Being stabbed by a hypodermic needle that pumps painful toxins into your body is a terrifying thought. But that’s, essentially, what happens when a venomous creature injects you with toxins through its spines.
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From the most venomous fish on the planet to a cartoonishly cute egg-laying mammal, here are some of the most dangerous spined creatures on Earth.
9 most venomous spines
Stonefish
The first on our list is the most venomous fish on the planet: the stonefish. These fishes (there are five known species) have up to 15 dorsal spines which can release a toxic venom when pressure is applied to them, for example if someone steps on them.
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These ambush predators only use their venomous spines for self-defence but stings can be pretty nasty. Expect agonising pain along with other symptoms that can potentially include paralysis, breathing issues and even cardiac arrest. Coming into contact with just a couple of spines is enough to be injected with a lethal dose - although, thankfully, fatalities are rare.
Scorpionfish
Being a relative of the stonefish, it’s no surprise that stings from a scorpionfish can also pack a punch. These fish aren’t going to go after you but if you accidentally touch their venomous spines, it can result in a painful sting with immense swelling, difficulty breathing and cardiac problems. Although it doesn’t happen often, if the victim is allergic to the venom the sting can be fatal.
Stingray
The horrific 2006 death of TV presenter Steve Irwin made many people afraid of sharing the water with stingrays. Usually, this isn’t something you need to worry about: stingrays tend to be shy and will try to swim away from humans when disturbed.
Their iconic sting is their last line of defence. If they are startled or feel under threat and have no way of escape, these animals might sting their tormentor with the toxic barb at the base of their tail. Symptoms of a sting can include severe pain, cramping, swelling, nausea, dizziness and difficulty breathing.
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Deaths are very rare and Irwin was extremely unlucky. If the stingray’s barb had not pierced his heart, there’s a chance Irwin may have survived.
Platypus
Although they look like an adorable mash up of a duck and an otter, some platypuses are venomous.
Males (but not females) have a spine-like ankle spur on their hind legs. They use these roughly 12mm-long weapons to fight their rivals over territory to make sure they can access females during mating season. During these scuffles, males try to stab each other with their venomous spurs by wrapping their hind legs around their foe and jabbing with their heel.
If a human happens to get stung – for example, while handling a male – it won’t be fatal but the unbearable pain won’t dissipate any time soon. “Platypus venom disrupts haemostasis (blood regulation), cell membranes, and nociception (pain regulation) to cause nausea, swelling, and excruciating “whole-body” pain that lasts for weeks in humans and cannot be alleviated by morphine,” writes Bianca op den Brouw on the University of Melbourne’s website.
Assassin caterpillar
The name of these creatures immediately lets you know they’re not something to be messed with. Assassin caterpillars (Lonomia) are the larval stage of the giant silkworm moth and they are believed to be the deadliest caterpillars in the world.
Found in South America, these creepy crawlies protect themselves with a very special coat of armour: their bodies are covered with hollow, hair-like bristles called setae. Technically, these aren’t spines because they are designed to break off, but they still do the job by delivering an unbearable sting. Think of it like their bodies are covered with hypodermic needles ready to stab you with some toxin if you brush past them (which is easily done as they camouflage so perfectly into tree bark).
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“If a person should inadvertently touch a group of these hairy cryptic larvae present on a tree trunk or branch, this can cause massive internal haemorrhaging, renal failure, haemolysis and even death (most frequently resulting from intra-cranial haemorrhaging),” says Guinness World Records on its website.
Researchers are intrigued by the properties of the venom that prevent blood from clotting and hope it might inspire new medical treatments.
Asp caterpillar
Several other types of caterpillars can deliver venom (although none are as dangerous as the aptly named assassin caterpillar). Another one to watch is the asp caterpillar, sometimes called the puss caterpillar or fire caterpillar.
As an adult, these inch-long, hairy critters metamorphose into the southern flannel moth (Megalopyge opercularis), which is not harmful. But in their larval form, these creatures are venomous.
“The spines lie just underneath urticating [stinging] hairs. On contact, the spines will break away, releasing venom,” says LSU Ag Center on its website. “Puss caterpillar stings are instantaneously painful, quickly followed by localized pain that radiates toward regional lymph nodes. In the individual puncture sites that often become red, swollen and pustular (containing blisters on skin), making an outline of the caterpillar.”
Nausea, headaches, fever, vomiting, irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, muscle spasms and abdominal pain can also go along with the agony of the sting.
Flower sea urchin
Although they look quite pretty, flower urchins’ dainty appearance belies a more dangerous reality. Their spines aren’t actually the problem here – although they do have spines, they deliver the venom via the structures on their body that look like pretty petals.
“Venom delivered by the pedicellaria (small pincer-like organs) that cover the urchin's hard shell (test) can cause contractions in smooth muscle which lines many major organs, including cardiac (heart) tissue,” says Guinness World Records on its website, which rates these animals as the most dangerous sea urchin in the world. “This can lead to severe pain, respiratory problems and even paralysis.”
Crown-of-thorns starfish
The world’s most venomous starfish is another looker. Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) come in vibrant colours – often a deep, regal purple – and have up to 21 arms, each covered in sharp thorns, as if their very bodies are made of the barbed brambles that surround the castle of the slumbering princess in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.
Their impressive spines are tipped with toxins that can cause aches and pains, nausea, vomiting and sometimes paralysis.
One study documents the gruesome injuries of a woman who fell and landed with her hand on a Crown-of-thorns starfish. “Physical examination at the dermatology section revealed approximately 10 stab wounds of the left palm with pus, subcutaneous bleeding and many abrasions around them,” it writes. Three months after the accident, the victim had to have surgery to remove remaining spines that had still been causing her pain.
Just one human has been killed by these many-armed sea stars, after the venom induced anaphylactic shock. Their venom is also harmful to some – but not all – marine animals. Giant triton snails have a taste for COTS and wolf them down, spines and all.
Catfish
Many anglers are aware of the danger of being ‘finned’ by a catfish – stung by their venomous spines, that is. Many species of catfish are venomous but, while some people are wary of the fish’s whiskers, it’s the spines on their dorsal and pectoral fins that you need to watch out for.
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“Injuries can range from mild skin abrasions to life-threatening infections and tissue damage requiring urgent treatment,” writes one literature review of injuries from catfish. “The venom may cause reactions that include erythema, oedema, local haemorrhage, tissue necrosis, and muscle contractions… Some injuries are not thought to be severe enough at the time of injury to require medical care, although symptoms may arise years later.”
Top image: Scorpaena escorpora, Scorpionfish. Credit: Eloi_Omella/Getty Images
