Top 20 Most Dangerous Ocean Creatures in the World
Who's up for a swim? For this list, we’ll be looking at the meanest, nastiest, and most dangerous denizens of the deep. The ocean is a vast and mysterious place, home to some truly formidable creatures that you definitely wouldn’t want to encounter on a casual swim.
Our countdown includes:
- **Stonefish**: Often regarded as the most venomous fish in the world, the Stonefish can deliver a sting that is extremely painful and potentially fatal. It camouflages perfectly with the ocean floor, making it a hidden danger.
- **Sea Lion**: While generally seen as playful and friendly, Sea Lions can be quite aggressive, especially if they feel threatened. They have powerful jaws and sharp teeth that can cause serious injury.
- **Great White Shark**: Perhaps the most iconic of all dangerous sea creatures, the Great White Shark is a top predator with a reputation for being fearsome and powerful. Its sheer size and strength make it a formidable hunter.
- **Bull Shark**: Known for their aggressive nature and ability to live in both salt and freshwater, Bull Sharks are responsible for a large number of attacks on humans. Their unpredictability makes them especially dangerous.
- **Sea Snake**: With venom more potent than that of most land snakes, Sea Snakes are a significant threat in tropical ocean waters. Although they are generally not aggressive, their bites can be deadly if provoked.
These creatures are just a few examples of the many hazards lurking beneath the waves. What horrors do you worry about down in the murky blue? Let us know what nightmare fish keep you up at night in the comments.
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Our countdown includes:
- **Stonefish**: Often regarded as the most venomous fish in the world, the Stonefish can deliver a sting that is extremely painful and potentially fatal. It camouflages perfectly with the ocean floor, making it a hidden danger.
- **Sea Lion**: While generally seen as playful and friendly, Sea Lions can be quite aggressive, especially if they feel threatened. They have powerful jaws and sharp teeth that can cause serious injury.
- **Great White Shark**: Perhaps the most iconic of all dangerous sea creatures, the Great White Shark is a top predator with a reputation for being fearsome and powerful. Its sheer size and strength make it a formidable hunter.
- **Bull Shark**: Known for their aggressive nature and ability to live in both salt and freshwater, Bull Sharks are responsible for a large number of attacks on humans. Their unpredictability makes them especially dangerous.
- **Sea Snake**: With venom more potent than that of most land snakes, Sea Snakes are a significant threat in tropical ocean waters. Although they are generally not aggressive, their bites can be deadly if provoked.
These creatures are just a few examples of the many hazards lurking beneath the waves. What horrors do you worry about down in the murky blue? Let us know what nightmare fish keep you up at night in the comments.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00And she is right there, comes directly up to the camera.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 deadliest ocean creatures.
00:16You got it?
00:16Yep.
00:18There it goes!
00:19For this list, we're looking at the meanest, nastiest, and most dangerous denizens of the deep.
00:30We won't be including things like the pufferfish, which are only deadly when eaten.
00:35What horrors do you worry about down in the murky blue?
00:38Let us know what nightmare fish keeps you up at night in the comments.
00:43Number 20. The Portuguese Man-O-War.
00:46The Portuguese Man-O-War may look like the most deflated straggler from a bunch of balloons, but it stings like a swarm of bees.
00:54Even when they're washed up and they appear dead, the stinging cells in their tentacles are still active.
01:00Normally, they float along the ocean's surface, paralyzing any fish that happens to wander too close to their tentacles and dragging them into their mouths.
01:08Lucky for you, humans are usually too big to get tangled up and paralyzed.
01:13But that doesn't mean getting stung won't hurt. A lot.
01:17Stings from a Man-O-War's tentacles can leave long, red welts.
01:21And in extreme cases, they can cause something like an allergic reaction that can close up your throat or send you into shock.
01:28All but the most severe stings are survivable, but they definitely do not sound fun.
01:34Number 19. The Stonefish.
01:37You thought stepping on Lego was bad?
01:39This small breed of fish has an unusual look. It resembles a rock bed, which is pretty useful for warding off predators.
01:46Its warty, bumpy skin is nearly indistinguishable from the sand and coral surrounding it.
01:52Unfortunately, those who accidentally tread upon the stonefish will be greeted with sharp fins that can pierce through shoes.
01:59You got it? Yep.
02:01There it goes! Good grief. And that one squirted into your foot?
02:05On top of the initial painful sting, victims also have to contend with a neurotoxin that can shut down their respiratory system and even cause their heart to fail. Yikes.
02:15Found in the Indo-Pacific area, the stonefish is a delicacy in some places.
02:20After cooking has destroyed the venom, that is.
02:23Number 18. The Flower Urchin.
02:26Unlike the other toxic, hacky-sack-like creatures in their family, flower urchins look less pointy and more squishy than their relatives. But they're not.
02:41They're covered with spines and little round feelers on stalks that look just like, you guessed it, a bouquet of flowers.
02:48But do not smell them. When those little blooms sense a threat, they clamp shut and inject an incredibly painful toxin.
02:55They can even break off little pieces of themselves, which are basically the claws of what's known as the pedicellariae, to get stuck in your skin and keep pumping it into you for hours.
03:06There have been alleged reports of urchin encounters having fatal consequences, but fortunately, no cases have been definitely confirmed.
03:14Number 17. The Shortfin Mako Shark.
03:17This is not a face you'd want to kiss. Not if you want to keep your lips in one piece, anyway.
03:23Mako sharks are known for their jagged grins and their unbelievable speed.
03:31Reaching speeds of over 60 miles per hour, they're basically living torpedoes. You'd think that would make them pretty dangerous, and you'd be right.
03:39Although, let's be honest, just about anything faster than a flounder can outswim most humans.
03:45Shortfin makos have only been responsible for one confirmed fatality out of a total of nine reported attacks.
03:51This suggests they're probably not that interested in taking down humans.
04:00In fact, many of those injuries historically happen when sport fishermen go after them.
04:04So, it's pretty hard to blame the sharks.
04:08Number 16. The Blue-Ringed Octopus.
04:14Such a pleasant name for such a debilitating beast.
04:17In regards to killing power, the blue-ringed octopus' claim to fame is its infusion of the neurotoxin TTX, or tetrodotoxin, into its bites.
04:35Humans in particular face the risk of TTX shutting down their respiratory system, which can mean death for those without immediate medical attention.
04:43Considering that one blue-ringed octopus contains enough TTX to kill up to 26 humans within minutes,
04:50and that TTX is thousands of times more potent than cyanide, the threat here is potent.
04:57Within only a fraction of a second, the octopus bites back, and the scorpionfish spits it out.
05:03The scorpionfish will have a sore mouth for days, if it even survives.
05:12Let's get one thing straight.
05:13There has only ever been one documented instance of a human being bitten by a wild orca, and no recorded fatalities.
05:20That being said, they're bigger than great white sharks, highly intelligent, and known to employ pack-hunting tactics on prey, ranging from seals to larger whales.
05:30For sheer size, strength, and smarts, orcas rate among the most effective predators in history.
05:37We could see this really fascinating behavior of them spy-hopping.
05:41Individually, they would just poke their heads up, and come up, rise up, and just have a look around.
05:46They're even known to team up to use waves as ranged weapons to knock prey off of ice floes,
05:51which pretty much sounds like one step removed from an actual comic book superpower.
05:55And the wave crashed down, and we just knew, you know, that was it.
05:59We just, like, the whole boat just went, WAAAH!
06:02We can tell orcas are not interested in eating us, because if they were, none of us would ever get back out of the ocean.
06:11Some species of sea lion can weigh anywhere from 600 pounds to a full ton.
06:16The good news for humans is that sea lions mostly eat fish, so you're probably not on the menu.
06:22But that doesn't mean you can relax just yet.
06:24Sea lions can also get fiercely territorial.
06:28On rare occasions, that has resulted in them biting humans and even yanking them into the water.
06:33While that definitely sounds like a terrifying experience,
06:36sea lions are like orcas in that they don't seem that interested in attacking us.
06:41If they were, those huge teeth and a top swimming speed of 25 miles per hour would mean we'd hardly stand a chance.
06:48He grabbed me on the head and squeezed and squeezed, and I was like, OK, that's a little bit hard.
06:58Leopard seals have been aggressive to humans on several notable occasions.
07:01And I swing the camera around, and all I have is the belly of a 13-foot female leopard seal.
07:10Normally, they eat krill, other seals, and the odd penguin.
07:14But there are several records of them chasing Antarctic explorers across the ice or even dragging them underwater.
07:26In 2003, one managed to drag down a snorkeling biologist, who sadly did not survive.
07:32Luckily for most of us, leopard seals live in the waters off the coast of Antarctica.
07:36So unless you're one of the few people who travel there for research, you're never likely to run across one.
07:42Still, if you ever visit, be sure to stay away from the edges of the ice.
07:46They like to shoot up out of the water and surprise their prey there.
07:58Found most often in oceanic or brackish water, moray eels typically avoid contact with humans whenever possible.
08:05When sufficiently threatened, though, these creatures ensure their aggressors get what's coming to them, and more.
08:13Moray eel bites can produce easily infected wounds, on account of the eels having a large amount of bacteria in their mouths.
08:19And that's not getting into their ability to chase down and kill other fish with minimal effort.
08:24Small sharks have even fallen victim to their attacks.
08:27Whoever said the electric eel was the only threatening eel around?
08:31Fast, vicious, and capable of incredible injury.
08:35That is a frightening combination.
08:38With such a strong bite force, it is safe to assume there are no predators in the ocean.
08:43So what's next?
08:44What do you think?
08:45Comment below!
09:00Some recorded as growing almost as long as seven feet, giant barracuda are also known
09:04for being quick swimmers and for being keen on brutal ambushes.
09:10Even in murky waters, they have great orientation skills and can find their way without any
09:16difficulty.
09:17This helps them considerably when finding their prey.
09:20They lie in wait before charging forth and biting down on their prey, armed with teeth
09:24sharp enough to damage nerves and blood vessels.
09:28As if that wasn't enough, a number of barracuda have ciguatera toxin in their flesh, which
09:39can leave victims with nausea, hallucinations, and other side effects.
09:4310.
09:44The Needlefish
09:46Needlefish present an unorthodox kind of danger.
09:50They're not big enough to eat humans, they're not poisonous, and they don't get mad at us
09:54for territorial reasons.
09:55Nope, they're just long, sharp-faced fish who are extremely curious about the lights
10:00in our boats at night.
10:11So curious that they'll shoot across the shallows at 37 miles per hour and leap out of the water
10:17to see what's going on above decks.
10:19For the people on deck, that means a sudden barrage of fishy spears that fly out of the
10:23deep like the first shots of a war with Atlantis.
10:29Injuries can range from bites and scratches to pointy wounds if the fish's beaks hit you
10:34hard enough.
10:359.
10:36Stingrays
10:37It may seem passive, but don't dare underestimate it.
10:41The stingray, typically relaxed, can hold its own and even do serious damage with its
10:46sharp spear-esque tail.
10:48Stiffening whenever the ray detects a threat, the tail possesses a serrated tip capable
10:53of severing arteries and is lined with venom that particularly endangers mammals.
11:05The stingray's sheer deadliness was tragically shown when, in 2006, wildlife expert and television
11:11host Steve Irwin, also known as the Crocodile Hunter, was killed by a stingray's tail repeatedly
11:17striking him in the heart.
11:198.
11:20Bull Shark
11:21This might be a list of deadly ocean creatures, but bull sharks are actually at their most
11:25dangerous when they're not in the ocean.
11:29Now, don't completely freak out.
11:32Sharks haven't figured out how to come on land...yet.
11:35But bull sharks do swim inland, up rivers, and into lakes.
11:42Like most sharks, bull sharks aren't all that interested in humans as prey, but they're
11:47big enough that a curious nibble will put you in the hospital.
11:51Thanks to that increased proximity, bull sharks have attacked more humans than any species
11:55other than great whites or tiger sharks.
11:57They've harmed over 100 people and taken the lives of about 25.
12:027.
12:03The Cone Snail
12:05Snails are soft, squishy, slow-mo creatures that eat leaves and carry their little houses
12:10on their backs.
12:11How the heck do they end up on a list of deadliest creatures?
12:14Well, these snails are here for the venomous, harpoon-like tooth they use to hunt their
12:19prey.
12:216.
12:22Venomous Harpoons
12:23It's a cartoonishly evil-sounding weapon, sure, but it's also deadly serious.
12:31Geography cone snails in particular are the most venomous animal in the world, full stop.
12:37At least 30 people have had fatal interactions with cone snails.
12:41But the nature of being a dangerous animal that hides in a pretty shell on remote beaches
12:45means they could be responsible for even more fatalities we don't know about.
12:496.
12:50The Tiger Shark
12:51The bull shark may be imposing, but the tiger shark is something else.
13:13This large shark has a reputation for attacking and eating anything, including smaller sharks,
13:19and is one of the sharks most frequently associated with fatal shark bites.
13:26Tiger sharks don't seek out humans as food, but they do tend to linger in shallow waters
13:30and river mouths where contact with humans is most likely.
13:40What's worse?
13:41Their keen senses and calcified teeth allow them to make quick work of any prey they desire.
13:475.
13:48The Great White Shark
13:52The adjective great being in this animal's name is less a statement of positivity and
13:57more a grim tribute to its ferocity.
14:05The great white shark's most immediately recognizable quality is its size.
14:10They can grow to over 25 feet in length and weigh over 7,000 pounds.
14:15However, these sharks have another notable habit.
14:18They strike at their prey from below with their mouths wide open, allowing their razor-sharp
14:23teeth to do as much damage as possible.
14:35It's no wonder that about a fifth of attacks by great white sharks are reportedly fatal,
14:39given the viciousness on display.
14:414.
14:42Saltwater Crocodiles
14:54Fear the crocodile, for it strikes when you least expect it.
14:58As the name suggests, the saltwater crocodile can very easily traverse open waters, allowing
15:03them to spread across Southeast Asia with terrifying ease.
15:12Saltwater crocodiles have been reported to have a bite power ten times greater than that
15:16of the great white shark.
15:17At the very least, its large size and weight make it frighteningly easy to trap its prey.
15:28During a battle in World War II, hundreds of Japanese soldiers crossing through swampland
15:32in Myanmar were allegedly killed by saltwater crocodiles.
15:43Stuff like this gives us pause.
15:453.
15:46The Oceanic Whitetip Shark
15:48As we've repeatedly stressed, sharks usually are not interested in eating people.
15:54But there's one time when the normal rules do not apply – a feeding frenzy.
15:59When there's blood and commotion in the water, certain species, like the especially aggressive
16:04Oceanic Whitetip, go into a swarm.
16:07And what causes more blood and commotion than a shipwreck?
16:10There have only been a handful of confirmed fatalities from whitetip shark attacks, but
16:14many shipwrecks and most castaways go unreported.
16:18If other wrecks played out like that of the USS Indianapolis in World War II, we may never
16:23know how many human lives the Oceanic Whitetip has taken.
16:26But in the Indianapolis wreck alone, the estimated count was somewhere between a dozen and one
16:31hundred and fifty.
16:332.
16:34The Box Jellyfish
16:35When it comes to the dangers of the sea, size matters not.
16:50Hence we have the box jellyfish, a class of jellyfish that compensates for its small stature
16:56with a largely unparalleled sting.
17:05Those subjected to the venomous touch of the box jellyfish's tentacles are said to undergo
17:10extreme pain and a burning feeling.
17:13Box jellyfish venom is reportedly so potent that some people experience fatal cardiac
17:18arrest within minutes of being stung.
17:32The worst part is how hard it is to detect a box jellyfish before it can cause harm,
17:37due to its almost transparent appearance.
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17:551.
17:57The Sea Snake
18:06And here we thought ordinary snakes had enough deadly surprises to offer the world.
18:10Alas, the sea snake, though typically nonchalant when it comes to other animals, still poses
18:15a danger thanks to its venom.
18:23On the rare chance that a sea snake or coral reef snake chooses to inject its toxin while
18:28biting a perceived attacker, a sizable list of symptoms are in store for the target.
18:33The after-effects range from elements of nausea to general aching and a tetanus-like ailment
18:38to even heart failure.
18:40And a horrible fate delivered from an otherwise passive animal.
18:49Do you agree with our picks?
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