The Deadliest Aquatic Animals

[steelhealr]

I thought it might be interesting to make a short list of some of the more dangerous animals that are located in the types of water we keep our fish in, fresh and salt. This is not a comprehensive list nor are the animals listed in any particular order. Feel fee to post comments, interesting notes or list any other animals that bring fear into the hearts of men/women. IMO, the most dangerous listed is the box jellyfish aka sea wasp. SH

MARINE ANIMALS
• Cone shell
• Portuguese Man-o-War
• Blue-ringed octopus
• Box jellyfish (Sea Wasp)
• Lionfish
• Scorpionfish
• Stingray
• Stonefish
• Sharks, great white

FRESHWATER ANIMALS
• Stingray, Potamotrygon motoro
• South American Electric Eel, Electrophorus electricus
• African Electric Catfish, Malapterurus electricus
• Stonecat or Madtoms, Noturus
• Candiru
• Schilbeoides catfish
• Gars, alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula; spotted gar, Lepisosteus oculatus
• Bullhead and channel catfish, Ictalurus
• Snapping turtles
• Alligators/crocodiles
• Pit vipers

 

[Locke]

Ah, don't forget the dreaded Mantis Shrimp!! eek. Just don't want it in your tank.

Don't want tape worms either.

SB

 

[riverman444]

One must not forget the Alligator and the Crocodile.

Or, the Orange-Striped Scuba Tabby!!!!!!..............look at avatar....LOL

 

[furryrabbit]

you forgot to mention the dreaded platy!

 

[Tempestuousfury]

• Blue-ringed octopus

From what I heard from my teacher and read in the book, these guys produce the most deadly poison (a neurotoxin) out of any known animal. Australia is where they live, if I remember correctly, and they live in shallow water/ tide pools.

 

[lljdma06]

you forgot to mention the dreaded platy!

Nope, bridget rasboras are far more dangerous. IMO

Great list SH, it's always great learning new things.

 

[Iron Man]

The dreaded Piranha

 

[k.o.d]

Candiru, thats the worst one for me, makes your eyes water

Have been stung by my Lionfish, that hurt but not as much as you will scream when the Candiru gets you

Steve

 

[Lynden]

The dreaded Piranha

Piranhas are pathetic compared to larger snakeheads, gars, morays, barracudas, tiger characins and catfish, in my opinion at least.

In the wild, however, is where piranhas get their reputation. Piranhas are way cooler in the wild.

Say, does anyone have a list of the top ten or so most aggresive vertebrates?

-Lynden

By the way, a certain species of arrow poison frog has the deadliest venom known to man. Although that plant that I brushed up against today really hurt...

 

[Fella]

Ah, don't forget the dreaded Mantis Shrimp!! eek. Just don't want it in your tank.

Don't want tape worms either.

SB

I'd love to have a mantis tank! I just have to wait for someone to find a mantis they don't want...


I'd put Mbu Puffers and Fahaka puffers on the list if we're going to add "fish that are aggressive and hurt when they bite you".

 

[CFC]

The most aggressive/dangerous freshwater fish in the world is a tie between two Asian fish, Channa micropletes (the red snakehead) and Hemibagrus wyckioides (the Asian redtailed catfish). Both are large and insanely aggressive animals which will attack and kill/maim any animal that comes into their range, including a number of humans each year.
Asia also hosts the infamous man eating catfish Wallago attu which large specimins have been documented having whole human skeletons in their stomachs and have been blamed for numbers of children disapeering from river banks each year.
Another animal that while is not deadly but causes extreem pain is the Asian Stinging catfish; Heteropneustes fossilis, a nasty aggressive little beast that lives in shallow pools and rice paddies, when disturbed the catfish will rush at the invader (usually a human foot) and rub its sides in which a row of venomous spines are located along the skin injecting its painfull toxins into the flesh.
As for commonly kept aquarium fish all members of the Pimelodidae (pictus cats etc) family of catfish have sharp pectoral fins which are coated with a bacterial slime and when handled or trodden on can inflict deep wounds which hurt like hell and usually become infected within a few hours unless treated with an antibacterial agent immiedietly, the same goes for the sea catfishes of the Ariidae genus (columbian shark cats etc) and lets not forget the venomous Plotosidae catfishes which include the coral catfish Plotosus lineatus which marine keepers should be familiar with.
Many of the perches commonly kept are also fairly poisonous; scats, monos, datnoids (siamese tigers), scorpion fish and nandus species all have sharp dorsal spines which can easily cut the skin delivering a venom or heavy dose of bacteria straight into the wound.

 

[dgwebster]

not really a deadly fish, but conger eel. if you've ever met a nasty one of them in the wild you'll know about it. broken bones are often if they take a dislike to you.

 

[helsekia]

nothing to add apart from this is a great thread

 

[Qays]

you forgot to mention the dreaded platy!

I agree. Have you seen their crazy beady eyes waiting till your back is turned

 

[OohFeeshy]

You know, it's funny, a lot of these are on my 'I want one, and I'm getting one' list.... Thus far

• Stingray, Potamotrygon motoro
• African Electric Catfish, Malapterurus electricus
• Candiru

Motoro perhaps when I've got a big tank and cracking filtration, an e. cat when/if I get a 4x2x2 spare, and since everything in the parasitic catfish family is called 'candiru', theres two species (non-parasitic) I will get one of, and one parasitic one I want when I find someone who can get me one... And the insane snakehead would be too, but they get giant...