Most Venomous Animal in the Water: Box Jellyfish Venom Contains Toxins That Attack Nervous System, Heart, Skin

Among the many venomous creatures in the water, the Australian box jellyfish tops the list.

Box Jellyfish: Most Venomous Animal in the Water

The box jellyfish got its name from its body shape. It has tentacles that are coated in "biological booby traps" called nematocysts, which are filled with venom. As many as 15 tentacles grow from each bell corner. They can also span up to 10 feet.

Each tentacle is loaded with roughly 5,000 stinging cells. These cells do not get triggered by touch. Rather than that, a chemical presence over its prey's outer layers triggers these cells.

Among other jellyfish species, box jellies are considered highly advanced. Rather than simply drifting, these creatures have the capacity to move. They also have eyes, which are grouped into clusters comprising six of them, on their bell's four sides. Each cluster has a pair of eyes that has a cornea, iris, retina, and lens.

These creatures do not have a central nervous system of their own. Hence, scientists do not know how they process the visual information they take.

How Deadly Is This Creature?

While the box jellyfish may not appear threatening, its sting is enough to kill. Animals and people who get injected with the jellyfish's venom may experience cardiac arrest, paralysis, or even death within just a few minutes.

However, among the 50 box jellyfish species, only few species are loaded with lethal venom.

Nevertheless, its venom is considered to be among the world's deadliest varieties, as the venom contains toxins that could attack the nervous system, skin, and heart. A box jellyfish's venomous sting can be extremely painful. In fact, human victims have died of heart failure or went into shock and drowned even before they reach the coasts. Survivors of their stings may experience pain for weeks. They also tend to have scars over the areas that got into contact with the tentacles.

The less lethal symptoms of a box jellyfish sting are blisters, welts, feeling faint, and severe pain.

Roughly 100 deaths each year are caused by box jellies. The Sea Wasp jellyfish, which is part of the family of box jellies and is thought to be the world's deadliest jellyfish, can also kill up to 60 individuals with a single dart.

There are also some box jellies, including the Irukandji jellyfish, that expels toxins that are a hundred times stronger compared to a cobra bite.

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