The GLoomis rod company’s slogan is “Fear no Fish,” which is fine when you’re dealing with species like salmon, trout, steelhead and bass. But, there are truly some fish out there you should fear. Some will eat you; others will sting or bite you to death. And one will even swim up inside your very sensitive body parts!
Here are some of the fish you need to stay away from…
Stone Fish
So, the next time you’re out wandering around the Great Barrier Reef at low tide and you step on what appears to be a sharp rock…look again. You’ve probably just accidentally impaled yourself on the extremely venomous spines of one of the world’s most deadly fish — the stonefish.
By the way, I'm not a rock...oops...too late for you!
These ambush predators look a lot like rocks and use that camouflage to help them catch prey. If you still have your wits about you, take a closer look and you’ll notice a row of 13 spines along the fish’s back. Of course, by now the excruciating pain and tremendous swelling is probably all you can think about…
Depending on how well you stuck yourself, you may experience weakness, temporary paralysis and shock….and, oh yea, maybe even death. Our best advice: get to the doc immediately!
Candirú
Reason #1 not to swim in the Amazon (as if you really needed one): The Candirú. While he’s only a few inches long, this little relative of the catfish can bring a world of hurt.
Attracted to urine and blood, the candirú can find its way into your bathing suit and then, um…how shall we say this…uh, swims “upstream” through any opening in the body (and I’m not talking anything above the waist here!). Once in “there,” he erects his spine to hold himself in place and goes about his business — which just happens to be feeding on blood and tissue. YEEEEEOOOOOWWWW!
You don't want me swimming where the sun don't shine!
In most cases, you’ll have to have this little bugger removed surgically…which can’t be a whole lot of fun, either.
Moral of the story: Don’t swim in the Amazon and if you do, don’t pee!!
Great White Shark
After hearing about the Candirú, dealing with a great white almost sounds like a better option. Until you consider that these toothy monsters are one of nature’s most perfect predators and can reach 20 feet in length and 4,300 pounds. Enough said!
Ba-bum...ba-bumpa....ba bumpa
Blue-Ringed Octopus
You’re starting to have a difficult time seeing and it feels like you’re going to puke. Then, you can’t see a thing and speaking becomes a chore. In a matter of moments, you’re paralized and taking a breath is next to impossible. And the really bad news is you may be dead in a few minutes.
I may look like a harmless laval lamp, but...
What the heck happened?
Technically speaking, Tetrodotoxin is coursing through your blood stream, causing motor paralysis and, sometimes, respiratory arrest…which, of course, can lead to a heart attack.
In layman’s terms, you’ve just been bitten by a blue-ringed octopus and, hate to bring this up but, there’s no known antidote.
Obviously it’s a good idea know where all your appendages are when you’re messing around in shallow reefs and tide pools from northern Australia to Japan!
Australian Box Jellyfish
So, there you are, snorkeling just off the beach on your Australian vacation enjoying all the colorful fish when suddenly you feel a pain so overwhelming that you can’t see straight. You’ve just been formally introduced to the Australian Box Jellyfish. If you’re alone, you’re probably going to become a permanent resident of Davy Jones’ Locker as the pain will soon send you into shock and perhaps cardiac arrest (not good!).
The stingers on the tentacles of the box jelly have cardiotoxic, neurotoxic and dermatonecrotic effects on humans. In English this means, you’re going to have issues with your heart, skin and nervous system if you get stung!
If you somehow make it out of the water (highly unlikely), you’re going to need to inactivate the remaining stinging cells by pouring vinegar on the affected area. But what a story you’ll have for the folks back home!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
You forgot to mention "the one that got away". I fear that fish the most of all.
Ah, yes…good one. Or how about the “unexpected giant that we never get a chance to get a look at and aren’t totally sure what it even is” that got away! Hate those!!
The only thing us aussies dont get is those amazon fish… 4/5 aint bad.