Sting is one of the most brutal inventions of nature.
Sting to hurt enemies and injection of venom used by many living creatures, but they seem like innocent babies compared to those monsters, which tells the browser BBC Earth Ella Davis.
To begin with, it causes pain, penetrating into the flesh like a sharp peak. But the sting is still a chemical weapon that injects the dose of toxins directly into the bloodstream.
Whose sting is worse than all the other stings; one of the animals should be avoided at all costs?
This issue is more complicated than it might seem at first glance. You can think of who burns more than all or whose venom is the most toxic or the most deadly — and it’s not the same.
Let’s start with pain. Check who’s sting hurts the most, is easy: you just have to allow yourself to sting.
“Ant-bullet” (Paraponera clavata)
In the framework of his famous experiment entomologist Justin Schmidt has allowed in the name of science the host insect sting itself and developed its own index of pain with heartbreaking descriptions of the sensations from the sting of each of them.
The poor people of Central and South America will probably agree with Schmidt that hurts the most is the sting of the ant of the bullet. The name of this insect is associated with pain from a gunshot wound.
The ant is quite a bit of venom, but they live in colonies of 10 million insects
And the most generous portion of poison — 2.5 milligram in his victim injects the road wasp of the genus Pepsis. However, Schmidt argues that a bite of this “essentially non-toxic, just painful.”
Ants of the species Pogonomyrmex Maricopa, by contrast, have perhaps the most powerful venom of all stinging insects. Each ant quite a bit of venom, but they live in colonies of 10 thousand insects, are ready to repel any threat that can be very dangerous.
It is important to understand that biting insects not only cause pain, but can pose a threat to life and health. In particular, their dangerous stings known Scorpions.
Yellow Scorpion (Leiurus quinquestriatus)
Scorpions — owners of one of the most frightening appearance pressed: the last segment of the tail, the telson, terminates at them with a needle and a pair of poisonous glands.
However, a specialist in the study of Scorpions Lorenzo Prandini from the American Museum of natural history claims that of the 2,000 known species of Scorpions, only about 20 are of medical importance”, i.e. pose a threat to human life.
Yellow Scorpion known as the “deadly hunter” and androctonus means “murderer”
All but one of these dangerous Scorpions belong to the family Butinov, whose members live in different parts of the world, from Mexico to Brazil and from South Africa to India. However, the worst of them are concentrated in a kind of “hot spot”.
“In North America and the middle East a lot of very poisonous species, says Prandini. — The largest number of deaths attributed to the yellow Scorpion (Leiurus quinquestriatus) and various types of androctonus, especially in the South (A. australis) and tallahoosa (A. crassicauda)”.
Yellow Scorpion is also known as “deadly hunter” and androctonus means “murderer”. And this is no exaggeration.
Androctonus bicolor
Autoctonous South fearless creature that does not make burrows, but hides in crevices, including in the walls of the village houses.
This Scorpion can grow up to 10 inches in length, and its venom contains powerful toxins that affect the Central nervous system.
“The consequences of poisoning Scorpion venom depend on the number trapped in the body of poison and degree of toxicity impact forces at the cellular level,” says Prandini.
“Thus, the larger the Scorpion, whose venom contains a powerful toxin, but which can be injected into the victim venom more like A. australis or Parabuthus granulatus, — can carry a greater threat to life than a Scorpio with a more powerful poison, however, gets in the body in smaller doses, e.g., Leiurus quinquestriatus”.
Of the 2,000 known jellyfish threat to human life represent only 10-15 types
Most healthy adults can survive after being stung by a Scorpion, but only under condition of rendering qualified medical care, including receiving the antidote.
“Most of the cases of death from intoxication by Scorpion venom occur in young children, the elderly or sick,” says Prandini.
“Most of the cases the attack of the Scorpion have been in the countryside, inhabited by poor and located near the habitat of the Scorpions”.
Partly due to the fact that death from a Scorpion’s sting often occurs in remote locations, available data on such cases cannot be considered completely reliable. The same applies to the most dangerous stinging the inhabitants of the oceans.
Ant-bulldog (Myrmecia piliventris) stings his victim
Jellyfish and their relatives for hunting prey and self-protection are stinging cells, called nematocysts.
These specialized cellular structures act like tiny harpoons. Some of them, penetrating into the flesh, carrying poisonous charge, aimed primarily to slow down the movement of fast-swimming prey — for example, fish.
Of the 2,000 known jellyfish threat to human life represent only 10-15 species.
The conscience of C. fleckeri has the most deaths from the bite of a jellyfish in Australia
But their close relatives of jellyfish, which, despite a similar name, belong to another group, can be really dangerous.
The largest of these — the sea wasp or Australian box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri has), the weight of which can reach pounds. Its numerous three-meter tentacles studded with hundreds of poisonous needles, affecting the muscular and nervous tissue.
The compass jellyfish of the Northern seas nettle (Chrysaora melanaster)
“The conscience of C. fleckeri has the most deaths from the bite of a jellyfish in Australia, whereas other species Chironex guilty of murder in other places,” says jellyfish expert Lisa-Ann Gershwin from the Australian Federal research Agency, called the State Association scientific and applied research.
In particular, if you measure danger the sting speed the onset of death, the Australian box jellyfish will lead the hit parade.
On every corner they have at the tentacle, which can reach a length of one hundred times the size of the whole body
C. fleckeri has considered the most poisonous animal in the world, ” says Gershwin. — [Her victims] are killed within two minutes. And not in some cases but not very often.”
“Death comes in the blocking of cardiac muscle in a shortened state,” she adds. — After that, survival is unlikely — you can not further compress something that’s already compressed. So that all safety is to avoid a bite and immediately hold the injured cardio-pulmonary resuscitation”.
Another name that POPs up in conversations about deadly jellyfish, the irukandji jellyfish.
Irukandji jellyfish (Carukia barnesi)
Until recently it was believed that there is only one species of irukandji jellyfish, named in honor of the indigenous Australians living along the northeastern coast of the country, where in 1950-ies was first recorded bite of this creature.
But now experts are about 25 species of jellyfish in the unit carybdeida — they all have apocalyptic the ability to sting their victims and are found worldwide.
Bell size from the smallest of them is only one centimeter, but at every corner they have at the tentacle, which can reach a length of one hundred times the size of the whole body.
The poison that release stinging cells located on the tentacles and on the bell, violates the course of natural processes necessary for life.
Irukandji stings do not leave any traces, so maybe the number of reports of these meetings with a fatal outcome is less than the number of cases
Unlike other jellyfish stings, symptoms in this case was not noticed immediately. “Irukandji syndrome” begins to manifest itself after 20-30 minutes: the victim noted back pain, nausea, muscle spasms and the feeling of inevitable disaster, it is also possible to have a heart attack due to a sharp rise in blood pressure.
“Often meet from irukandji Carukia barnesi stings, these jellyfish are crawling with, says Gershwin. But medical care is usually required by those who are stung by a jellyfish Malo kingi, Alatina alata or Morbakka fenneri — because of the severe hypertension caused by their poison.”
Compared to the Australian box jellyfish irukandji venom “is much more powerful at equal volume, but, according to Gershwin, subject to timely medical care, the risk of death from a sting of a irukandji below.
However, one should note that irukandji stings do not leave any traces, so maybe the number of reports of these meetings with the invisible killers is less than the number of cases.
During the period from 1883 in the waters of Australia from a sting of the Australian box jellyfish has killed 68 people.
Japanese giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia japonica)
Today, however, from the bite of a jellyfish do not die so many people — thanks to information about seasonal appearance of the dangerous jellyfish and to improve the quality of treatment.
Therefore, in search of the stinging animals, guilty of mass murder, we have to return to the land.
Asian giant hornet — world’s largest stinging insect that they dubbed the “hell hornet”.
In Japan from giant hornet bite, causing severe swelling, die each year 30-50 people.
Honeybees… have a large amount of powerful poison attack in thousands and very aggressive
In the Chinese city district of Ankang in 2013 as a result of seasonal increase in the number of hornets in three months killed 41 people.
At least at first glance it seems that the number of victims of these insects overtake other species. However, you must make an important reservation: the number of deaths resulting from the attack of Scorpions and jellyfish insufficiently documented, that is, a direct comparison will not be correct.
However, it is possible that the poison belongs to those without whom we probably could not do.
Schmidt argues that the view that presents the greatest danger — or, at least, deserves the greatest respect, is perfectly familiar to us all is the honey bee.
Honeybees (Apis mellifera) live in colonies
All these bees belong to the genus Apis. In Europe and North America many well known European honey bees (A. mellifera), while in Asia, often there are giant bees (A. dorsata).
“Honeybees A. mellifera and A. dorsata have a large amount of powerful poison attack in thousands and are very aggressive,” says Schmidt.
When the number of bites at least 500 risk of serious intoxication small
Most people have a single bee sting causes local pain and swelling. However, the stinging bee is the release of alarm pheromone that is a signal to attack to her relatives.
However, for the onset of fatal bites should be a lot. According to Schmidt, in most cases, “when the number of bites at least 500 risk of serious intoxication.”
Of course, it is very frustrating when you stings a few hundred bees, but most of us will not die.
At the same time, there are several factors which stings honey bees are the most deadly.
African a killer bee (Apis mellifera)
First, because of man’s love for honey honey bees has spread around the world. Among other things, this means that a person frequently comes in contact with them, thereby increasing the likelihood of an attack.
Second, some honey bees are particularly aggressive.
For several decades, killer bees have dispatched hundreds of people
Domesticated bees are raised in the admonition of the hosts, but Africa wild honeybees more often in droves attacking predators.
In the twentieth century they were brought to South America and during that time has spread to the North, where they are called “killer bees”.
For several decades, killer bees have dispatched hundreds of people. However, they attack only in the case if you believe someone is threatening their hive.
The European honey bee (Apis mellifera)
If you leave them alone, they will almost certainly leave you.
Finally, could prove fatal and a single bite, if you develop an allergic reaction.
Anaphylaxis occurs if the person’s immune system overreacting to any allergen, causing the rapid development of oedema, the consequence of which is damage to the tissues and difficulty breathing.
The most severe reaction, called anaphylactic shock, can cause asphyxia, especially against the background of such diseases as asthma.
This reaction can occur by the bite of an ant, hornet, or jellyfish, but cases of bee stings with anaphylactic shock are recorded more often.
Luckily, anaphylaxis is not very common. For example, in the UK from bee stings dies less than three persons a year, whereas in the US their number is about 55 people.
