Top 10 Most Venomous Animals On Earth

Wander wherever you want, buddy, just don’t come where we live. The brazillian wandering spider is frequently called the deadliest in the world by the famous Guinness Book of World Records. And if you live in South America, there’s a very real chance it might wander by your home. Their nomadic habits and numerous habitats means they can easily stumble into residential neighbourhoods. Thankfully, they don’t seem to bite humans very often. When they do, they usually don’t inject enough venom to kill. That’s surprisingly merciful for a creature whose venom has an LD50 of 0.134 mg/kg - many, MANY times more toxic than cyanide. And we’re just getting started.

Turns out that “boomslang” is more than just a silly name for a potion ingredient in Harry Potter. It’s actually the name of a very serious snake...that honestly looks kind of adorkable. But boomslangs can kill you, with an average LD50 of around 0.1 per mg/kg. Found in the African savannah, boomslangs like to hide in trees and shrubs waiting to prey on animals like birds and chameleons. So, it might be a good idea to look twice before you climb up for that perfect photo of a herd of zebras. If you do get bitten, don’t panic. The venom works slowly and there is an antivenom. You should have several hours to get help.

With an LD50 of 0.133 mg/kg, the venom of Russell’s viper isn’t much more potent than the boomslang. But it kills a lot more people. Why? Location, location, location. The boomslang is a pretty relaxed snake and doesn’t hang out in places humans tend to go. But Russell’s viper is aggressive, widespread in India and tends to appear near populous areas. There have been more than a few cases where people have run into them while headed to outdoor bathrooms at night. And considering how venomous Russell’s vipers are, a bite after dark can be a very dangerous occurrence.

Found in marshes throughout China and Southeast Asia, the many-banded krait prefers to be left alone. You probably won’t have to see the distinctive bands that it has on its body if you don’t go looking for it. But if you do end up startling a many-banded krait, you’d better watch out. Admittedly, it’s not nearly as harmful to people as its much more aggressive cousin, the Indian krait. But that’s not because its venom is weak. In fact, with an LD50 of 0.09 mg/kg, this snake can easily be fatal to victims that don’t get treatment. Luckily the many-banded krait tends to be timid.

If you thought North American rattlesnakes were bad, wait until you hear about the ones that live south of the equator. South American rattlesnakes are found just about everywhere in the continent’s lowlands. Although they’re not particularly aggressive to humans, that widespread range is frankly a little scary. Why? Because with an LD50 of 0.478 mg/kg, their bite tends to kill over 70% of the people who don’t receive antivenom. But those who get treatment aren’t safe. A shocking 11% of people who receive antivenom still perish. So, even with medical help, a bite from this rattler has around a 1 in 10 shot of killing you. At least their rattlers might give you a fair warning before they bring the pain.

Ask any serious snake enthusiast and they’ll tell you sea snakes have a reputation for being particularly deadly. But that’s only partly true. Human deaths from sea snake bites are actually quite rare since these real-life sea serpents tend to be pretty chill. When they do bite humans, they tend to do it “dry,” meaning they don’t inject their venom. After all, why waste some perfectly good death juice when they could just scare you away? But if you do get one mad enough to bite you properly… good luck. Sea snake venom is ridiculously potent. With an LD50 of 0.044 mg/kg, the Dubois’ sea snake is the deadliest of the species. It’s also the third most venomous snake on earth. Yes, there’s more coming!

Let’s step away from snakes for a minute and check in with another deadly creature. Box Jellyfish may not look like much. But you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. They can get surprisingly mean for a creature that appears so squishy. A species of the box jellyfish known as the Sea Wasp has an LD50 of 0.04 mg/kg, making its venom as potent as any sea snake. Its sting can also cause intense pain and even send swimmers into cardiac arrest before they reach the shore. Even patients who get treated with antivenom can be left in pain for up to two weeks.

Alright, it’s time to get back to snakes. But what a reptile the eastern brown snake is. Initially, it may not look or sound that intimidating. But despite its bland name and colour scheme it can very much will kill you if you’re not careful. We’re not kidding. Thanks to its potent LD50 of 0.0365 mg/kg and a tendency to thrive in human-populated areas, the Eastern Brown Snake is responsible for around 60% of snake bite deaths in Australia. On a continent known for its venomous snakes, the fact that this creature kills more people than any of its relatives is terrifyingly impressive.

You didn’t think we were done with Australia, did you? If you’ve been bitten by a Taipan snake, you have to think fast. Are you on the coast or inland? Why would it matter? Because when it comes to the taipan snake, that venom may be more dangerous depending on your location. The inland taipan’s venom is more dangerous than its coastal cousin. With an LD50 of 0.025 mg/kg, it’s one of the most venomous snakes in the world. Thankfully, they prefer to spend most of their time underground to avoid the scorching heat of the Australian sun, making bites rare. Since it’s more likely to run than fight unless you corner it, don’t put this snake in a corner!

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Maricopa Harvester Ant, with an LD50 of 0.12 mg/kg
The World’s Most Venomous Insect

King Cobra, with an LD50 of 1.28 mg/kg
For Instant Recognizability

Assassin Caterpillar, with an LD50 of 0.19 mg/kg
The World’s Scariest Inchworm

Funnel Web Spider, with an LD50 of 0.16
Second Place in the Arachnid Category

Blue Krait, with an LD50 of 0.1 mg/kg
Almost as Deadly as Its Many-Banded Cousin

What, that little thing? Surely you jest. But if you see a shell like this at the beach, it’s one that you absolutely do NOT want to pick up. Cone snails can lash out with a literal barbed harpoon the size of a hypodermic needle to inject a venom with an LD50 of between 0.012-0.030 mg/kg. There’s not even an antivenom for its toxin. If you get stung, you’ve just got to go on life support until the toxins wear off. They typically inhabit shallow reefs in the Indo-Pacific. Instead of trying to pick up this shell you should bring home a novelty T-shirt.