15 Most Dangerous Fish In The World

more than 70 of our planet is water and contained within those oceans is a truly exciting but kind of scary biodiversity we know more about what's going on out there in the far reaches of outer space than we do about what's dwelling in our own seas and let us tell you some of the life we do know about is scary enough without troubling our minds thinking about the creatures we may not have discovered yet these are the most dangerous fish in the world [Applause] number 15 the piranha piranhas are one of the most well-known aggressive fish in the world but contrary to how they're presented in movies and stories they're only the bloodthirsty predators when they have no other choice native to the waters across south america there are thought to be more than 30 different species they will actually cut through metal the largest the red belly piranha can grow to up to 20 inches long although remains have been found of prehistoric ancestors that were double this size and the most surprising thing is that plant matter makes up a large part of their diet so they're actually classified as omnivorous you wouldn't think it from seeing their teeth though because these are clearly designed for tearing through flesh they may be small but they're like serrated blades which combined with one of the strongest bite forces of any fish means that they are able to take on bigger prey than themselves particularly when they're in a large school usually they hunt other fish even ones of the same species as themselves but if they're extremely hungry due to the lack of food elsewhere they'll attack large animals passing through the river and even people on rare occasions although the last documented human fatality as a result of a piranha attack was in 2015. like this video smash the subscribe button and click the notification bell right now or this centipede will crawl on your face when you're sleeping number 14. the box jellyfish box jellyfish are some of the most dangerous creatures in the oceans and if you're ever unfortunate enough to encounter one when you're swimming your best bet is to get out of the water as soon as possible there are actually more than 51 known species of boxed jellyfish each of which are equipped with potent venom and they can be found in oceans all around the world however the ones that are usually talked about as having one of the most deadly venoms in the world are only native to the indo-pacific identifiable because of their square-shaped bells they have tentacles that hang from each other yeah he's lost some of his tentacles each of these tentacles contains around half a million specialized cells that have microscopic harpoon shaped structures and it's through these that the venom is delivered usually human contact with one will cause only a mild envenomation because this is the way they hunt and they only need to inject enough venom to kill a small fish but if a person happens to be tangled up in the tentacles then it's a different story the toxins they inject cause the cells of the body to become so porous that vital nutrients begin to leak out which in turn elevates concentrations of these chemicals in the bloodstream and can lead to cardiovascular collapse and therefore death within five minutes add this to the fact that victims are usually in deep water with no chance of reaching dry land so even if they don't die immediately they are likely to drown and you see why they're so feared number 13. the stingray stingrays are probably the most recognizable type of rays thanks to their long sharp tails but they come in all different shapes and sizes with 220 different species known they're found across the world from the rivers of south america to the deep oceans of the indo-pacific with the largest growing to be up to 17 feet long but there are some similarities that mean no matter where you see one you should treat it with the utmost of caution they aren't a naturally aggressive species but when they feel under threat they won't hesitate to defend themselves while their stings are used when hunting they're also used against attackers and there's more to worry about than just the stinger itself they produce a powerful venom which if injected in sufficient quantities will lead to extreme pain swelling and muscle cramps and will prevent the wound from healing properly so gives opportunity for an infection to take hold there's also the chance that the sting will break off into the sight of the wound and this may require surgery to successfully remove attacks on humans are rare and fatal attacks are rarer so but if they just so happen to sting you in the right place as tragically happened to steve irwin they're more than capable of killing in just one strike number 12. muska lunge the muska lunge also known as the jackpike is a species of freshwater fish that's native to regions across north america they are the largest member of the pike family with some growing up to six feet long way up to 70 pounds and can be recognized by their silver brown or green coloration with ventricle stripes and spots they're also a popular species with anglers to catch for sport but apart from the risk posed by humans they're the apex predators in their natural habitats as ambush predators they lie in wait for prey to swim by and will suddenly leap into action bite their victim and swallow it head first with a diet made up primarily of fish they've also been known to hunt rats frogs and even ducks that they plunge from the surface their stomachs extend throughout most of their bodies which means they can easily swallow anything that's up to two-thirds their own size while their powerful bite and sharp teeth have caught many a keen fisherman out and can remove a finger if timed right number 11. the candy room you might expect the most dangerous fish in the amazon basin to be huge with sharp teeth but there's something much smaller in the waters of the region that has a unique behavior that would bring a tear to even the bravest of people's eyes the candiru has developed a somewhat legendary reputation it's a small species of parasitic catfish that usually grows to up to 7 inches long is virtually transparent and has a series of backwards pointing spine along its gills they feed on the blood of other animals and to do so they use the spines to attach themselves to their victim [Applause] and drain as much as they can before moving onto somewhere else in humans though this can lead to a rather uncomfortable experience because they're just the right size to fit into the urethra and once they're there and have extended their sharp spines the only way to remove them is by amputation there are countless anecdotal stories of people falling victim to a candiru while swimming or urinating in rivers around the amazon and while many of these are hard to verify there have been several instances where the victims have been rushed to hospital for emergency surgery and the behavior of this fish has been documented number 10. the alligator gar the alligator gar is a species of freshwater fish that according to the fossil record first emerged around 100 million years ago thought of as living fossils they share a number of characteristics with their ancestors such as the ability to breathe oxygen from water and from air and their digestive system which is similar to those of sharks growing to up to 10 feet long they are torpedo-shaped and have hard serrated scales across their bodies they're found in the lakes and rivers of the southern united states sometimes venturing out into the ocean and are ambush predators meaning they lay in wait before snapping at their prey at the opportune moment these large fish have a frightening arsenal at their disposal with the main weapon being a double row of large sharp teeth that can impale prey on the first bite and help to tear the flesh apart for consumption due to their size this means they can be a significant threat to humans too and while they're unlikely to attack if they do they can cause horrendous injuries if they're able to sink their teeth in number 9. sawfish sawfish are an unusual type of ray that instead of having the wing-like bodies have much smaller fins and a long extended nose that's covered in sharp teeth that resemble a saw growing to up to 25 feet long they are mainly native to tropical coastal regions but may also be seen in warmer rivers and lakes there are five known species of sawfish which after centuries of extensive fishing for use in fin soup and for the production of medicine are all now critically endangered and the only population of note are in the waters of northern australia and florida their diet is made up mainly of fish and the saw is crucial to the way they hunt typically they will stab towards their target and all it takes is for one of their teeth to make contact and their victim will more than likely be incapacitated the saw is also used in self-defense and this is when they can become dangerous towards humans they'll usually try and avoid confrontation but if they feel cornered they will thrash from side to side and can inflict serious damage number eight the electric eel there are several hundred species of fish that are able to produce an electric charge but the most dangerous by far is the electric eel their name is somewhat misleading because instead of being a true eel they're actually a species of knife fish but with long cylindrical bodies that slither from side to side to propel themselves through the water they share a lot of similarities with their namesakes growing to up to seven feet long they can be found in areas of stagnant water throughout the amazon basin and for a long time there was only one known species although in recent years two others have been discovered all these species are able to generate electrical charges thanks to the presence of two specific organs known as the hunter's organ and the sacha's organ they can generate a mild current which is how they locate prey and a more powerful shock which is how they incapacitate or kill their target so they can move in to begin eating the good news is that one shock from one electric eel isn't enough to kill a healthy adult person but the problem is they often exist in large colonies if you were to find yourself in a pond with multiple shocks from several eels you'd have very little chance to escape before you suffer from cardiovascular failure number seven the goonchfish the goonchfish which is also ominously known as the giant devil catfish is a huge species of catfish that lives in rivers across south asia they can grow to up to 6.6 feet long with a weight of up to 200 pounds they are ferocious predators and between 1998 and 2007 were responsible for the cali river goonch attacks which saw a number of people going missing in the region eyewitnesses saw the victims being dragged under the water while swimming and despite extensive searching were unable to find any traces of them theories were soon spread of a deadly river predator and while the true perpetrator was a fish they already knew about goonches had never been known to have acquired such a taste for human flesh before it's now thought that some of them were able to grow to an enormous size and became used to eating people because the river was regularly used for hindu funeral rites it's possible they were devouring the corpses that were offered to the water and when these rituals ended they took to hunting living alternatives this species is a prime example of why rivers can be just as deadly as the ocean but with muddy waters you have even less chance of seeing what's coming for you before it's too late number 6. wells catfish wells catfish can be found in freshwater regions of europe russia and now many more places due to their popularity as a game fish and can be identified by their unusually flat heads and wide mouths some specimens have been recorded as growing to up to 16 feet with a weight of over 660 pounds which makes them the largest of any freshwater fish amazingly they are thought to live for up to 50 years and with few natural predators they're likely to reach this age unless they fall victim to human activities the danger from wells catfish is the effect they have on marine ecosystems especially when they're introduced to new regions for the benefit of fishermen populations of local fish species have been found to sharply drop in areas where this has happened which is thought to be the result of the catfish competing for the same food sources and directly targeting the other fish as well they've also been seen thriving in the radioactive cooling pond near the remains of the chernobyl nuclear power plant and for some reason they appear to be growing much larger there than they do anywhere else number five the bull shark while they aren't the biggest of sharks bull sharks certainly make up for that with their temperament and range they can be found in warm coastal regions around the world but unlike others they can survive in both salt water and fresh water this means they've been seen great distances within river systems and some have been spotted as far as 700 miles inland from the nearest ocean typically growing to up to 8 feet long and with a weight of up to 290 pounds they have a stocky build and all of this muscle is dedicated to one thing hunting pound for pound they have the strongest bite of any fish tiger and the often ignored but dangerous bull shark and with razor sharp teeth lining their mouths they can tear through flesh with very little effort they feed on rays other sharks and fish but have a seriously bullish attitude that means they have a very low tolerance for being provoked they won't think twice about attacking humans and are one of the three species responsible for the majority of shark attacks but because they are able to swim up rivers they are more likely to encounter people number four the great barracuda the great barracuda is a large species of predatory fish that's endemic to the indian pacific and atlantic oceans where they're often found in the warmer regions at depths of up to 330 feet you can look for the black spots on the lower side of its body some have been found to be up to five or six feet long and weigh as much as 100 pounds and are one of the most vicious marine predators in the world they have powerful jaws and incredibly sharp teeth and can reach speeds of up to 27 miles per hour in short bursts that allow them to catch up with virtually any prey they want they also show a remarkable ability to plan ahead and even if they've recently eaten they will herd fish into a confined area so they're ready to hunt when they're hungry attacks on humans are rare but occasionally they'll mistake a person for large predators and will follow them to take advantage of any scraps they leave behind they do sometimes bite too and are more than powerful enough to rip chunks of flesh and cause deep lacerations if you're ever diving and see one of these close by be very careful number 3 the stonefish stonefish are creepy looking creatures that live in the coastal regions around the indo-pacific and spend their lives camouflaged in the seabed and wait for their prey to swim by they are the most venomous of all known fish and have needle-like spines that stand up firm when they're disturbed which injects the deadly toxins this of course instantly incapacitates any fish or other marine creatures so the stonefish can move in to digest them but it's also highly dangerous to humans too stings are quite common because it's virtually impossible to see the fish before it's too late and you can also see they don't have scales so they shed their skin like snakes most human attacks happen as a result of stepping onto one and the results can be fatal at the least it'll be extremely painful and the anti-venom is the second most frequently administered anti-venom in australia failure to treat the sting can lead to widespread organ failure within several hours in what is a particularly gruesome way to die luckily it's been decades since the last known death as a result of a stonefish thing but that doesn't mean you should be too complacent because all it takes is for a particularly high dose of venom and you could be the next number two the goliath tiger fish goliath fish are native to freshwater habitats across africa in particular the congo river basin and lake tanganyika when fully grown they can measure 5 feet long and weigh 110 pounds and have a frightening set of needle-sharp teeth that fit neatly into grooves along their jawline looking now at some of the marks on its head locals refer to them as the mabenga which means the dangerous fish and it's clear to see why they only feed on other fish and can decimate stocks of more valuable species but there's also a long detailed history of them attacking humans with serious consequences it's believed by nearby communities that dark spirits inhabit the bodies of the fish to make it attack people and there are regular reports of people falling victim to their extremely powerful bites while there aren't any known fatalities from this species there are certainly plenty of people with the scars to tell the tale it's because of this ferocity that the goliath tiger fish is regarded as one of the greatest freshwater game fish in the world and is on the wish list of every keen angler number one the great white shark great white sharks are the alpha predators of the ocean and rightfully strike fear into anything that crosses their path they are native to virtually all open water and coastal regions around the world where the temperature is between 54 and 75 degrees fahrenheit but are found in particularly high concentrations near australia the us and south africa adults can grow to be 20 feet long and weigh more than 5 000 pounds and they are thought to be able to live to 70 years old or even longer reaching speeds of up to 35 miles per hour and with a range that allows them to swim to depths of at least 4 000 feet there's very few places they won't go when they're on the hunt they of course have one of the most powerful bites in the animal kingdom and some of the fiercest teeth you'll ever see there are no known natural predators and they are by far responsible for the most unprovoked attacks on humans worldwide there are usually one or two deaths per year but this is almost certainly unintended while they may originally see us and think we could be a good meal it's thought they don't particularly like the way we taste and find us to be far too bony to be worth their while since the sharks know in their first bite whether they want to eat their prey great whites usually leave people alone it just so happens that they attack with such strength in the first place that by then the damage is already done have you seen any of these fish in real life and which would you most dread an encounter with make sure to let us know in the comment section also check out our other cool stuff showing up on screen right now see you next time

Channel: The Genius Lemon

Views: 666,112

Rating: 4.7747564 out of 5

Keywords: fish, sea creatures, dangerous animals, facts, dangerous, dangerous fish, most dangerous, ocean, in the world, dangerous creatures, deadly fish, ocean creatures, creatures, poisonous fish, puffer fish, river monsters, dangerous ocean creatures, mysterious creatures, sea creature, dangerous fish attacks, most venomous fish, ocean animals, sea animals, water animals, fish attack, predators, most poisonous fish, dangerous sea creatures, scary, scariest, scary creatures, discoveries

Id: u83xhohsAhQ

Length: 23min 6sec (1386 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 22 2020