Blue ringed octopus courtesy of Bernard Dupont

Anything in the Sea

Cone snails might look fun, but if you annoy them, they politely ask you to leave them alone by harpooning you with their radular tooth. This tooth releases neurotoxins which lead to paralysis, respiratory problems, and maybe even death.

Sharks are actually the least of your worries in Australia. Just stay out of their way and don’t pretend to be a seal.

Box jellyfish waft around looking all harmless and floaty until you become entangled in their tentacles. Unlike other ‘dumb’ jellyfish, these ones have eyes and will actually hunt their prey. They only grow to be about 20cm wide but the tentacles can grow up to 3m long. Their venom allows your cells to leak potassium which causes hyperkalemia which leads to death within two to five minutes.

Cuteness: 0/10

Lethality: 10/10

Sneakiness: 10/10

p.s. also avoid the blue-ringed octopus, stonefish, water snakes and stingrays. Maybe, just don’t go swimming.