World’s most dangerous creatures

Kissing Bug

There are roughly 130 members of the subfamily Triatominae which are also known as kissing bugs or vampire bugs for their tendency to bite humans around the soft tissues of the mouth. They can carry a fatal disease called Chagas disease. They are known to be in 28 states in the USA but rarely carry Chagas disease and the cases in the US are known to originate in Central America where it is endemic. Chagas kills roughly 12000 people annually worldwide and victims are often asymptomatic for 4-8 weeks. Even in the chronic phases most people show a few symptoms but 45 percent develop heart disease 10-30 years after the initial infection and this can lead to heart failure.

Indian Red Scorpion

There are over 1500 different species of scorpion across the world of which only a few dozen are venomous. The Indian red is the most venomous of them all and in some parts of the world up to 40% of victims succumb to the venom. This scorpion is a major product in parts of Asia including India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is frequently found in and around human habitations where barefooted children play. Usually scorpions are shy, nocturnal arachnids but will sting when threatened. Although less than 3 inches long, the India red packs a potent venom which results in severe pain, vomiting, sweating, breathlessness, and alternating high and low blood pressure and heart rate. The venom targets the lungs and heart and can cause death from pulmonary edema. Antivenom has little effect on the bite, although the blood pressure medication Parazosin has been shown to reduce the mortality rate to less than 4 percent. Despite this, the Indian reds are often kept as pets in India. Maybe because, like most scorpions, they glow under a black light.

Brazilian Wandering Spider

If you were to cross paths Brazilian Wandering Spider you would know about it as it has a leg span of up to 7 inches. Found in Central and South America, it is also known as the Banana Spider as it occasionally ends up in other countries in shipments of bananas. This spider frequently turns up in   houses, cars, shoes, boxes, and other places we like. Brazilian Wanderers are nocturnal hunters that hide during the day rather than building a web. They belong to the genus Phoneutria which means ‘murderess in Greek. The Guinness Book of records often calls this spider the most venomous in the world, although it rarely kills humans. Their bite is especially toxic and can cause severe burning, sweating, and goose bumps followed by high or low blood pressure, nausea, hypothermia, blurred vision, vertigo, and convulsions.