Who is the most dangerous in the sea? Beautiful, but dangerous inhabitants of the seas and oceans. Basic safety rules at sea

A wide variety of animals live in the ocean. According to the calculations of special expeditions, today about 85 thousand different organisms live in the ocean. And many of them pose a huge danger to humans. Let's get acquainted with the most dangerous of them.

Zebra fish. Lionfish

This fish is found in the Red Sea and mainly in the Indian and Pacific oceans. It can be found off the coast of China, Japan or Australia. Her body is 30-40 centimeters long. It has light pink stripes on its body.

The decoration of this fish is considered to be long ribbons of fins. These very fins contain poisonous needles. When injected with this needle, the person immediately loses consciousness and is in deep shock. There is an opinion that this fish is capable of killing a person, but not a single case has been recorded.

When poison enters the human body, convulsions begin, disruption of the heart, and there is a danger of developing gangrene. The poisoning process and the time after it are considered very difficult.

Cone. cone snail

This mollusk lives mainly in warm waters. It has a special poisonous gland, which consists of toxic substances. When you touch it, a thorn pricks you, and the person loses consciousness from acute pain. This makes breathing and the work of the heart muscle difficult.

Of the three stings from the thorn of this mollusk, one is considered fatal. But this mollusk also brings benefits to humans; medicines are produced based on its poison.

This jellyfish is considered the largest in the world. Lives in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Its diameter is about 75 centimeters. There are tentacles in her body, upon contact with which, poison enters the victim’s body.

This poison is capable of killing small animals, but also causes significant damage and painful shock to larger animals.

Scorpionfish, or Sea Ruff

This fish lives in the Atlantic Ocean. It spends most of its life in various thickets, and during the hunt, it lies hidden at the bottom. When prey approaches, the sea urchin suddenly attacks the victim and swallows it along with the water.

The bites of this fish are very painful for humans. Severe pain occurs and infection enters the body.

It can be found off the coast of northern Australia and Indonesia. Her entire body is covered with special cells, thanks to which she causes severe burns upon contact with them. The burns cause severe pain, and their force can kill up to 60 people in three minutes. Due to frequent deaths, it is considered the most dangerous jellyfish in the world.

Puffer fish, puffer fish, ball fish, dog fish

Yes, this fish has many names and is considered very poisonous. When danger arises, it has the characteristic feature of increasing three times. This fish received its nicknames because of the special structure of its body, namely its teeth.

While searching for food, it splits the shells of shrimp and crabs and feeds on them. Her gland contains a lethal dose of poison. This fish is eaten, but the liver and caviar cannot be eaten. Despite the highly qualified chefs, up to 100 deaths occur per year from poisoning with this delicacy. Why a delicacy? Because one serving of this fish in a restaurant costs about $1,000.

Wart. Stone fish

This is the most dangerous of all known poisonous fish. Its length is about 40 centimeters. It lives near the coast and is very similar to an ordinary stone. Produces poison and injects it into the victim. Upon contact with it, a person immediately loses consciousness, as his nerve endings are affected. If the poison enters the blood vessels, a person’s death occurs within three minutes.

Blue-ringed octopus

This octopus is small in size and lives in the Pacific Ocean. It has very modest dimensions, its weight is only 100 grams. When he senses danger, he becomes covered with spots that have a bluish tint.

It has a deadly poison in its gland - a neurotoxin. It affects the nervous and muscular systems, and causes inevitable paralysis. At the moment, the only way to save a person from a bite is to immediately perform artificial respiration.

There are about 900 species of sea urchins in the world, which have a variety of spines in their bodies that aid in movement and aid in defense. They live in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Their needles are poisonous. When such a needle enters the human body, severe inflammation occurs. No deaths were recorded.

Many people are afraid of sharks that kill people. However, these are not the only bloodthirsty inhabitants of rivers and seas. Killer fish live in some bodies of water, where everyone swims and fish carefreely, unaware of the possible threat.

Goliath tiger fish

This creature is so dangerous that the famous piranha looks like a harmless fish against its background. The length of the individual is up to 2 m, and the weight is over 30 kg. These fish gather in schools and move in the waters of the central part of the African continent. They are capable of tearing a huge victim to shreds in seconds. The killer's mouth with yellow eyes has large fangs that resemble knives. Their length is over 5 cm.

Once upon a time on the river Several people died in the Congo; the aborigines could not determine the cause of death. Everything was attributed to an evil spirit and dark forces. An extreme fishing enthusiast was able to clarify the situation. He pulled a terrible monster out of the water. From this moment on, the Goliath fish instills even greater fear in the natives and tourists.

Piraiba catfish

Novice fishermen in the waters of the Amazon may well encounter him. When such killer catfish grab the bait, it seems like something big is biting. The fisherman is trying to pull him out, not yet knowing who exactly is hanging on the hook. The most terrible moment comes when you realize that you have caught a catfish 3 m long.

A person's legs may well be sticking out of his mouth. The catfish begins to make growling sounds that instill fear. This fish is a potential cannibal. The teeth of the Paraibu catfish are very sharp and are curved towards the pharynx in order to prevent the prey from freeing itself from its powerful jaws.

Catfish bagari

The river flows between India and China. Kali, which has gained notoriety because people strangely disappear and drown in its waters. For a long time it was not possible to establish the true cause of the tragedies. Horrors about killer fish were confirmed after a terrible brown creature fell into people's hands. Its length was over 2 m, and its weight was about 140 kg. The bagaria catfish has very sharp teeth and a strong desire to feed on human flesh.

A terrible predator, grabbing its prey, pulls it down. Often the victim dies from lack of air before it is eaten. There is a version that the fish became a cannibal due to the fault of man himself. Local tribes have a custom of burning the dead and throwing the bodies into a pond.

Great barracuda

This creature resembles an organic torpedo, which has very (up to 10 cm long). Killer fish may be attracted to metallic or shiny things. The length of the representative of the ichthyofauna is about 2 m, and the weight is over 45 kg. The fish attacks unprotected animals or objects that irritate it.

Dangerous fish can also attack humans. To prevent encounters with the jaws of a predator, you should stay away from muddy bodies of water, mangrove forests and river mouths. Underwater hunters are at risk. During an attack, the barracuda bites through the tendons, tears off large pieces of flesh, and kills in a matter of moments. Many tragic encounters with this fish have been recorded on the east coast of the United States of America.

Common catfish

The waters of Europe seem safe at first glance. But in the rivers and lakes live slippery giants that look like demons. Bathing enthusiasts should be careful, because it weighs about 180 kg and has a length of up to 4 m. It is very aggressive, capturing prey with multi-row sharp teeth.

There is no official information about what size they can reach. According to archival data, it was established that individuals up to 6 m long and 3 tons in weight were caught. Cases have been recorded in which they have bitten divers. One of the catfish caught in Russia had a human body in its stomach.

Giant freshwater stingray

The reservoirs of the southeastern part of the Asian region hide a poisonous creature in the water column. A world-famous crocodile hunter died from a sting from a small stingray. But there are scary ones in fresh waters too. The giant stingray claims to be the largest fish living in such conditions: its length is over 5 m, and its weight is more than 0.9 tons.

These creatures are dangerous fish because they have a 20-centimeter sting with which they strike, like scorpions. But even without it, a stingray is able to hold a person under water only due to its mass. To avoid meeting with him, be vigilant when swimming in Asian waters.

musky pike

To this day, no deaths have been recorded after encountering this creature. However, the description of this fish suggests that it has the opportunity to win a fight with a person. Many are afraid to meet it in its native element, because its length exceeds 2 m. The fish lives in lakes located in the Northern Hemisphere. Its mouth is strewn with sharp teeth, capable of tearing birds, mammals and other inhabitants of bodies of water into pieces.

Dangerous fish are capable of causing serious wounds, and an individual weighing 36 kg can drown a person. A pike attacked a thirteen-year-old girl, bit her and dragged her to the bottom. Miraculously, the victim managed to escape and escape from this monster. A fisherman from a capsized boat received multiple bites from a pike while trying to get ashore. The main habitat of the predator is coastal vegetation. The pike grabs the victim, making a powerful lunge forward from an ambush.

Electric eel

This fish is the main predator of the Amazon basin. When defending and attacking, the eel creates a very strong discharge of electricity. It is enough to render a horse unconscious. A discharge of 600 V kills a person instantly. If the current is less powerful, it will lead to loss of consciousness. In this state, a person can easily choke in water.

Dangerous fish grow up to 250 cm in length and weigh 25 kg. Without danger of getting them, they are handled only with rubber gloves. If you enter a river where eels live, you can receive a fatal blow, since water is an excellent conductor of electricity. Many cases of death from these dangerous predators have been recorded.

Mississippi girt

This ancient monster lives in rivers in the southeastern United States. Its length can be 3 m, and its weight can be 180 kg. These rare fish resemble a crocodile in appearance: a large body and a huge mouth with many fangs.

There is a known case when a shellfish grabbed a man who was sitting on the pier and dangling his legs in the water. The creature tried to pull the man to the bottom, but he managed to escape. Encounters with the shellfish that ended in death for humans are unknown. But it cannot be ruled out that people drowned because of them.

Bull shark

Other killer fish are no longer so scary once the details about this creature are known. The bull shark is different from the typical shark, posing an even greater threat to others. Its length is 2-4 m, and its weight is up to 270 kg. The fish lives in the sea, but can swim thousands of kilometers into freshwater rivers, ending up in lakes. A large number of people in the United States have suffered from the actions of these predators.

This shark is the most aggressive among its relatives, since its blood contains a record amount of testosterone. The death grip of its jaws is the strongest among all fish living in our time. Predator attacks should be avoided in fresh, muddy bodies of water.

Paku

Rare fish sometimes pose a greater threat than those that are well known. Pacu is a predator with a body length of about 90 cm and a weight of about 25 kg. The fish is distinguished by an eerie set of teeth that strongly resemble human ones. The creature uses them perfectly during attacks. The homeland of pacu is the waters of the Amazon. After it became an object of sport fishing, its range expanded significantly.

In 1994, two people from New Guinea died from the bite of this fish. They were fishing in the lake when a mysterious creature bit off their genitals. Death occurred from severe blood loss. These killer fish are one of the most terrible creatures among the ichthyofauna.

Sawtooth ray

Sawfish can destroy an unwary person by turning him into minced meat. The appearance of the fish is noteworthy, the description of which is as follows: length up to 7 m and the presence of a saw on the snout measuring up to 2.5 m. This device is equipped with many cutting elements. Available data indicate that the predator does not specifically hunt humans, but cases of attack are not excluded.

The saw-tailed ray has very poor eyesight and a strong instinct to protect its territory. His attitude towards random guests and prey is the same - the desire to tear it into pieces with the help of his saw. The situation is complicated by the fact that the fish does not reveal itself until the very last moment, after which it is too late to escape. Anthropogenic impact has led to the fact that fish are on the verge of extinction.

Mackerel hydrolic

These fish have such a terrible appearance that it seems that they came from another planet or from the other world. The length of the animals is up to 1.2 m, and their weight is about 14 kg. It has fangs with a record length - up to 16 cm. With their help, fatal wounds are inflicted on the victim. The fish has incredible sense, biting in such a way as to damage vital arteries.

A person swimming in the Amazon could theoretically suffer a heart or lung injury that could be fatal. The mackerel-shaped fish is an object of sport fishing.

Piranha

There is another dangerous inhabitant of water bodies - piranha. Killer fish have a flat body, weight up to 1 kg and length up to 50 cm. The lower jaw of the creature is slightly pushed forward. The teeth have the shape of a triangle, their arrangement is such that when the jaws close, the upper ones enter the spaces of the lower ones. This allows you to tear off a piece of flesh from the victim with one jerk and immediately rush after the next one.

Capable of absorbing a 50-kilogram animal in a matter of minutes. The inhabitants of muddy rivers have highly developed hearing and sense of smell. They are able to sense blood diluted 1.5 million times. At a distance of hundreds of meters they can hear the sounds made by wounded animals.

Surgeon fish

Over 100 species of these fish are known to live in coral reefs around the globe. Among them there are very beautiful representatives. But divers are better off not approaching these beauties, which are about 60 cm long. Their tails hide a natural scalpel. It comes out instantly, as if under the action of a spring.

They use a knife to defend themselves from intruders on their territory. A person who approaches them risks being seriously injured with dire consequences. You can die both from severe blood loss and from reef sharks, which will not keep you waiting long.

Brown snakehead

Representatives of this species came under close public attention when rumors spread about their appearance in temperate waters. Large representatives have a weight of 22 kg and a height of 120 cm. One of the most ardent predators is capable of defeating almost any medium-sized animal that it encounters. His teeth are sharp like daggers and his body is muscular. These creatures inflicted severe injuries on rice field workers who found themselves in the territory controlled by the predator.

The aggressiveness of fish increases many times during the period when they protect the young. During wild attacks, people suffered from bites and head blows. In some cases this led to drowning. Fishermen who catch a representative of the species are at great risk. In defense, they bit people and pierced them with fishing rods during attacks. Several children died from the actions of these predators.

Greenland shark

Swimming in the waters of the Arctic zone is by no means safer than in the tropics. can grow up to 6 m. Large mammals were found in its stomach. There are legends that human remains were found inside the shark. This polar predator strikes fear into the Eskimos, who have long been familiar with the predator.

Candidate of Naval Sciences, Professor V. DYGALO.

Rear Admiral Viktor Ananyevich Dygalo is a man who was born by the sea, and then gave it most of his life. In 1944, as an eighteen-year-old boy, he took part in hostilities on ships of the Black Sea Fleet, and in 1945 - in the Victory Parade. Then there was twenty years of service on submarines, command of a division, which included the K-129 missile submarine that tragically died in March 1968 off the Hawaiian Islands. The experienced sailor traveled all the seas and oceans, called at the ports of Indonesia, Malaysia, Africa and Europe, and crossed the equator twice. He observed marine animals not only in the open ocean, but also in giant aquariums in Singapore and Suez. Knowledge of the underwater world and impressions of what was seen are reflected in the article about those inhabitants of the ocean that should be feared.

Science and life // Illustrations

When people talk about the dangers that the ocean poses, the first thing that comes to mind is sharks. The mere mention of them evokes fear; the image of a giant man-eating shark from the famous American film “Jaws”, filmed in the early 1970s based on the novel of the same name by Peter Benchley, immediately appears before your eyes.

In fact, sharks, with the exception of a few species, and there are more than 250 of them in total, do not themselves attack humans. Other toothy sea giant predators behave the same way. But this is not about them.

Most dangerous marine animals are found among small, often inconspicuous or, conversely, very bright and colorful marine inhabitants. These seemingly harmless creatures produce powerful, sometimes deadly, poisons. Scientists count about 500 species of poisonous fish, 93 species of poisonous coelenterates, 91 species of mollusks, 26 species of echinoderms. But don't give in to fear. Poisonous marine animals usually infect a person in self-defense when he disturbs them or causes them pain with a careless movement.

One of the most poisonous and also the ugliest sea animals is the stone fish. It is also called tubercle or wart. This creature is only 15-20 centimeters long, with an ugly large head, small eyes and a large mouth with a protruding lower jaw. Naked, without scales, brownish-brown, sometimes with light spots and stripes, the body of the stone fish is covered with tubercles and warts, and hard, poisonous spines protrude from the dorsal fin. Typically, warts hide among corals, under rocks, burrow into mud or sand, and can remain on the shore in puddles after low tide. It looks like a piece of stone and is inconspicuously colored, so it is almost impossible to notice it. If a person steps on a stone fish or accidentally touches it, it will immediately plunge into him the spines of its fins, at the base of which there are poisonous glands. Wart poison is extremely dangerous. There are cases where a person died several hours and even minutes after being pricked by its poisonous thorns.

The stonefish is found in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Pacific Islands and northern Australia, where residents call it the warty vampire. People who are lucky enough to survive a wart injection often remain disabled, because its poison destroys red blood cells and affects the central nervous system. Unlike the stone fish, the master of “camouflage,” the zebra fish, or lionfish, has a very noticeable appearance. Her body, 30-40 centimeters long, is painted with bright pink stripes. The main decoration of the lionfish is the long ribbons of the dorsal and pectoral fins. They resemble fans made of ostrich feathers or a lion's mane. Hence another name for lionfish - lionfish. But perhaps its most apt nickname is turkey fish. When she swims slowly, spreading her pectoral and lacy caudal fins like a fan, she truly resembles a turkey striding importantly through a poultry yard. It is in these luxurious fins that sharp poisonous needles lurk. The injection of lionfish, like warts, causes severe pain, from which people lose consciousness or go into a state of shock.

It is believed that the zebra fish is capable of killing a person, but such cases have not been documented in any of the places where it lives (in the coastal waters of the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, as well as in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of China, Japan and Australia). Approaching a lionfish is dangerous, especially from the side. Reacting to a change in the situation, she turns her dorsal fin towards the troublemaker in order to inflict a poisonous injection on him with lightning speed. Poisoning with lionfish venom is very serious: it is accompanied by convulsions, disruption of the heart, and it happens that gangrene develops at the puncture site. Fishermen have been wary of the poisonous sea dragon since ancient times. The prick of its spines, located on the dorsal fin and along the gill slits, is considered no less painful and dangerous than the prick of a zebra fish. It can cause breathing problems, seizures and even cardiac arrest. The dragon's dorsal spines range from five to seven, each of them is covered with a thin layer of skin, the tip of the spine sticks out from it like a needle. The dragonet is found off the coast of Norway and the British Isles and further south to the Mediterranean Sea and the coast of North Africa. Stingrays, known as the sea cat, also sting their prey with poisonous spines. According to statistics, about 1,500 people suffer from their injections every year in the United States alone. This does not happen because stingrays are particularly aggressive, they simply choose to live in coastal waters over a vast area of water - from the countries of Northern Europe and North America to the mid-latitudes of the southern hemisphere, and there are almost always a lot of swimmers and fishermen there.

The weapon of a sea cat is one or several sharp spines located at the end of a whip-like tail. Even the small half-meter stingray, which lives in the coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean, has a tail spike that reaches 20 centimeters in length, and 3-4-meter stingrays have a 30-centimeter spike on their tail as thick as a person’s leg. The stingray is capable of striking with such force that it can pierce the bottom of the boat with its tail spike.

Sea cat venom is very toxic. It enters the wound with tissue filling the grooves of the spines and immediately affects the cardiovascular system (causing a drop in blood pressure, increased heart rate), poisoning is accompanied by vomiting and intense sweating. Residents of the Pacific Islands, Malays, Australian aborigines and Indians of South and Central America have long made arrowheads from stingray needles. According to ancient Greek mythology, Odysseus was killed with just such an arrow. In West Africa and Ceylon, whips were made from the spiny tails of small stingrays, which were used to punish criminals, and in the Seychelles, such whips were kept to intimidate wives. Among sea urchins, which belong to the order Echinodermata, which includes about 600 species of marine animals, some are completely harmless, while others are best avoided. Poisonous urchins are distributed mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. They most often affect people off the islands of the western Pacific Ocean.

The spherical body of the sea urchin is almost completely covered with spines. Their injection causes the same pain as a hot nail pierced into the body, and if the needle penetrates deeply, the burning does not stop for several hours.

The inhabitants of coral reefs - tropical urchins of the diadema family - pose a great danger to humans. Their body, 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 react instantly to irritation. If a shadow suddenly falls on a hedgehog, it immediately points its needles towards danger and puts them together, several at a time, into a sharp, hard peak. Even gloves and wetsuits do not guarantee complete protection from the formidable peaks of the sea urchin. Injury by them causes acute pain, severe shortness of breath, and even paralysis is possible. Another poisonous sea urchin, Toxopneustes, is found off the coast of Japan. Local fishermen call this hedgehog a killer because its injections can be fatal. Toxopneustes is somewhat larger than Diadem. Its body is devoid of needles, but is covered with many so-called pedicillaria - flexible stalks that end in something like tweezers made of two or three calcareous valves. When the hedgehog is calm, its “tweezers” with open flaps slowly sway in the water. But as soon as an unwary animal touches them, the poisonous traps are triggered: the flaps close, and the poison is injected into the body of the captured victim. Toxopneustes holds her down until she is completely paralyzed. If the prisoner still manages to get rid of the hedgehog, he carries away the tweezers that are tightly clinging to the body, which continue to shrink and release poison into the wound for several more hours. A swimmer affected by this poison risks drowning.

In the story “The Lion's Mane,” Arthur Conan Doyle described the mysterious murder of a young teacher: “His back was striped with dark purple welts, as if he had been lashed with a whip of thin wire. MacPherson was apparently tortured and killed with some unusually flexible instrument, because "long, sharp scars curved from the back and captured the shoulders and ribs. Blood flowed down the chin from the lower lip bitten from unbearable pain." Sherlock Holmes solved the crime. The killer turned out to be a jellyfish! These inhabitants of the sea seem no more dangerous than foam on the crest of a wave, but among them there are poisonous ones, the tentacles of which leave a severe burn on the body.

Poisonous ones include, for example, the Cyanea jellyfish, or the Lion's mane (the killer from the Conan Doyle story). The diameter of the bell-shaped body of this giant reaches 2.5 meters or more, and the poisonous tentacles collected in eight bundles (each bundle has one and a half hundred threads) are 30 meters! The elongated tentacles of Cyanea resemble an unusually beautiful crimson train, but when they pull up and wriggle, they become like balls of tangled hair or, as Conan Doyle writes, a lion's mane. These jellyfish are widespread in the northern Pacific, Atlantic and Baltic Seas. They are unlikely to kill a person, but the touch of their tentacles can cause deep skin lesions.

Compared to the huge Cyanea, the Gonionema jellyfish is very small - no more than a snout. Its dome is like a bell with four red-brown folds in the form of a cross on the concave side. For this reason, Gonyonema is called the cross. It is found in the waters of the Pacific Ocean: in the Sea of Japan - near Vladivostok, in Olga Bay, in the Tatar Strait, near the southern tip of Sakhalin, off the coast of Japan and the South Kuril Islands. Large accumulations of Gonionema are sometimes observed in Peter the Great Bay. The crossfish lives in shallow water in thickets of sea grass. It attaches to plants with suckers and lies in wait for prey. A Gonionema burn feels similar to a nettle burn, but unlike it, it entails a serious illness with sharp pain in the lower back and joints, shortness of breath, a dry uncontrollable cough, nausea, severe thirst, numbness in the arms and legs. The poison of the cross often even affects the psyche, then the patient falls either into a state of extreme nervous excitement or into depression. Usually, poor health lasts 4-6 days, but pain and discomfort may recur for about a month.

Sometimes invasions of crosses take on the dimensions of a natural disaster. They appeared several times at the height of the swimming season in the waters of Primorye. Local residents and vacationers on the shores of the Amur Bay remember well July 17, 1966, when a countless flock of little crosses approached the beaches. More than a thousand people suffered from them then. In the summer of 1970, in just one day there, 1,360 people received burns from the touch of a cross, of which 116 had to be hospitalized.

Box jellyfish, named for their slightly rounded cubic bell shape, are also poisonous. In the lower corners of the cube, this jellyfish has four outgrowths - the so-called arms. Each "hand" is divided into several "fingers" ending in long, thin tentacles. The most poisonous of the box jellyfish and probably the deadliest of all known sea creatures is the sea wasp. The danger of contact with these small (no more than 20 centimeters in diameter) translucent jellyfish is great, since they are difficult to notice in the water and they swim quite quickly. (The speed of movement of the sea wasp is 4 kilometers per hour.) Box jellyfish live in tropical waters. They are especially common off the coast of northern Australia and the Philippines. They prefer shallow, wind-protected coves with a sandy bottom, and in calm weather they approach the beaches. On hot days, box jellyfish descend to the depths, and in the mornings and evenings they rise to the surface. From the touch of their tiny tentacles dotted with a thousand deadly stings, a person can die in a matter of seconds. Over 25 years, about 60 people died from sea wasp burns near the state of Queensland (Australia), while only thirteen became victims of sharks.

Floating physalia pose a great danger to people. Many attribute them to jellyfish, but in fact they are a huge floating colony of mutant jellyfish and polyps, in which each performs its own, strictly defined function: some “obtain” food, others “digest” it, others “hold the line,” the fourth are “responsible” for the offspring. Connected by common life activity, they form a single organism.

Physalia stay afloat with the help of a pneumatophore - a swim bladder filled with gas. This gas, consisting mainly of nitrogen (about 90%) with a small admixture of oxygen and argon, is produced by glands inside the bladder. Some physalia, changing the volume of the swim bladder, can descend to different depths. A trunk extends down from the pneumatophore, to which several hundred polyps are attached, performing different functions. The tentacles of the polyps go 20-30 meters deep. Along their entire length they are dotted with stinging (venom-bearing) cells. Contracting, the tentacles slowly drag the prey to the center of the colony, where it is digested by feeding polyps.

One of the most common types of physalia is the Portuguese man-of-war. It is found in the tropical Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. Similar species of physalia live off the Hawaiian Islands and off the coast of southern Japan. The Portuguese man-of-war got its name from its bright, multi-colored swim bladder, reminiscent of the sail of a medieval Portuguese ship. The lower part of the bubble is blue, on top there is a bright red ridge, and the whole thing shimmers with blue, violet, purple flowers, and gently silvers. Physalia's swim bladder is only 30 centimeters in size and looks like a beautiful rubber cap. Anyone who tries to fish it out of the water may get burned. Yuri Senkevich experienced it himself during his first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean on the papyrus boat "Ra". Seduced by the beauty of the physalia, he tried to take it in his hands. “Without thinking twice, I grabbed it,” Sienkevich later recalled, “and roared in pain, frantically began to wash my fingers with sea water, but the sticky mucus did not lag behind. An attempt to wash off the mucus with soap was also unsuccessful. My hands burned and ached, my fingers bent with difficulty. Spraying with an anesthetic medicine from a special spray bottle relieved the pain for a few minutes, but it immediately returned with renewed vigor. The fingers could no longer bend, the pain began to spread to the shoulders and further to the heart area, the general health was disgusting. I took two tablets of analgin, validol, pyramidon and, as they say, fell into bed. I was shaking with chills. It subsided gradually. First my right hand felt better, then my left. The pain subsided only after five hours. But the malaise lasted for a long time..." Sometimes Portuguese ships end up in the Gulf Stream and are carried by this current into the English Channel. When they accumulate off the coasts of England and France or, for example, near the beaches of Florida, television, radio and print warn the population of the danger.

The giant bivalve mollusk tridacna is also called the killer clam. The weight of this sea monster reaches 250 kilograms (there are even 430-kilogram specimens), and the length of the shell is about one and a half meters. And although not a single reliable case of death has been recorded, experienced divers assure that a tridacna can clamp a person in the shell flaps, as if in a vice. So pearl divers and scuba divers stay away from it. Of the mollusks, the most dangerous are the so-called cones. They got their name from their almost regular conical shape. These poisonous fish-eating mollusks can actually kill a person. They inject with a sharp spike, which they push into a slot at the narrow end of the shell. The spike ends in a curved barb, like a harpoon. Inside the thorn there is a channel from the poisonous gland, through which very strong poison is injected into the wound. A sting from a cone mollusk causes acute pain, numbness of the affected area and other parts of the body, and then paralysis of the respiratory and cardiovascular system may occur. According to statistics, one out of three, or even two cases of being pricked by a cone thorn ends in death. True, all these cases occurred due to the fault of man: attracted by the beauty of the shell, he tried to pick it up and forced the cone to defend itself. In the Pacific Ocean, 2-3 people die every year from cone clam bites, and sharks account for only one human victim. The shells of cone mollusks are no more than 15-20 centimeters long, painted in bright colors and covered with a variety of patterns. The Gloriamaris cone, for example, called the Glory of the Seas, is considered the most beautiful shell in the world. It costs up to two thousand dollars and is highly valued by collectors. Not only on earth, but also in the ocean there are fabulous corners - these, according to many, are coral reefs. Cirrus, branched, spherical corals are a feast of colors. Among them there are bright green “shrubs” and thickets of orange-yellow “trees,” pink, gray, lilac “grass,” yellowish-ocher “mushrooms” with inverted caps and brown “cauliflower” with a blue tinge.

For a long time, corals were considered plants. Only in the 19th century were they finally classified as part of the animal world. By the way, the corals that are exhibited in museums, used in jewelry and for interior decoration, do not look like animals at all - it is just their calcareous skeleton. The basis of coral is made up of polyps - marine invertebrate animals measuring 1-1.5 millimeters or a little more (depending on the species).

As soon as it is born, the baby polyp begins to build a cell house in which it spends its entire life. Micro-houses of polyps are grouped into colonies, the same “trees”, “shrubs”, “mushrooms”... When hungry, the polyp sticks out tentacles with many stinging cells from the “house”. The smallest animals that make up the plankton encounter the tentacles of the polyp, which paralyzes the victim and sends it into the mouth. Despite their microscopic size, the stinging cells of polyps have a very complex structure. Inside the cell there is a capsule filled with poison. The outer end of the capsule is concave and looks like a thin spirally twisted tube called a stinging filament. This tube, covered with tiny spines directed backwards, resembles a miniature harpoon. When touched, the stinging thread straightens, the “harpoon” pierces the victim’s body, and the poison passing through it paralyzes the prey.

Poisoned coral harpoons can also injure humans. Dangerous ones include, 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 from the genus Millepora are so beautiful that scuba divers cannot resist the temptation to break off a piece as a souvenir. This can be done without burns and cuts only with canvas or leather gloves and shoes with rubber soles or fins that completely cover the foot. Such precautions will protect not only from burns, but also from cuts. And although wounds received in contact with corals are usually shallow, they take a long time to heal and can even turn into trophic ulcers.

Since ancient times, one of the occupational diseases of divers has been considered “sponge catcher’s disease,” when a burning purple rash and ulcers appear on the body of an underwater swimmer. For a long time it was believed that the culprit of this disease was a sea sponge. But at the beginning of this century, scientists discovered that touching not the sponges themselves, but the burning tentacles of the anemones sitting on them, another representative of coral polyps, is dangerous. Sea anemones are large animals up to one meter high with soft tubular bodies lacking a calcareous skeleton. They do not live in colonies, but alone, and are able to travel a short distance in search of shelter. Having chosen a place, sea anemones attach to shells, stones, and dead corals using a “sole” located at the lower end of the tubular body. In the upper part of the body, the sea anemone has a mouth surrounded by numerous tentacles collected in a corolla. These tentacles are surprisingly similar to chrysanthemums, dahlias or asters and are distinguished by the same diversity - there are purple, brown, snow-white, green, and pale blue anemones. The pink anemone, which likes to perch on its sponges, despite its beauty, is the most dangerous. It is found off the coast of Iceland, Europe, Africa and the Mediterranean Sea. Its no less poisonous relatives adamsia and anemone are even more widespread: adamsia - from Norway to Spain, and anemone - in the eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean, from Norway and Scotland to the Canary Islands.

Human contacts with the inhabitants of the sea are becoming closer. The underwater world attracts with its amazing beauty and diversity. But in order for a meeting with him to be safe, you need to know sea animals, especially those that are classified as poisonous.

LITERATURE

Dozier Thomas. Dangerous sea creatures. - M.: Mir, 1985.

Zhogolev D., Keller A. Dangerous animals of the sea and some land areas. M.: Voenizdat, 1984.

Ocean. Collection of the joint venture "Interprint". - M.: 1990.

Richiuti Edward R. Dangerous inhabitants of the sea (translated from English). - L.: Gidrometeoizdat, 1979.

Halstead B. Dangerous marine animals. - L.: Gidrometeoizdat, 1979.

The Black Sea is not a tropical sea, infested with poisonous fish and dangerous animals. There are no electric stingrays, no man-eating sharks, no Portuguese man-of-war, no toothy moray eels, but in its waters there are marine inhabitants that pose a danger to human health.

The 2017 swimming season will begin very soon and vacationers, yearning for sun and water during the long winter, will flock en masse to the banks of rivers, lakes, and, of course, go on vacation to the Black Sea coast. The Black Sea is very friendly towards people, there are practically no animals dangerous to humans here, however, even here you need to be alert so as not to completely spoil your holiday. These are the few inhabitants of the Black Sea that can cause us trouble.

Corner jellyfish (Rhizostoma pulmo). It is easily distinguished by its fleshy, bell-shaped dome and the heavy beard of oral lobes underneath. These lacy blades contain poisonous stinging cells. Try to swim around them; but in general, ordinary nettle burns more than cornet. Jellyfish pose a certain danger to human mucous membranes, so you should beware of diving with your eyes open and putting jellyfish in your swimming trunks.

Another large Black Sea jellyfish is Aurelia aurita. Its stinging cells are weaker, they do not pierce the skin on the body, but it can be painful to burn the mucous membrane of the eyes or the edges of the lips; Therefore, it is better not to throw jellyfish at each other. Aurelia stinging cells are on the fringe of small tentacles bordering the edge of the jellyfish's dome. If you touch a jellyfish, even a dead one, rinse your hands - stinging cells may remain on them, and if you then rub your eyes with them, you will get burned.

Spiny shark, or katran.
Lives in the Black, Barents, Okhotsk and Japanese seas. Length up to 2 meters. It is called spiny for its two strong, sharp spines, at the base of which there are poisonous glands located in front of the dorsal fins. With them, the katran is capable of inflicting deep wounds on an unlucky fisherman or a careless scuba diver. An inflammatory reaction develops at the site of the lesion: pain, hyperemia, swelling. Sometimes there is a rapid heartbeat and slow breathing. We should not forget that the katran also has shark teeth, despite its modest size. Its poison, unlike the others, contains mainly myotropic (acting on muscles) substances and has a rather weak effect, so in the vast majority of poisoning people ends in complete recovery.

Sea ruffe, or Black Sea scorpionfish - Scorpaena porcus. This is a real monster - a large head covered with outgrowths, horns, bulging crimson eyes, a huge mouth with thick lips. The rays of the dorsal fin are turned into sharp spines, which the scorpionfish, if disturbed, spreads out; at the base of each ray is a poisonous gland. This is the ruff's protection from predators, its weapon of defense. And the attack weapon - jaws with many sharp crooked teeth - are intended for careless fish that approach the scorpionfish within the distance of its swift, furious throw. The whole appearance of the scorpionfish speaks of its danger; and at the same time it is beautiful - and there are scorpionfish of very different colors - black, gray, brown, raspberry-yellow, pink...
These prickly predators lurk between stones, under algae, and, like all bottom-dwelling fish, change color to match the color of their surroundings and can quickly lighten or darken depending on the light. The scorpionfish is also hidden by numerous outgrowths, spines and leathery tentacles, turning it into one of the stones overgrown with marine vegetation. Therefore, it is difficult to notice her, and she herself relies so much on her inconspicuousness that she floats away (or rather, flies away like a bullet from a gun!) only if you approach her closely. Sometimes you can even touch it - but that’s exactly what you shouldn’t do - you’ll get pricked! It’s more interesting to watch a scorpionfish hunt while lying on the surface of the water and breathing through a snorkel...
There are two species of scorpionfish in the Black Sea - 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 its long, rag-like flaps, supraorbital tentacles. In the noticeable scorpion fish these outgrowths are short. The poisons they secrete are especially dangerous in early spring. Fin pricks are very painful.
Wounds from scorpionfish thorns 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. Wounds should be treated like regular scratches. The main symptoms of poisoning by sea ruffe are local inflammation (where they were injected) and a general allergic reaction. Therefore, the only tablets that can help are antiallergic (antihistamine) drugs - remember that you must strictly follow the instructions for use of the tablets that come with all medications. There are no known deaths from scorpionfish injections. No one steps on it by accident either - curious divers and fishermen suffer from its thorns when they remove a ruff from a hook or take it out of a net. By the way, the sea ruffe is a very tasty fish, you just need to clean it carefully - the poison is retained even by scorpionfish that have been in the refrigerator.
In small doses, the toxin causes local inflammation of tissues, in large doses it causes paralysis of the respiratory muscles. The venom of the sea ruffe contains mainly substances that act on the blood, so the symptoms of poisoning in victims persist for several days and then go away without complications.

Stingray stingray, also known as a sea cat.
Grows up to 1 m in length. He has a barb on his tail, or rather a real sword - up to 20 centimeters in length. Some fish have two or even three spines. Its edges are very sharp, and also jagged, along the blade, on the lower side there is a groove in which dark poison from the poisonous gland on the tail is visible. If you touch a stingray lying at the bottom, it will strike with its tail like a whip; at the same time, it protrudes its spine and can cause a deep chopped or puncture wound. A wound from a stingray blow is treated like any other.
Stingrays lead a bottom lifestyle. Despite the fact that sea cats are quite shy, afraid of noise, and try to swim away from swimmers, if you accidentally step on a stingray buried in the ground in shallow water with a sandy bottom, it begins to defend itself and inflicts a deep wound on a person with its “weapon.” " His injection resembles a blow with a dull knife. The pain quickly intensifies and after 5-10 minutes becomes unbearable. Local phenomena (edema, hyperemia) are accompanied by fainting, dizziness, and cardiac dysfunction. In severe cases, death from cardiac paralysis may occur. Usually on the 5-7th day the victim recovers, but the wound heals much later.
The venom of a sea cat, once in a wound, causes painful phenomena similar to the bites of a poisonous snake. It acts equally on both the nervous and circulatory systems. Unlike the katran and scorpionfish, after a close acquaintance with the sea cat, it is unlikely that you will be able to do without the help of a doctor.

Stargazer, or Sea Cow.
Their usual sizes are 30-40 centimeters. They live in the Black Sea and the Far East. The stargazer, or sea cow, living in the Black Sea, has a grayish-brown spindle-shaped body with white, irregularly shaped spots running along the lateral line. The fish's eyes are directed upward, towards the sky. Hence its name. The stargazer spends most of its time at the bottom, buried in the ground, with its eyes and mouth protruding outward with a protruding worm-like tongue that serves as bait for fish. There are sharp spines on the gill covers and above the pectoral fins of the sea cow. During the breeding season, from late May to September, a cluster of toxin-producing cells develops at their base. Through the grooves on the thorns, the poison enters the wound.
Soon after injury, a person experiences acute pain at the injection site, the affected tissue swells, and breathing becomes difficult. Only after a few days does the person recover. The poison secreted by stargazers is similar in its effect to the toxin of dragon fish, but has not been studied enough. There are known cases of fatalities due to lesions of these species of fish living in the Mediterranean Sea.

Our list ends with the Sea Dragon, or sea scorpion.
The most poisonous fish in many European seas lives in the Black Sea and the Kerch Strait. Length - up to 36 centimeters. A smaller species lives in the western part of the Baltic - the small sea dragon, or viper (12-14 centimeters). The structure of the poisonous apparatus of these fish is similar, therefore the development of signs of poisoning is similar. The sea dragon's body is laterally compressed, its eyes are set high, close together and looking up. The fish lives near the bottom and often burrows into the ground so that only its head is visible. If you step on it with your bare foot or grab it with your hand, its sharp spines pierce the body of the “offender.” The scorpion's 6-7 rays of the anterior dorsal fin and the spines of the gill covers are equipped with poisonous glands. Depending on the depth of the injection, the size of the fish, and the condition of the victim, the consequences of being hit by a dragon can be different. First, a sharp, burning pain is felt at the site of injury. The skin in the wound area turns red, swelling appears, and tissue necrosis develops. Headache, fever, profuse sweating, pain in the heart occur, and breathing becomes weakened. Paralysis of the limbs may occur, and in the most severe cases, death. However, usually the poisoning goes away after 2-3 days, but a secondary infection, necrosis and a sluggish (up to 3 months) ulcer necessarily develop in the wound. It has been established that the dragon's venom contains mainly substances that act on the circulatory system; the percentage of neurotropic toxins is small. Therefore, the vast majority of poisoning cases end in the person’s recovery.

To prevent poisoning from poisonous fish, scuba diving enthusiasts, divers, scuba divers, tourists and those simply relaxing by the sea must observe the following precautions.
Never try to grab fish with your unprotected hand, especially fish that are unknown to you, those that are in crevices or lying on the bottom.
It is not always safe, as experienced scuba divers testify, to touch unfamiliar objects located on sandy soil. These could be stingrays, sea dragons or stargazers camouflaging there. It is also dangerous to search underwater caves with your hands - you can stumble upon a hidden scorpionfish in them.
Those who like to walk barefoot on the seashore at low tide should carefully watch their step. Remember: sea dragons often remain in wet sand after the water recedes and are easy to step on. Children and those who come to the sea coast for the first time should be especially warned about this.

Emergency measures when poisonous fish are injured by spiny spines should be aimed at relieving pain from the injury and poison, overcoming the effect of the toxin and preventing secondary infection. If you are wounded, you must immediately vigorously suck out the poison from the wound with your mouth along with the blood for 15-20 minutes. The sucked liquid must be quickly spit out. There is no need to fear the effects of the toxin: the bactericidal substances contained in saliva reliably protect against poisoning. However, remember that this procedure cannot be performed on anyone who has wounds, damage, or ulcers on their lips and mouth. After this, the affected area should be washed with a strong solution of potassium permanganate or hydrogen peroxide and an aseptic bandage should be applied. Then the victim is given a painkiller and diphenhydramine to prevent the development of allergic reactions, as well as drinking plenty of fluids, preferably strong tea.
When injecting any poisonous fish, there is a proven folk method to reduce the pain from the wound. If you catch an offender, and most often it is careless fishermen who get injured, then you need to cut off a piece of meat from the fish that injured you and apply it to the wound. The pain will subside significantly, however, in the case of the sea dragon, stargazer and stingray, prompt, qualified assistance from a doctor is required in the future.

In conclusion, I would like to remind you once again: be careful and careful when swimming, diving and scuba diving. You can easily avoid unpleasant contact with dangerous inhabitants, since they themselves never attack a person, but use their weapons solely for the purpose of self-defense.

The sea occupies more than 70% of the surface area of the globe. Scientists estimate that there are more than 12,000 species of animals living in the ocean that are potentially dangerous to humans. More than 50 thousand people every year receive injuries of varying degrees of complexity from contact with dangerous marine life. But this does not mean that you need to stay on the shore and not go into the water. Most creatures themselves never come into contact with humans, so the most important safety rule in the ocean when interacting with the underwater world is not to touch anything!

These gastropods are among the most dangerous creatures in the world. Don't be fooled by their cuteness, these little snails are armed with tiny harpoons formed from modified teeth. Inside the harpoon there is a cavity connected to the poison gland. Having approached a sufficient distance, the snail fires a harpoon and a strong toxin that has a paralytic effect is injected into the victim.

The geographic cone (Conus geographus) is especially dangerous for humans. In the Pacific Ocean, 2-3 people die annually from cone bites. According to statistics, one out of three cases of being pricked by a cone thorn ends in death. Most often, attracted by the beauty of the shell, the person would try to pick it up and force the cone to defend itself.

Stone fish or wartfish is a marine fish of the wart family with poisonous spines on its back, which lives on the bottom near coral reefs and mimics a stone. It is considered the most poisonous fish in the world. These creepy-looking fish lie on the bottom, waiting for some poor soul to step on them. Sometimes they can be found in shallow water right next to the shore.

The venom causes severe pain with possible shock, paralysis and tissue death depending on the depth of penetration. At the slightest irritation, the wart raises the spines of the dorsal fin; sharp and durable, they easily pierce the shoes of a person who accidentally steps on a fish, and penetrate deep into the foot. If the injection penetrates deeply, it can be fatal to a person if he does not receive medical attention within a few hours. If poison gets inside, depending on the depth of penetration, apply a strong tightening bandage or a hemostatic tourniquet, which is placed between the wound and the nearest bend. If the thorn gets into a large blood vessel, death can occur within 2-3 hours. Survivors sometimes remain ill for months.

The venom consists of a mixture of proteins, including hemolytic stonustoxin, neurotoxin and cardioactive cardioleptin. Since the venom is protein based, it can be denatured by applying a very hot compress to the wound site. Some relief may be obtained by treating the wound with a local anesthetic. However, this is only a temporary measure to reduce pain and shock. Medical assistance should be provided as soon as possible.

The lionfish or zebra fish is a fish of the scorpionfish family. He has a very noticeable appearance. Her body, 30-40 centimeters long, is painted with bright stripes. The main decoration of the lionfish is the long ribbons of the dorsal and pectoral fins. They resemble fans made of ostrich feathers or a lion's mane. Hence another name for lionfish - lion fish.

Getting close to this beautiful fish is very dangerous. Reacting to a change in the situation, she turns her dorsal fin towards the troublemaker to inflict a poisonous injection on him, which causes a sensation as if a hot nail had been driven into his hand. Swelling develops at the site of the lesion. The patient's well-being deteriorates sharply within the first 10 to 15 minutes after the injury. The burning pain is accompanied by general symptoms of poisoning: a drop in blood pressure, paralysis of the skeletal and respiratory muscles and, as a consequence, respiratory and cardiovascular failure. Gangrene may develop at the puncture site. There is a possibility of fatalities. In case of recovery, a necrotic focus at the site of inoculation of the poison causes concern for a long time.

Lionfish venom is protein-based, so after the injection it is necessary to take alternately hot and cold baths so that the venom coagulates, as well as take an antihistamine and seek medical help as quickly as possible.

Lionfish are more active at night, so in some places, such as Dahab, where there are quite a lot of them, swimming at night without a flashlight can be dangerous.

4) Sea wasp

Box jellyfish, also known as sea wasp or Chironex fleckeri (lat.) is a species of marine cnidarians from the class of box jellyfish (Cubozoa), common off the coast of northern Australia and Indonesia. Representatives of this species are the largest of the box jellyfish; their dome reaches the size of a basketball. They are pale blue in color and almost transparent. The latter circumstance creates an additional danger for swimmers due to the fact that the jellyfish can be extremely difficult to see.

This jellyfish is famous for its ability to cause burns; The tentacles of the animal are completely covered with stinging cells (nematocytes), which contain very strong poison. The burn causes excruciating pain accompanied by an intense burning sensation; Jellyfish venom has multiple effects, simultaneously affecting the nervous system, heart and skin. While a significant amount of venom must be released (released upon contact with approximately 3 meters of tentacles) to have a lethal effect on an adult, the potent neurotoxic venom acts extremely quickly. Fatalities have been reported within just 4 minutes of contact, which is significantly faster than any snake, insect or spider bite; This, not without reason, gave rise to the box jellyfish's notoriety as the deadliest venomous animal in the world. Although an antidote is available, timely treatment of the victim may be difficult or impossible. Swimmers stung by jellyfish often suffer a heart attack and drown before they even reach the shore or boat.

Wetting a burn with vinegar immediately inhibits all unreacted nematocytes, and rubbing the burn site only worsens the problem. It has been shown that it is ineffective to use water, urine or cola to neutralize them, which in fact can only provoke the release of poison. After using vinegar, you may need to restore breathing or perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Tentacles attached to the body should be carefully removed with protected hands or using tweezers.

Removed tentacles remain dangerous until they are destroyed over time, and even when dried they can restore their properties when moistened.

5) Blue-ringed octopus

These small octopuses spend most of their time in cracks and crevices on the seafloor or camouflage themselves in coral. They can live at a depth of up to 75 meters, but most often directly off the coast, right down to the high tide line. They live on rocks, stones, sandy and muddy bottoms, often in seagrass meadows or ascidian colonies. Clam shells, empty bottles and beer cans can be used as shelter.

Despite their small size, they have a fairly aggressive character and are recognized as one of the most poisonous animals in the world. Blue-ringed octopuses are easily recognized by their characteristic blue and black rings and yellow skin. When the octopus is irritated or frightened, brown areas appear on the skin, and the blue rings become brighter and shimmer. They feed on crabs, hermit crabs and shrimp. When disturbed or in defense, they attack the enemy.

The strength of its poison is enough to kill a person. There is currently no antidote for blue-ringed octopus venom. The poison has a nerve-paralytic effect and is produced by symbiotic bacteria that live in the salivary glands of the octopus. The bites are small in size and often painless. Some victims did not know they had been attacked until the first signs of poisoning occurred.

First aid involves applying a pressure bandage to the wound; at the first signs of paralysis, it is also necessary to perform artificial respiration, since the poison paralyzes the respiratory centers of the victim within a few minutes after the bite. Tetrodotoxin causes severe and often complete paralysis of the body. The victim remains conscious but cannot move. This effect, however, is temporary and disappears within a few hours as the tetrodotoxin is neutralized by the body. Thus, it is necessary that artificial ventilation of the lungs is carried out until the arrival of medical personnel.

To provide full assistance, the bite victim needs hospital treatment with mandatory connection to an artificial respiration apparatus until the toxin is removed from the body. Blue-ringed octopus bites are especially dangerous for children due to their small body weight. Because death from venom occurs primarily due to respiratory arrest, bite victims survive if artificial respiration is started and continued before cyanosis and hypotension develop. Victims who survive the first 24 hours most often make a full recovery.

6) Portuguese Man of War

The Portuguese man-of-war or physalia is a colony of polypoid and medusoid individuals, externally similar to a jellyfish, but not a jellyfish. This is a siphonophore - a primitive invertebrate organism. It is a colony of four types of polyps coexisting together. Each of them performs its assigned function. It looks like a large transparent bubble at one end of the colony (pneumatophore) and long tentacles. The size of the bubble reaches 30 cm, is filled with gas and holds the colony on the surface of the water. It is this that gives the Portuguese man-of-war an external resemblance to jellyfish. The hunting tentacles of representatives of this species carry a huge number of stinging cells, the poison of which is dangerous to humans. The length of the tentacles when extended can reach 50 m.

Portuguese man-of-war feed mainly on fish larvae, as well as small fish and small squid.

Upon contact with stinging tentacles, painful swelling forms at the burn site, and muscle cramps may begin. The victim's temperature rises, chills, nausea and vomiting appear.

According to some data, for physalia burns, wetting the affected skin with a 3-5% vinegar solution helps, which prevents the stinging cells remaining in the wound from triggering. Under no circumstances should you try to wash off the poison with fresh water, as this will destroy entire stinging cells containing the poison, and the pain will sharply intensify. If poison gets into your eyes or the pain does not go away within a few minutes, you should see a doctor.

According to another point of view, the use of vinegar on burns received from contact with the Portuguese man-of-war is not recommended. Vinegar is used for burns after contact with jellyfish, but the poison of the Portuguese Man of War is different. The stinging cells are destroyed instantly, making vinegar ineffective. To relieve pain, it is recommended to rinse the affected areas with hot water for a long time. You can then apply ice.

7) Sea snake

There are a number of sea snakes found in the tropical waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is believed that the sea snake evolved from a common snake, and many of them, like their land relatives, can be poisonous. At the same time, the venom of the sea snake is much more powerful. This is not surprising, since their daily diet consists of fish that actively move in the water and which must be quickly immobilized. They swallow their prey whole, killing it first with a bite of poisonous teeth. Fish are less sensitive to snake venom than warm-blooded animals, so the venom of sea snakes is very toxic. Its action, like the action of the venom of cobra and other representatives of the slate family, does not cause hemorrhages or tumors, but suppresses the transmission of nerve impulses, which leads to paralysis of the respiratory center and rapid death of the affected animal.

Sea snakes have small mouths and small fangs, however, they can still bite a person if they try hard enough. The good news is they are less aggressive than land snakes. Typically, if a sea snake bites you, it is usually a dry bite, i.e. no poison. If you're lucky enough to get a venomous bite, don't worry, there's an antidote. At the first signs of poisoning, quickly head to the nearest clinic.

Barracudas are large and often encountered by divers marine fish from the order Perciformes, living in all tropical and subtropical seas. A distinctive feature of barracudas is the powerful lower jaw protruding beyond the upper. A row of small, sharp teeth dot the outside of the jaw, with a row of larger teeth inside. The maximum recorded size of a barracuda is 205 cm, weight is 50 kg.

Barracudas feed on smaller fish, squid, and large shrimp. Typically, barracudas lie in wait for their prey in ambush - among stones, rocks or in thickets of underwater vegetation. But quite often in small groups they attack schools of small fish. Small barracudas usually live in schools, while large fish live alone. They attack at high speed, snatching pieces of flesh with their powerful jaws as they move.

There are 21 species of barracuda, but the most dangerous due to its size is the large barracuda. Barracuda can be attracted to shiny things that vaguely resemble small fish. Some pieces of equipment, such as watches, knives, whistles, or body jewelry, are shiny. These objects may be mistaken for prey by the barracuda. In addition, attacks on people have occurred in muddy or dark water, where the moving arms or legs of a swimmer were mistaken by the barracuda for swimming fish.

Barracuda have very sharp teeth, so damage from such mistaken attacks on humans can be quite serious and leave deep lacerations, including possible damage to the arteries and veins of the limbs. In this case, the bleeding must be stopped as quickly as possible to avoid serious blood loss.

9) Triggerfish

Another fish commonly encountered by divers is the triggerfish or Triggerfish. The Triggerfishes family belongs to the order of pufferfish marine fish and has about 40 species. A characteristic distinguishing feature of triggerfishes is their unusual dorsal fin. It contains three large spines and when the fish is at rest, it is not visible. In case of danger, the triggerfish raises the largest first spine and blocks it by displacing the second one. This locking mechanism makes it impossible to fold the dorsal fin without damaging it. After scaring away the enemy, the fish folds its fin in the reverse order. The fin with spikes looks like a trigger, hence the English name for the triggerfish - triggerfish.

One of the largest representatives of the triggerfish family is the Titan triggerfish or bluefin ballistode. Its length can reach 75cm and weight more than 10kg. It is he who is well known and has a bad reputation among divers, which is completely unfounded. The fish can be extremely aggressive and can seriously injure a person in the water. Fortunately, aggression manifests itself only during the period when the female lays eggs and, together with the male, guards the clutch, which she arranges on the bottom. Until the fry appear, the female remains near the clutch. She mixes the water with her fins, thereby enriching the eggs with oxygen. The protected zone expands from bottom to top in the form of a funnel.

The triggerfish has powerful teeth, designed by nature to crush coral and mollusk shells, which easily bite through a wetsuit or fins, so the bites can be very noticeable. Protecting the offspring, the parents fight selflessly until the trespasser is driven out. The main rule for saving from an attacking fish is to move away from the nest in order to leave the area of the dangerous funnel above it. It is more convenient to swim on your back, this way you can constantly control the attacking triggerfish and, if necessary, fight it off with your fins.

I specifically put these guys at the very end of the list, although most people would be happy to put them at the first. They don't need any introduction. Sharks are indeed dangerous marine animals for humans, although their danger is greatly exaggerated. There is a wonderful article by Konstantin Novikov about diving with sharks, it is highly recommended for study. Below I’ll just give a short excerpt from this article about sharks.

Among them there are potentially dangerous ones, such as: great white (Carcharodon carharias), tiger (Galeocerdo cuvier), bull (Carcharhinus leucas), long-winged oceanic (Carcharhinus longimanus), giant hammerfish (Sphyrna mokarran). But you need to understand and know that of all the above, the great white, for example, is on the verge of destruction, and meeting a tiger shark or a giant hammerhead fish is not at all easy and this can not be done everywhere. There is a chance of encountering long-winged oceanic and bull sharks. Places where people can encounter large and dangerous sharks are known: South Africa, Guadeloupe, Hawaii, Australia, Fiji, Cuba, India, California. If you plan to dive or spearfish in these regions, be prepared to encounter some of the world's largest predators. It must be remembered that sharks feed on fish and attack humans extremely rarely. How many shark-related incidents do you think are reported per year? About 120. About 8-10 of them are fatal. There is an international ISAF database that records attacks around the world. Surfers are in first place among victims, followed by swimmers and bathers; divers and spearfishers are also sometimes attacked.

It is clear that sharks most often attack people whose behavior resembles an animal caught in an unnatural environment, thrashing and making noise on the surface of the water. Attacks can be provoked or unprovoked. In the first case, a person himself induces an attack, for example, by feeding the fish and then swimming in the same place, or an underwater hunter catches a still struggling fish on a cooch, or a curious diver grabs a shark by the snout with the goal of riding it. Unprovoked attacks most often occur where sharks are hunting fish, turtles or seals. Typically in muddy water. A predator mistakes a person for its usual prey. But I repeat that there are very few potentially dangerous large sharks. They rarely attack. Much less common are dogs or deer. By the way, hippos kill about 3,000 people in Africa every year! Can't be compared to sharks, right? But if you look at the statistics of shark catches by humans, the numbers are terrifying. People kill every year - just think about it - a hundred million sharks!!! It’s time for them to fear us, and not the other way around.

Of course, the choice of these 10 animals is subjective. I relied on their danger and the likelihood of meeting. We see triggerfish almost every day; they are common reef fish and cannot be called very dangerous, but the likelihood of encountering them in some places is high. And meeting a blue-ringed octopus or a hammerhead shark is great luck and the dream of many diver-photographers.

The list can be supplemented and expanded.

Anything to add? Or do you have any experience of contact with any of the creatures described?