of its flesh can kill about a thousand mice.
06:39This means that just one newt is enough to kill any animal that tries to eat them
06:43except for the common garter snake.
06:46It's funny but true.
06:48The garter snake seems to have a built-in toxin detector
06:51because it can taste how strong the toxin is in each newt.
06:54And they only eat those with low levels.
06:56But what's even more impressive is that they can survive even if they're poisoned by tetrodotoxin.
07:02Rough-Skinned newts are common in Northern California
07:05and safe to handle if you don't put them in your mouth or eat them.
07:12Number 9. Ribbon Worms
07:16Ribbon worms are really extremely unusual, like on a whole other level of weird.
07:20The fact that some of them carry tetrodotoxin, enough to kill 2,590 mice per gram,
07:28you could say that's normal compared to the other things they do.
07:31A lot of people have probably seen videos of them on YouTube.
07:34They're called proboscis worms because they use a part of their body to stab, tie up, and poison their prey.
07:41And yes, there are species that are venomous, not just poisonous.
07:44What's even weirder is that when they're out of water, the ribbon worm is as fragile as wet tissue.
07:51You can separate them just by lifting them up.
07:54But they're not harmed by it.
07:56And why is that?
07:57Because they can reproduce sexually and also by cutting parts of their bodies.
08:02Like when a par gets removed, it's fine.
08:05That's a new worm.
08:06And like I said, it's really weird.
08:11Number 8. Pufferfish
08:15Almost everyone watching knows that this fish is super poisonous.
08:19Thanks to almost every poisonous animal list that always includes them.
08:23Even though most of those lists are actually about venomous animals.
08:26But there's a reason why they're famous.
08:28They carry enough tetrodotoxin to kill 5 to 6 million mice per gram.
08:33Fugu, the Japanese word for pufferfish, has been eaten in Japan for many centuries.
08:38Even though each fish has more than enough toxin, the lethal dose.
08:42They say that the liver of the fugu is the most delicious, even though it contains the most poison.
08:47Now, we know that pufferfish are poisonous because of the bacteria in their bodies that produce tetrodotoxin.
08:53That's why there are some fish farms in Japan that raise non-toxic fugu, far from the deadly bacteria in
08:59the sea.
09:03Number 7. Rogue Beetle
09:09Beetles, especially those from the Paderis genus, are almost the same as blistered beetles when it comes to their effects.
09:15Their hemolymph causes large blisters when it comes into contact with the skin.
09:19But their specialty is a toxin that can also have an LD50 of 4mgdm per kilogram, which is almost 5
09:26times more toxic than cantharidin.
09:28Rogue beetles can be found in many countries, especially in the eastern United States.
09:34They don't look like typical beetles and resemble earwigs more.
09:37What's interesting is the females.
09:39Only female beetles produce Paderin, and they use it to protect their eggs from predators like spiders.
09:45The scariest part is that at just 1 nanogram per millimeter, Paderin can stop cell division by blocking the production
09:52of protein and DNA.
09:54And it's like you're literally being killed from the very core of your being.
10:01Number 6. Wooded Pitahoy
10:07Have you ever heard of a poisonous bird?
10:09In 1992, it was discovered that the wooded pitahoy has feathers coated with Homo BTX,
10:15a toxin almost identical to the poison found in the poisoned dart frog, and its LD50 is extremely low.
10:22I couldn't find a single study that tested this toxin orally on any animal.
10:26All the tests available are injection tests only, but it's estimated that the lethal oral dose for humans is around
10:3212 to 20.5 mgdm per kilogram.
10:35He believes that the Carinidai beetles are the source of the toxic chemical that ends up in the feathers of
10:42the pitahoy.
10:42It's interesting because the poison dart frog is in South America and the pitahoy is in New Guinea,
10:48which are continents far apart, but they have the same toxin.
10:52In New Guinea, the locals call this bird the trash bird and they refuse to eat it.
10:57That's reasonable because it smells like spoiled milk.
10:59Touching it causes cramps and numbness, and eating it will definitely lead to poisoning.
11:05So the name is justified.
11:09Number 5. Golden Poison Dart Frog
11:14If you've watched a list of the most poisonous animals, the poison dart frog is definitely included.
11:20But not all dart frogs are the same.
11:23They have different amounts of betrachytoxin on their skin.
11:26And when it comes to the most potent, the golden poison dart frog wins.
11:30Its scientific name is Philobads terribilis, and it's truly terrible for anyone who tries to eat it.
11:38It can carry 20 times more toxin than other dart frogs.
11:41We've heard a lot about how the poison dart frog is used to poison arrows.
11:45But have you ever wondered how animal predators eat prey that has been hit by an arrow tipped with poison
11:50dart frog toxin?
11:51If you think about it, its flesh should also be poisonous because the toxin passes through its veins before it
11:57dies.
11:58However, the answer is that the subcutaneous LD50 of betrachytoxin is extremely low, only about 2-3 micrograms per kilogram.
12:06This means that the small amount of poison at the tip of the arrow is too diluted to be lethal
12:11when eaten.
12:12For clarity, never put a poison dart frog in your mouth.
12:15It's a guaranteed way to get killed.
12:17Number 4. Beadlet Anemone
12:24The beadlet anemone contains actinitiotoxin, and its LD50 is about 33 micrograms per kilogram.
12:31This seems a bit like cheating, because they're not just poisonous, they're also venomous.
12:36Both their mucus and stinging cells contain actinitiotoxin, and its job is to destroy red blood cells,
12:43which are important for delivering oxygen throughout the animal's body.
12:47But fortunately, the nematocysts of the beadlet anemone can't penetrate human skin,
12:52or the thick scales of large fish.
12:55So the only truly dangerous exposure is if you try to eat them.
12:59And in addition to that, their behavior is surprising,
13:01and the beadlet anemone is extremely aggressive and territorial.
13:04And they will attack any anemone that isn't their own kind, until they drive it away.
13:10And it's literally like gang wars happening under the sea.
13:13They can be found along the coast of the United Kingdom all the way to South Africa.
13:17And they are also often kept in aquariums.
13:22Number 3. Beadlet Anemone
13:29Now we're getting into toxins that are even deadlier
13:32than the most dangerous venom in the world.
13:35The granulifera anemone produces BGK toxin in its mucus.
13:39And its LD50 is 4.5 micrograms per kilogram.
13:43And that means it's a millionth of a gram.
13:46Almost as light as a paper fiber.
13:48The anemone is small.
13:50It's usually found on the shores of Cuba.
13:53And they're quiet and just want to survive.
13:55At night, they open their 10 tentacles to catch tiny prey.
13:59But during the day, or when they sense danger,
14:01they suddenly close their 10 tentacles and release a thick mucus full of BGK toxin.
14:07BGK is a neurotoxin that disables the potassium ion channels of almost all animals.
14:13That's why this is such an effective defense that helps this little anemone stay alive.
14:20Number 2. Palitoa toxica
14:24The Palitoa is a genus of zoanthid.
14:27And many of its species produce one of the strongest organic toxins in the world.
14:33Palitoxin has an LD50 of 4 micrograms per kilogram.
14:37Palitoxin spreads through the sodium ion pumps of almost all the cells in the body.
14:41Which is why it is extremely deadly.
14:43There is an ancient legend and story about the origin of Palitoxin.
14:47It is said that it was formed from the ashes of a sea god who killed people
14:51when his ashes were supposedly thrown into a tide pool.
14:54A seaweed-like coral grew, which was then used to put poison on spears.
14:59And if you got hit, it was said to cause instant death.
15:02Sometimes there are species of Palitoa that end up in aquariums.
15:06And if the owner tries to remove the anemone without proper care, they can get poisoned.
15:11Palitoxin is the second deadliest non-protein toxin in the world.
15:14It's just next to number 3.
15:17This is number 1 on our list.
15:23Number 1 Striped Sturgeon Fish
15:27What would it feel like to have something like food poisoning that lasts for almost 20 years?
15:32This is what happens when you eat striped sturgeon fish
15:35and some other types of fish that have metotoxin and ciguatoxin.
15:39These toxins come from Gambier discus toxicus,
15:43a type of protist that lives on sea algae.
15:46The oral LD50 of these two toxins combined has not yet been fully studied.
15:52It's estimated to be only about 0.2 to 0.5 micrograms per kilogram.
15:56That's about 200 to 500 nanograms, making it one of the most dangerous organic poisons,
16:03alongside botulinum and tetanus toxin.
16:05Every year, almost 20,000 to 50,000 people are affected by tiguaterra fish poisoning
16:11because of these toxic fish.
16:14And sometimes the symptoms can last for weeks, months, or even years.
16:18In severe cases, it can even be mistaken for multiple sclerosis.
16:22And even if you cook it, the poison won't go away.
16:24So if you're unlucky and get a fish with a high toxin level, you can get sick.
16:29Or if the dose is too strong, you could die.
16:32So be careful when eating imported fish and fish from tropical waters.
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