The most venomous animal in the world isn't what you'd expect.

Check him out:

California cone snail. Penchao-BGI This little guy is a cone snail. It has a host of deadly adaptations, including a venomous harpoon, that it uses to catch prey.

The cone snail species that packs the most venomous wallop is the geography cone snail, according to BBC Earth.

Cone snails are a group of marine snails found in tropical oceans and seas around the world, though some live in more temperate habitats, like the waters around Southern California, the Mediterranean Sea and around the southern cape of South Africa.

The cone snail's highly specialized teeth, known as radulae, work like a combination hypodermic needle and harpoon to skewer and poison its prey:

The snail's toxins target the nervous system, paralyzing its victim and allowing the snail to get over to its meal at its own speed. The cone snail is constantly regrowing its radulae, meaning its rarely without its deadly harpoon teeth.

"For species of cone snail that hunt fish it is important to have a very fast-acting and powerful venom, because otherwise fish can easily escape from such a slow moving predator," Ronald Jenner of the Natural History Museum in London told the BBC.

Some take refuge on rocks and coral reefs, while others hunt by burying themselves in sand, waiting for unsuspecting prey, like the unfortunate fish below:

Their ornate, geometric shells are also an attractive souvenir, which poses a risk for unsuspecting divers and beach combers, and the larger species of cone snail have radulae large enough to pierce a wetsuit.

Historically, 65% of people stung by the geography cone snail die if they don't get to a hospital in time. We don't currently have any medicines that can neutralize the snails' conotoxin venom. The only treatment is to treat the symptoms and try to keep the victim alive until the venom wears off.

Even though this snail is slow and has only killed a few dozen people, there are a few reasons why it's considered the most venomous animal in the world.

The dose of venom in a strike is key. Some, like the king cobra, deliver a large amount of venom with its large, channeled fangs. Others, like the tiny deathstalker scorpion, only need to administer a little venom to kill. It takes 1/10th as much cone snail venom to do the same damage.

Another important qualification for danger is the animals' attitude. Some very venomous snakes — like the inland taipan of northern Australia — are less dangerous because they are calm and reclusive. On the other hand, its relative, the coastal taipan, has weaker venom but comes into contact with more people more often so is a much greater danger.

The cone snail's predatory nature and willingness to strike (its constantly regrowing its harpoon teeth) bolsters its danger.

But while these animals are scary, when appropriately harnessed, their venom can be medically useful.

Hundreds of the components of the cone snail's venom are highly toxic to humans, but one of them is an incredibly effective as a painkiller. When scientists copied its structure in the lab they found it to be 1000 times more powerful than morphine, and, they think, less addictive.