The ocean is a mysterious place. It is assumed that scientists do not even know half of what is happening in its depths. There are points that are so deep that people have not even studied them.

In addition to the fact that the ocean is mysterious, it is very dangerous. It has no shortage of creatures known to be bloodthirsty. Meet the ten most dangerous ocean animals.

Great white shark

The great white shark is arguably the most famous predator. She inspired the screenwriters of several Hollywood horror films.

This species is carnivorous. The creature is 15 feet long. However, some of them can grow up to 20 feet in length. On average, they weigh 5,000 pounds.

But not only the size makes the shark the most dangerous creature. She has incredible strength. She is known for her sharp teeth arranged in several rows on a powerful shark jaw. Sharks hunt their prey using their sense of smell.

Most live in cooler waters along the coasts. There are about 100 shark attacks worldwide every year, and about a third of these attacks are by white sharks.

Sea snake

Sea snake is the name given to many varieties of snakes that live in the sea. There are about 60 different species, and 14 of them live near the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia. Today there are two separate groups: laticaudids and hydrophiids. They are descended from snakes that lived on the continent almost 30 million years ago.

The shape of the sea serpent helps it swim. They can grow to an average of 4-5 feet in length. Cases have been recorded where the size of the sea snake reached almost 10 feet.

Although snakes live in the sea, they still need oxygen and do not have gills. However, their lungs allow them to stay underwater anywhere from half an hour to two hours.

Sea snakes are dangerous creatures because each species is incredibly venomous. Although most sea snakes avoid humans, the bite can be very dangerous. Snakes are most active when they are mating.

Octopus with blue rings

Not many people consider the octopus to be very dangerous. This animal is the hero of many cartoons. In many countries, octopus is considered a delicacy.

However, not all of them are safe. The blue ringed octopus is one of the deadliest creatures in the sea. It is mainly found in Australia and also around the borders of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Sometimes his bite is fatal for a person.

The bite is often small and not very painful. The affected area does not swell or turn red. The octopus injects poison into the victim's body. Some scientists believe that poison can also penetrate human skin.

Side effects of a bite appear very quickly. After 10 minutes, it becomes difficult for the victim to breathe or swallow. He also feels weak, paresthesias soon appear.

If the poison spreads throughout the body, the victim's respiratory system fails and she dies from cerebral hypoxia.

Lion fish (lionfish)

It is a known poisonous fish. However, people would not believe such a statement if they saw her.

Lionfish have dorsal fins that are shaped like needles. This carnivorous fish feeds on shrimp and other fish. To hunt for prey, she uses her fins to drive small fish into a trap and then swallow them. Habitat - Indian and Pacific Ocean.

Most lionfish are caught for keeping in the aquarium, but some people eat them. A fish bite is rarely fatal. However, it can sting very painfully. This often leads to difficulty breathing as well as nausea.

Saltwater crocodile

The saltwater crocodile is strong and vicious. It is often referred to as the most dangerous animal in Australia as it lives both on land and in the water.

Saltwater crocodiles are huge and powerful creatures. They can grow up to 17 feet long and weigh around 1000 pounds. Adults reach 23 feet in length and weigh 2200 pounds.

These reptiles are excellent swimmers and can be found not only on land but also far out to sea. They hunt in both environments and can feed on anything they find. They are able to kill an animal the size of a water buffalo and also hunt large sharks. Crocodiles use their strong teeth to grab prey and then drag it underwater and drown it. Every year they kill 1-2 people.

Animals are not endangered. They are very hardy and feel quite comfortable in a variety of conditions.

box jellyfish

Not all jellyfish are dangerous, but the venom of the box jellyfish is capable of killing small prey and can also cause heart attacks in humans.

Box jellyfish are carnivorous invertebrates. They grow up to 10 feet in length. However, they weigh up to 5 pounds. Most of the body of a jellyfish consists of small tentacles. That is why the main weapon of the jellyfish is poison.

Most jellyfish live off the coast of Northern Australia, but they can also be found in the Indo-Pacific region.

The box jellyfish is dangerous for two reasons. Unlike other jellyfish, it can move through water instead of just swimming or drifting. She also has eyes. Although no one is sure if their brains can analyze what they see.

The second reason these jellyfish are dangerous is because they don't touch their prey to bite them.

The venom of this jellyfish is incredibly painful. The toxins in the venom will attack the nervous system as well as the heart and skin. Many people have died as a result of being stung by box jellyfish. Those that survive often experience severe pain and are left with a large scar for life.

Portuguese warship

The Portuguese warship is one of the most mysterious animals in the ocean. It is an invertebrate creature that is often mistaken for a jellyfish. It consists of many organisms that carry out cumulative work. Such a creature is called a siphonophore. It is not very large and often only about a meter long. However, its tentacles are supposed to reach 165 feet in length.

The poison is contained in nematocysts - stinging cells. It is mainly used to kill small fish and other prey during an attack. However, the creature can also sting humans. Its bite is considered incredibly painful. Even dead animals that wash ashore can still sting people who touch them. Fortunately, the bite is rarely fatal.

stone fish

Stone fish are several inches long and weigh 5 pounds. However, it is the most poisonous fish in the world. It has 13 spines, each of which contains poison sacs.

The five species are found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. One of the factors that make them dangerous is their ability to camouflage themselves well.

When the prey swims by, the fish moves very fast and then attacks it using the poison contained in the spikes. The venom is mainly used to attack predators that threaten it.

Stone fish can sting a person. Its bite is very painful. It can lead to heart failure.

The tiger shark is one of the most dangerous fish in the sea. After the white shark, it is the second largest fish that attacks people. However, unlike the great white shark, the tiger shark tends to keep attacking the person and not swim away.

The tiger shark is carnivorous, growing from 10 to 14 feet in length and can weigh 1,400 pounds. This is a powerful swimmer. She has a well-developed sense of smell and vision.

Stingray

Stingrays love to be in shallow water. Animals live off the coast of any continent in the world, especially near the equator. They usually spend most of their day buried in the sand or swimming in the ocean. Stingrays grow up to 6 feet and can weigh up to 800 pounds.

The stingray really does look like a shark. Like a shark, it has electrical sensors around its mouth that help determine the proximity of prey. The stingray's teeth are strong enough to crush oysters, clams and mussels.

The most dangerous part of the stingray is its famous tail. It holds the spine, which has teeth with jagged edges. Some stingrays have venom that can be fatal to humans.

In Greek mythology, Odysseus was killed by the spine of a stingray. Steve Irwin, renowned Australian conservationist, has died after being fatally struck by a stingray.

Output

Animals are dangerous only when people accidentally get in their way. But poison and teeth do not protect them from a more dangerous predator - man. Some of the creatures are endangered. Even the most dangerous of them are important for the ecosystem and should be protected.

Among the sailors' folklore, the stories about encounters with sea serpents have long been considered the most popular stories. Returning from a voyage, salted through, the sea wolf always gathered crowds of listeners in the portside taverns, excitingly telling about ruthless giants with a cold, hating look on everyone and everything, suddenly emerging from unknown depths only to sink another ship to the bottom and devour its crew.

Owners of too rich imagination, having heard such stories, once and for all swore off to go to sea. Others, on the contrary, sought to see the monster and, perhaps, even measure their strength with him. Fortunately for the daredevils, tales of leviathans and other sea monsters greedy for sailor flesh turned out to be, to put it mildly, greatly exaggerated.

But be that as it may, sea snakes exist. True, their size is much more modest than in the descriptions of numerous "witnesses". Therefore, these inhabitants of tropical waters will not be able to sink even a simple fishing boat on their own or swallow its captain alive.

However, this does not mean at all that sea reptiles are kind, affectionate animals that you can play with. Snakes are snakes, and dealing with them is far from safe, both on land and on the high seas.

Here, for example, is a description of a tragic encounter with a sea serpent, which was witnessed by the highly respected naturalist and naturalist Alfred Bram.

This happened in 1837. Bram was then traveling on a British warship, which at that time was stationed near Madras. Out of boredom, the sailors started fishing, and among other things, a small sea snake was pulled onto the deck. Until then, one of the sailors examined and touched her, says Bram. until she bit him on the index finger of his right hand.

Two hours later he suddenly began to vomit, soon after that the pulse became weak and stopped at times; the pupils were dilated, but constricted under the influence of light; a cold sweat broke out on the skin, and the expression of the face became more and more anxious, and a general and severe morbid condition was more and more revealed. Paralysis of the larynx soon set in, which made breathing much more difficult; the edges of the wound and the nearest parts of the arm were swollen. The tumor then spread over the entire right side, and the neck and face took on a spotty purple and gray color ... Breathing became more and more difficult, a dark brown fibrous mass flowed out of the mouth, then unconsciousness set in, and even before the fourth hour after the bite the patient died.

The man was dying, and his friends could do nothing to help him. At that time, the development of anti-snake serum was in its infancy, and where can you get it on the high seas? In addition, it never occurred to anyone that “a fish, even if outwardly similar to a snake, is capable of killing a person with one bite. Moreover, people did not yet know that the venom of other sea snakes is similar in strength to the venom of a cobra and can even exceed it by eight to ten times!

Sea snakes are rather unpredictable creatures. And nobody knows what's on their minds. In order not to be unfounded, let's talk about a recent meeting with a marine reptile. This time "lucky" - photographer Ben Krop, a specialist in underwater photography.

Once, Ben was working off the coast of New Guinea - shooting underwater local fauna, quickly scurrying through thick algae. The photographer got too carried away with the process of filming, and then an angry sea snake literally attacked him from the emerald green thickets (obviously, Ben accidentally hit her, and the snake thought that she had been attacked). The first blow fell on the wetsuit, and the photographer even dropped the camera in fright. Ben rushed to look for his expensive equipment, deciding that the incident was over, but the snake did not calm down and clearly began to prepare for a new attack. Then Krop grabbed the first thing that came to hand - a large sea snail - and began to fight off with its help from the nimble and vicious asp.

After some time, only shreds remained from the snail, and the floating rubbish still could not calm down and in the end tightly grabbed the photographer's flippers. Then Ben made the right decision: he stopped moving and even tried to hold his breath.

After some time, the snake, noticing that the prey no longer resists, which means it went to another world, left the fins of the unfortunate alone and sailed away on its own business. Ben found the camera, but the photo session had to be postponed the next day - Krop's nerves passed.

Most likely, precisely because sea snakes are unpredictable creatures and, unlike humans, feel like fish in the water (which does not contribute to close acquaintance, and even more so to study them in their native environment), we know so little about them. Even though the tropical waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans (as well as the Red Sea) are full of these mysterious animals. For instance. in the Strait of Malacca, a giant accumulation of large (up to one and a half meters) bright red sea snakes from the genus Astrotium with black rings was once discovered. According to eyewitnesses, the snakes swam in close rows of about three meters along the front and almost 100 kilometers long!

The coloring of sea snakes seriously affects their speed of movement, zoologists from the University of Sydney have established. The most interesting thing is that the culprits of this difference were algae.

Shine and Dr. Adele Pile have long noticed that sea snakes are besieged by algae, literally. Scientists decided to find out if the color of the animal affects this “susceptibility”.

Four years of research on the tropical Pacific reptile population
oceans have shown that jet-black individuals of the ringed emidocephalus (Emydocephalus annulatus), as a rule, carry a much larger number of algae spores than their black-and-white counterparts.

Sea snakes are descended from their terrestrial venomous
relatives who are
mastered the water area about five million years ago. By the way, on
on land, the dark color gives another advantage: it allows you to accumulate
more heat.

Next, Shine and Pyle tried to determine if the color was really dark.
responsible for increased levels of algae growth. Let's go
multi-colored models of snakes made of plastic. It soon became clear that more
dark areas do attract more spores.

Biologists immediately had a question: what are the consequences of such
natural phenomenon? “Tests have shown that sea snakes hung with
a lot of algae, lose about 20% of the speed,” says Rick.

In their article in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the scientists conclude that the striped Emydocephalus annulatus
have some advantage over their dark counterparts. but
evolution did not erase monochrome individuals from the face of the Earth: apparently, according to that
the reason that algae provide them with oxygen during photosynthesis,
reducing the number of lifts required to the surface of the water, where they are easily
can be grabbed by predators.

In general, about fifty species of sea snakes are known today.
Most of them do not exceed one meter in length, but there are also
almost three meters tall. Some species are poisonous. Snakes use their venom
for hunting and only as a last resort for defense. sea ​​snake venom
toxic, because it must instantly paralyze the fish so that it does not
managed to escape. And fish, as you know, unlike warm-blooded,
quite resistant to poisonous substances.

Sea snakes are distinguished from their terrestrial counterparts by a flattened body and very
small scale. All this is good for swimming, but on land it makes
such a snake is completely helpless in terms of movement. Even those types
which lay their eggs in the coastal sand (there are some),
they move on the earth with difficulty and tend to go back to their native element as soon as possible.

The sea snake, unlike fish, does not have gills; on the surface, it breathes like
all through the nostrils (with the help of a single lung), and under water
- in its original way, through the mouth. oxygen dissolved in water
absorbed through the oral mucosa.

Here. perhaps that's all. And as for security, we hope everything is clear. That
there is if you, carelessly swimming in a tropical sea, suddenly discover
not far from itself something ribbon-like, and this something, wriggling and
shimmering with bright colors, floats about his business, then let yourself
floats, do not touch it. Moreover, you should not do this, even
if the snake lies helplessly on the deck. Let the local fishermen touch it
if they want, they have more experience.

Konstantin Fedorov
tainy.info

May 24, 2016 Australia can rightfully be considered one of the safest places on our planet. However, there are also "risk factors" here.

The topic of this article is the natural dangers of Australia, we will talk about ten threats that await tourists on the "green continent" here...

sharks

There is an opinion among tourists that all the dangers of Australia are concentrated in the ocean. This is not so, there are dangers on land too, but the ocean off the coast of the continent really hides many dangers, the main and most famous of them are sharks.

In terms of the number of shark attacks on people, Australia ranks first in the world. Most often, sharks attack in the morning and evening, when they are especially hungry. Among the most aggressive are the great white shark, tiger, hammerhead, sand sharks.

poisonous fish

The ocean off the coast of Australia is dangerous not only for sharks. In coastal waters, you can also encounter poisonous fish. Stingrays pose the greatest danger to swimmers. Stingrays - bottom fish, stepping on a stingray, you can get an injection with a poisonous thorn, the consequences will be very serious, and death is not ruled out. A poisonous injection can also be obtained from the "stone fish", but it lives relatively deep and is a danger mainly to divers.

sea ​​snakes

More than 30 species of sea snakes live off the coast of Australia, almost all of them are poisonous. But the “palm tree” in terms of the degree of danger to humans belongs to the Dubois snake. This snake breathes with lungs, but it is an excellent diver and can stay under water for about an hour. Its bite causes paralysis of the respiratory organs, a person can die from suffocation within a few minutes.

poisonous jellyfish

Off the northern coast of Australia, a terrible danger awaits bathers in the form of the Jelly Fish jellyfish. This sea beauty is rarely found near the shore; lovers of long-distance swims most often become its victims.

land snakes

There are a huge number of snakes on the Australian continent, many species pose a mortal danger to people. The most poisonous are the taipan, the king brown snake and the tiger snake. Australian snakes, as practice shows, never attack first, but when traveling through the interior of the desert regions of Australia, you should definitely take an antidote. And in no case do not travel through the Australian wilderness alone.

crocodiles

In Australia, there are many small swampy rivers inhabited by crocodiles. Growing sometimes up to six meters, these reptiles pose a serious danger. After all, a person for a crocodile is a food object, crocodiles attack people first, sometimes without being provoked in any way. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to swim in the reservoirs of inland Australia.

poisonous spiders

Among the huge number of species of Australian spiders, there are poisonous ones. Their bites are usually not fatal, but there are exceptions. First of all, it is an Australian tarantula. The name itself indicates the large size of this spider, respectively, and the dose injected by it into the victim is huge. Luckily, fatal bites are rare, and the effects of the venom usually wear off after a few hours of being unwell. But the bite of another, not so large Australian arthropod, leuco-web spider, most often leads to tragic consequences for humans.

wild dog dingo

In appearance, this only Australian predator differs little from an ordinary dog. Actually, he is a dog, the ancestors of the dingo were brought to Australia by European colonists. However, one should not behave with a dingo as with an ordinary "man's friend", this is a real wild animal, and of a rather ferocious disposition.

Surf

The warm waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, washing the Australian continent, attract surfers from all over the world to its coastal zone. However, waves and currents can play tricks on swimmers and surfers. Storms are not uncommon here, and the height of the waves during a storm can reach six meters! And scientists are anxiously predicting an increase in the height of the waves and the strength of the underwater currents ...

The sun

Yes, the gentle Australian sun is also dangerous. More precisely, solar radiation is dangerous, it is very strong on the Australian mainland. Sunburn and even sunstroke among tourists, especially those who arrived in Australia from the temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere, are not uncommon.

Original taken from billfish561 in Beautiful, but dangerous inhabitants of the seas and oceans.

A lot of creatures live in the sea and ocean waters, meeting with which can cause trouble to a person in the form of injury or even lead to disability or death.

Here I tried to describe the most common inhabitants of the sea, which should be wary of meeting in the water, relaxing and swimming on the beach of some resort or diving.
If you ask any person "... What is the most dangerous inhabitant of the seas and oceans?", then almost always we will hear the answer "... shark.... But is it so? Who is more dangerous, a shark or a seemingly harmless shell?

moray eels

Reaches a length of 3 m and weight - up to 10 kg, but as a rule, individuals are found about a meter long. The skin of the fish is naked, without scales. They are found in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, are widespread in the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Moray eels live in the bottom layer of water, one might say at the bottom. During the day, moray eels sit in crevices of rocks or corals, sticking their heads out and usually moving them from side to side, looking out for passing prey, at night they get out of their shelters to hunt. Usually moray eels feed on fish, but they attack both crustaceans and octopuses, which are caught from ambush.

Moray eel meat after processing can be eaten. It was especially valued by the ancient Romans.

Moray eels are potentially dangerous to humans. A diver who has become a victim of an moray eel attack always somehow provokes this attack - sticks his hand or foot into the crevice where the moray eel is hiding, or pursues it. The moray eel, attacking a person, inflicts a wound that looks like a barracuda bite mark, but unlike the barracuda, the moray eel does not immediately swim away, but hangs on its victim, like a bulldog. She can cling to the arm with a bulldog death grip, from which the diver cannot be freed, and then he may die.

It is not poisonous, but since moray eels do not disdain carrion, the wounds are very painful, do not heal for a long time and often become inflamed. Hiding among underwater rocks and coral reefs in crevices and caves.

When moray eels begin to feel hungry, they jump out of their shelters with an arrow and grab a victim floating by. Very voracious. Very strong jaws and sharp teeth.

In appearance, moray eels are not very pretty. But they do not attack scuba divers, as some believe, they do not differ in aggressiveness. Isolated cases occur only when moray eels have a mating season. If the moray eel mistakenly takes a person for a food source or he invades her territory, then she can still attack.

barracudas

All barracuda live in tropical and subtropical waters of the oceans near the surface. There are 8 species in the Red Sea, including the great barracuda. There are not so many species in the Mediterranean Sea - only 4, of which 2 moved there from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. The so-called "malita", which has settled in the Mediterranean Sea, provides the bulk of the entire Israeli catch of barracudas. The most sinister feature of barracudas is the powerful lower jaw, which protrudes far beyond the upper one. The jaws are equipped with formidable teeth: a row of small, razor-sharp teeth dot the jaw on the outside, and inside there is a row of large dagger-like teeth.

The maximum recorded size of a barracuda is 200 cm, weight - 50 kg, but usually the length of a barracuda does not exceed 1-2 m.

She is aggressive and fast. Barracudas are also called "live torpedoes" because they attack their prey with great speed.

Despite such a formidable name and ferocious appearance, these predators are practically harmless to humans. It should be remembered that all attacks on people happened in muddy or dark water, where the moving arms or legs of the swimmer were taken by the barracuda for swimming fish. (It was in this situation that the author of the blog got into in February 2014, when he was vacationing in Egypt, the Oriental Bay Resort Marsa Alam 4 + * (now called Aurora Oriental Bay Marsa Alam Resort 5*) Marsa Gabel el Rosas Bay . Medium-sized barracuda, 60-70 cm, almost bit off the 1st f alangu of the index finger on the right hand. A piece of a finger dangled on a 5mm piece of skin (dive gloves saved from complete amputation). At the Marsa Alam clinic, the surgeon put 4 stitches and saved the finger, but the rest was completely ruined ). In Cuba, the reason for attacking a person was shiny objects such as watches, jewelry, knives. It will not be superfluous if the shiny parts of the equipment are painted in a dark color.

The sharp teeth of the barracuda can damage the arteries and veins of the limbs; in this case, the bleeding must be stopped immediately, since the loss of blood can be significant. In the Antilles, barracudas are more feared than sharks.

Jellyfish

Every year, millions of people are exposed to "burns" from contact with jellyfish while swimming.

There are no especially dangerous jellyfish in the waters of the seas washing the Russian coast, the main thing is to prevent contact of these jellyfish with mucous membranes. In the Black Sea, it is easiest to meet such jellyfish as Aurelia and Cornerot. They are not very dangerous, and their "burns" are not very strong.

Aurelia "butterflies" (Aurelia aurita)

Medusa Cornerot (Rhizostoma pulmo)

Only in the Far Eastern seas lives enough dangerous for humans jellyfish "cross", the poison of which can even lead to the death of a person. This small jellyfish with a pattern in the form of a cross on an umbrella causes severe burns at the point of contact with it, and after a while causes other disorders in the human body - difficulty breathing, numbness of the limbs.

Jellyfish-cross (Gonionemus vertens)

the consequences of the burn of the jellyfish-cross

The farther south, the more dangerous the jellyfish. In the coastal waters of the Canary Islands, a pirate is waiting for careless bathers - the "Portuguese boat" - a very beautiful jellyfish with a red crest and a multi-colored bubble-sail.

portuguese boat (Physalia physalis)

The "Portuguese boat" looks so harmless and beautiful in the sea ...

And so, the leg looks like after contact with the "Portuguese boat" ....

Many jellyfish live in the coastal waters of Thailand.

But the real scourge for bathers is the Australian "sea wasp". She kills with a light touch of multi-meter tentacles, which, by the way, can wander on their own without losing their deadly qualities. You can pay for acquaintance with the "sea wasp" at best with severe "burns" and lacerations, at worst - with life. More people have died from the sea wasp jellyfish than from sharks. This jellyfish lives in the warm waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, especially numerous off the coast of Northern Australia. The diameter of her umbrella is only 20-25 mm, but the tentacles reach a length of 7-8 m and they contain poison, similar in composition to cobra venom, but much stronger. A person touched by a "sea wasp" with its tentacles usually dies within 5 minutes.

Australian cubic (box) jellyfish or "sea wasp" (Chironex fleckeri)

sting from jellyfish "sea wasp"

Aggressive jellyfish also live in the Mediterranean and other waters of the Atlantic - the "burns" caused by them are stronger than the "burns" of the Black Sea jellyfish, and they cause allergic reactions more often. These include cyanidea ("hairy jellyfish"), pelagia ("little lilac sting"), chrysaora ("sea nettle") and some others.

jellyfish Atlantic cyanide (Cyanea capillata)

Pelagia (Noctiluca), known in Europe under the name "purple sting"

Pacific sea nettle (Chrysaora fuscescens)

Medusa "Compass" (coronatae)
Jellyfish "Compass" chose the coastal waters of the Mediterranean Sea and one of the oceans - the Atlantic as their place of residence. They live off the coast of Turkey and the United Kingdom. These are quite large jellyfish, their diameter reaches thirty centimeters. They have twenty-four tentacles, which are arranged in groups of three each. The color of the body is yellowish-white with a brown tint, and its shape resembles a saucer-bell, in which thirty-two lobes are defined, which are colored brown along the edges.
The upper surface of the bell has sixteen V-shaped brown rays. The lower part of the bell is the location of the mouth opening, surrounded by four tentacles. These jellyfish are poisonous. Their venom is potent and often results in wounds that are very painful and take a long time to heal..
And yet the most dangerous jellyfish live in Australia and its adjacent waters. Burns of box jellyfish and "Portuguese man-of-war" are very serious and often fatal.

stingrays

Trouble can be delivered by rays of the stingray family and electric rays. It should be noted that the stingrays themselves do not attack a person, you can get injured if you step on him when this fish is hiding at the bottom.

stingray "stingray" (Dasyatidae)

Electric Stingray (torpediniformes)

Stingrays live in almost all seas and oceans. In our (Russian) waters you can meet a stingray or otherwise it is called a sea cat. It is found in the Black Sea and in the seas of the Pacific coast. If you step on a stingray buried in the sand or resting at the bottom, it can inflict a serious wound on the offender, and, in addition, inject poison into it. He has a thorn on his tail, or rather a real sword - up to 20 centimeters in length. Its edges are very sharp, and besides, jagged, along the blade, on the underside there is a groove in which dark poison from the poisonous gland on the tail is visible. If you hit a stingray lying at the bottom, it will hit with its tail like a whip; at the same time, he sticks out his thorn and can inflict a deep chopped wound. A stingray wound is treated like any other.

The sea fox stingray Raja clavata also lives in the Black Sea - large, it can be up to one and a half meters from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, it is not dangerous for humans - unless, of course, you try to grab it by the tail, covered with long sharp spines. Electric rays are not found in the waters of the seas of Russia.

Sea anemones (anemones)

Sea anemones inhabit almost all the seas of the globe, but, like other coral polyps, they are especially numerous and diverse in warm waters. Most species live in coastal shallow waters, but they are often found at the maximum depths of the oceans. Sea anemones Usually, hungry sea anemones sit completely still, with tentacles widely spaced. At the slightest change in the water, the tentacles begin to oscillate, not only they stretch out to prey, but often the whole body of the sea anemone leans. Having grasped the prey, the tentacles contract and bend towards the mouth.

Anemones are well armed. Stinging cells are especially numerous in carnivorous species. A volley of fired stinging cells kills small organisms, often causing severe burns in larger animals, even humans. They can cause burns, just like some types of jellyfish.

Octopuses

Octopuses (Octopoda) are the most famous representatives of cephalopods. "Typical" octopuses are representatives of the suborder Incirrina, demersal animals. But some representatives of this suborder and all species of the second suborder, Cirrina, are pelagic animals that live in the water column, and many of them are found only at great depths.

They live in all tropical and subtropical seas and oceans, from shallow water to a depth of 100-150 m. They prefer rocky coastal zones, looking for caves and crevices in the rocks. In the waters of the seas of Russia they live only in the Pacific region.

The common octopus has the ability to change color to adapt to its environment. This is due to the presence in his skin of cells with various pigments, capable of stretching or contracting under the influence of impulses from the central nervous system, depending on the perception of the sense organs. The usual color is brown. If the octopus is scared, it turns white, if angry, it turns red.

When approaching enemies (including divers or scuba divers), they flee, hiding in crevices of rocks and under stones.

The real danger is the bite of an octopus with careless handling. The secret of poisonous salivary glands can be introduced into the wound. In this case, acute pain and itching are felt in the area of ​​​​the bite.
When bitten by an ordinary octopus, a local inflammatory reaction occurs. Excessive bleeding indicates a slowdown in the clotting process. Usually after two or three days recovery occurs. However, cases of severe poisoning are known, in which symptoms of damage to the central nervous system occur. Wounds inflicted by octopuses are treated in the same way as injections from poisonous fish.

blue-ringed octopus (Blue-ringed Octopus)

One of the contenders for the title of the most dangerous marine animal for humans is the octopus Octopus maculosus, which is found along the coast of the Australian province of Queensland and near Sydney, is found in the Indian Ocean and, sometimes, in the Far East. Although the size of this octopus rarely exceeds 10 cm, it contains enough poison to kill ten people.

Lionfish

Lionfish (Pterois) of the Scorpaenidae family are of great danger to humans. They are easily recognizable by their rich and bright colors, which warn of effective defenses in these fish. Even marine predators prefer to leave this fish alone. The fins of this fish look like brightly colored feathers. Physical contact with such fish can be fatal.

Lionfish (Pterois)

Despite its name, it cannot fly. The fish got this nickname because of the large pectoral fins, a bit like wings. Other names for lionfish are zebra fish or lion fish. She got the first because of the wide gray, brown and red stripes located throughout the body, and the second - she owes long fins, which make her look like a predatory lion.

The lionfish belongs to the scorpion family. Body length reaches 30 cm, and weight - 1 kg. The coloration is bright, which makes the lionfish noticeable even at great depths. The main decoration of the lionfish is the long ribbons of the dorsal and pectoral fins, it is they that resemble the lion's mane. These luxurious fins hide sharp poisonous needles that make the lionfish one of the most dangerous inhabitants of the seas.

The lionfish is widespread in the tropical parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans off the coast of China, Japan and Australia. It lives mainly among coral reefs. lionfish Since it lives in the surface waters of the reef, it therefore poses a great danger to bathers who can step on it and injure themselves on sharp poisonous needles. The excruciating pain that occurs in this case is accompanied by the formation of a tumor, breathing becomes difficult, and in some cases, the injury leads to death.

The fish itself is very voracious and eats all kinds of crustaceans and small fish during night hunting. The most dangerous are pufferfish, boxfish, sea dragon, hedgehog fish, ball fish, etc. We must remember only one rule: the more colorful the coloring of the fish and the more unusual its shape, the more poisonous it is.

stellate pufferfish (Tetraodontidae)

Cube body or box fish (Ostraction cubicus)

hedgehog fish (Diodontidae)

fish ball (Diodontidae)

In the Black Sea, there are relatives of the lionfish - the noticeable scorpionfish (Scorpaena notata), it is no more than 15 centimeters in length, and the Black Sea scorpionfish (Scorpaena porcus) - up to half a meter - but such large ones are found deeper, further from the coast. The main difference between the Black Sea scorpionfish is long, similar to rag patches, supraorbital tentacles. In the conspicuous scorpion, these outgrowths are short.

conspicuous scorpionfish (Scorpaena notata)

black sea scorpionfish (Scorpaena porcus)

The body of these fish is covered with spikes and outgrowths, the spikes are covered with poisonous mucus. And although the poison of the scorpionfish is not as dangerous as the poison of the lionfish, it is better not to disturb it.

Among the dangerous Black Sea fish, the sea dragon (Trachinus draco) should be noted. Elongated, snake-like, with an angular large head, bottom fish. Like other bottom predators, the dragon has bulging eyes on the top of its head and a huge, greedy mouth.

sea ​​dragon (Trachinus draco)

The consequences of a poisonous injection of a dragon are much more serious than in the case of a scorpionfish, but not fatal.

Wounds from the thorns of a scorpion or dragon cause burning pain, the area around the injections turns red and swells, then - general malaise, fever, and your rest is interrupted for a day or two. If you have suffered from the thorns of a ruff, consult a doctor. Wounds should be treated like normal scratches.

The "stone fish" or Wartyfish (Synanceia verrucosa) also belongs to the scorpion family - no less, and in some cases more dangerous than lionfish.

"fish stone" or warty (Synanceia verrucosa)

sea ​​urchins

Often in shallow waters there is a risk of stepping on a sea urchin.

Sea urchins are one of the most common and very dangerous inhabitants of coral reefs. The body of a hedgehog the size of an apple is studded with 30-centimeter needles sticking out in all directions, similar to knitting needles. They are very mobile, sensitive and instantly react to irritation.

If a shadow suddenly falls on the hedgehog, he immediately directs the needles in the direction of danger and puts them together in several pieces into a sharp, hard pike. Even gloves and wetsuits do not guarantee complete protection against the formidable peaks of the sea urchin. The needles are so sharp and fragile that, having penetrated deep into the skin, they immediately break off and it is extremely difficult to remove them from the wound. In addition to needles, hedgehogs are armed with small grasping organs - pedicillaria, scattered at the base of the needles.

The venom of sea urchins is not dangerous, but causes burning pain at the injection site, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, transient paralysis. And soon redness, swelling appear, sometimes there is a loss of sensitivity and a secondary infection. The wound must be cleaned of needles, disinfected, to neutralize the poison, hold the damaged part of the body in very hot water for 30-90 minutes or apply a pressure bandage.

After meeting with a black "long-spined" sea urchin, black dots may remain on the skin - this is a trace of pigment, it is harmless, but it can make it difficult to find needles stuck in you. Seek medical advice after first aid.

Shells (clams)

Often on the reef among the corals there are wavy wings of bright blue.

clam tridacna (Tridacna gigas)

According to some reports, divers sometimes fall between its wings, like in a trap, which leads to their death. The danger of tridacna, however, is greatly exaggerated. These mollusks live in shallow reef areas in clear tropical waters, so they are easy to spot due to their large size, brightly colored mantle, and ability to splash water at low tide. A diver captured by a shell can easily free himself, you just need to stick a knife between the valves and cut the two muscles that compress the valves.

Poison Clam Cone (Conidae)
Do not touch beautiful shells (especially large ones). Here it is worth remembering one rule: all mollusks that have a long, thin and pointed ovipositor are poisonous. These are representatives of the cone genus of the gastropod class, having a brightly colored conical shell. Its length in most species does not exceed 15-20 cm. The cone inflicts a prick as sharp as a needle with a spike that protrudes from the narrow end of the shell. Inside the spike passes the duct of the poisonous gland, through which a very strong poison is injected into the wound.

Various species of the cone genus are common in coastal shallows and coral reefs of warm seas.

At the moment of injection, a sharp pain is felt. At the injection site of the spike, a reddish dot is visible against the background of pale skin.

Local inflammatory reaction is insignificant. There is a feeling of acute pain or burning, numbness of the affected limb may occur. In severe cases, there is difficulty in speech, flaccid paralysis quickly develops, and knee jerks disappear. In a few hours, death may occur.

With mild poisoning, all symptoms disappear within a day.

First aid is to remove fragments of the thorn from the skin. The affected area is wiped with alcohol. The affected limb is immobilized. The patient in the supine position is taken to the medical center.

corals

Corals, both living and dead, can cause painful cuts (be careful when walking on coral islands). And the so-called "fire" corals are armed with poisonous needles that dig into the human body in case of physical contact with them.

The basis of the coral is polyps - marine invertebrates 1-1.5 mm in size or slightly larger (depending on the species).

Barely born, the baby polyp begins to build a cell house, in which he spends his entire life. Microhouses of polyps are grouped into colonies from which a coral reef eventually appears.

Hungry, the polyp sticks out tentacles with many stinging cells from the "house". The smallest animals that make up plankton encounter the tentacles of a polyp, which paralyzes the victim and sends it into the mouth opening. Despite their microscopic size, the stinging cells of polyps have a very complex structure. Inside the cell is a capsule filled with poison. The outer end of the capsule is concave and looks like a thin tube twisted in a spiral, which is called a stinging thread. This tube, covered with the smallest spikes pointing backwards, resembles a miniature harpoon. When touched, the stinging thread straightens, the "harpoon" pierces the body of the victim, and the poison passing through it paralyzes the prey.

Poisoned "harpoons" of corals can also injure a person. Among the dangerous ones is, for example, fire coral. Its colonies in the form of "trees" made of thin plates have chosen the shallow waters of tropical seas.

The most dangerous stinging corals of the Millepore genus are so beautiful that scuba divers cannot resist the temptation to break off a piece as a keepsake. This can be done without "burns" and cuts only in canvas or leather gloves.

fire coral (Millepora dichotoma)

Talking about such passive animals as coral polyps, it is worth mentioning another interesting type of marine animals - sponges. Usually sponges are not classified as dangerous inhabitants of the sea, however, in the waters of the Caribbean there are some species that can cause severe skin irritation in a swimmer upon contact with them. It is believed that the pain can be relieved with a weak solution of vinegar, but the unpleasant effects from contact with the sponge can last for several days. These primitive animals belong to the genus Fibula and are often referred to as touchy sponges.

Sea snakes (Hydrophidae)

Little is known about sea snakes. This is strange, since they live in all the seas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans and are not among the rare inhabitants of the deep sea. Maybe it's because people just don't want to deal with them.

And there are serious reasons for this. After all, sea snakes are dangerous and unpredictable.

There are about 48 species of sea snakes. This family once left the land and completely switched to an aquatic lifestyle. Because of this, sea snakes have acquired some features in the structure of the body, and outwardly they are somewhat different from their terrestrial counterparts. The body is flattened from the sides, the tail is in the form of a flat ribbon (for flat-tailed representatives) or slightly elongated (for dovetails). The nostrils are not located on the sides, but at the top, so it is more convenient for them to breathe, sticking the tip of the muzzle out of the water. The lung stretches throughout the body, but these snakes absorb up to a third of all oxygen from the water with the help of the skin, which is densely penetrated by blood capillaries. Under water, a sea snake can stay for more than an hour.

The venom of a sea snake is dangerous to humans. Their poison is dominated by an enzyme that paralyzes the nervous system. When attacking, the snake quickly strikes with two short teeth, slightly bent back. The bite is almost painless, there is no swelling or hemorrhage.

But after some time, weakness appears, coordination is disturbed, convulsions begin. Death occurs from paralysis of the lungs in a few hours.

The high toxicity of the venom of these snakes is a direct result of aquatic habitation: in order for the prey not to run away, it must be instantly paralyzed. True, the poison of sea snakes is not as dangerous as the poison of snakes that live with us on land. When bitten by flattails, 1 mg of poison is released, and when bitten by a dovetail, 16 mg. So, a person has a chance to survive. Of the 10 bitten by sea snakes, 7 people remain alive, of course, if they receive medical assistance on time.

True, there is no guarantee that you will be among the latter.

Among other dangerous aquatic animals, especially dangerous freshwater inhabitants should be mentioned - crocodiles that live in the tropics and subtropics, piranha fish that live in the Amazon River basin, freshwater electric rays, as well as fish whose meat or some organs are poisonous and can cause acute poisoning.

If you are interested in more detailed information about dangerous species of jellyfish and corals, you can find it at http://medusy.ru/

Marine folklore and myths of the peoples of the world have preserved many references to marine reptiles. And this is not surprising, because snakes were not only feared, but also revered. Sea snakes (lat. Hydrophiidae) have a number of physiological features that their land "relatives" do not have. A whole family of snakes in the process of evolution left the land and the ocean waters became their home, which could not but leave a deep imprint on their structure, as well as a number of biological features. Modern science identifies fifty-six species of sea snakes, which are grouped into sixteen genera. Let's get to know them better and learn a lot of interesting things from the life of these reptiles.

Sea snakes and their features

Sea snakes are snakes that have adapted to life in salty sea water. Some species of sea snakes can periodically go on land in order to improve their digestion, bask in the sun and lay their eggs, while others lead an exclusively aquatic lifestyle, i.e. live in the water and never come ashore.

For those people who often relax on the coasts of hot countries, go diving and dive into the waters of warm seas, encounters with sea snakes are not uncommon, so they just need to have knowledge about the animals that inhabit the seas and oceans, including about these creatures.

Ringed flattail (lat. Laticauda laticauda)

Habitat

The warmer the climate and the more southerly the sea, the more different representatives of these marine reptiles a diver can meet. And as you know from the old saying “protected means armed”, and vice versa, this applies primarily to knowledge. Let's protect ourselves with knowledge that will help us to help and be saved in the future.

So, sea snakes are a family belonging to the kingdom Animals, type Chordates, class Reptiles, order Scaly. Further, this family is divided into different genera, and then into dozens of species. These snakes are widespread on our planet. They are found in the coastal tropical waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, trying to stay along the coasts under the surface of the water. Sometimes they swim briefly in fresh waters.

Often they are caught by fishermen in the area of ​​the Malay Archipelago and the South China Sea, where their largest concentration is found, not only in quantitative, but also in species composition.

It is worth noting that sea snakes have chosen coastal waters, mainly in the region of 5-6 km from land, although there are species that live at a distance of several hundred kilometers from land. Thanks to a special breathing mechanism acquired in the process of evolution, some species are able to descend to a depth of up to three hundred meters.

Olive sea snake (lat. Aipysurus laevis)

Physiological features

The characteristic features of sea snakes that distinguish them from their land counterparts are a greatly shortened tongue and the absence of ventral scutes. Externally, most types of sea snakes look the same. Their small head with small eyes and a round pupil, covered with large shields, very smoothly passes into a long thin body. The body is covered with small identical scales, which in the tail ends with a fairly wide tail resembling a flipper-like fin.

Breathing is carried out mainly through the nostrils located at the very tip of the upper side of the head. Thanks to this physiological feature, in order to receive a “portion” of oxygen, it is enough for them to stick out even the smallest part of their nose from the water. The nasal openings during immersion are closed with a special valve that prevents water from entering the nasal cavity.

Most of these marine inhabitants can reach quite large sizes - up to one and a half - two meters in length. Among sea snakes, there are also larger species, whose length can exceed two and a half meters, and individual individuals can reach 3-4 meters in length!

Sexual dimorphism in these animals, as a rule, is well expressed. Females are significantly larger than males. Weight varies depending on the diet, species and gender of the animal. In body shape, sea snakes also differ significantly from each other. Some snakes have a large body thickness in relation to their length, while others seem very thin and graceful with a narrow head.

Previously, it was erroneously believed that sea snakes with such a narrow head and a graceful thin neck feed on small and thin fish, however, recently scientists have found that such “crumbs” are able to swallow a victim twice the girth of their body, and graceful proportions serve to in order to find and get food from the narrowest crevices of coral reefs.

Carefully examining any of the representatives of sea snakes, one can notice a characteristic feature of its appearance - this is a slight flattening of the tail from the sides. In addition, the internal organs of sea snakes, in particular the respiratory organs, also differ significantly from the internal structure of snakes that live on land.

For example, the right lung in sea snakes is greatly enlarged and reaches almost to the very tail. Such an enlarged lung serves as a kind of hydrostatic organ for the snake, much like a swim bladder for a fish. None of the species of snakes is capable, in principle, of choking and drowning, given that these animals do not have gills.

In addition to the fact that sea snakes breathe exceptionally light, they also have a unique exceptional ability to absorb oxygen dissolved in water with the help of the mucous membrane covering their oral cavity. Their mucous membrane is densely permeated with a network of capillaries, which absorb oxygen dissolved in water.

Bicolor bonito (Latin Pelamis platura)

Sea snakes breathe to a greater extent, of course, with lungs, rising to the surface of the water and exposing the tip of the muzzle from it, slightly opening their mouth. Also, their breathing, in addition to the lungs, is also helped by the skin, which partially takes over the respiratory function.

I would like to note that sea snakes can be under water, without air, for up to about two hours. In some species, salt glands are located under the tongue, which secrete excessively absorbed salt from the body into the external environment.

Almost all types of snakes feed on various fish, which they swallow whole, having previously immobilized it or killed it with their own poison. The venom of all types of sea snakes, without exception, is highly toxic, sometimes even more than that of terrestrial counterparts.

Although most sea snakes are venomous, they are practically harmless to humans unless disturbed. The fact is that these animals use their poisonous teeth only during hunting, or, in extreme cases, exclusively for self-defense.

But if you encounter a sea snake while swimming or diving, it is better not to touch it, let it float by calmly. Otherwise, it can inflict a lightning bite on you with serious consequences, up to a fatal outcome, which happens extremely rarely. As a rule, a sea snake injects a minimal amount of venom during a bite. Such a dose can rarely cause serious harm to human health.

Development and reproduction

Sea snakes breed rather slowly. They reach sexual maturity at about a year old. All types of sea snakes are either viviparous or oviparous. Both species give birth to only a few cubs (from 1 to 3 at a time). Some give birth to their cubs right in the water, while others crawl out to the coast in order to lay their eggs in the warm sand.

Today we talked about the most interesting representatives of the marine fauna that inhabit the seas and oceans of our planet. And if you want to continue your acquaintance with them, then the next article will tell you about the most common type of sea snakes, in particular about flat-tailed (sea kraits). See you!