{"id":313619,"date":"2026-03-05T03:36:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T03:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/313619\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T03:36:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T03:36:12","slug":"from-the-only-venomous-primate-to-creatures-that-can-kill-you-when-theyre-dead-meet-8-of-the-worlds-weirdest-deadly-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/313619\/","title":{"rendered":"From the only venomous primate to creatures that can kill you when they\u2019re dead \u2013 meet 8 of the world\u2019s weirdest deadly animals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether they inhabit the world\u2019s oceans, jungles or rivers, there are plenty of deadly animals that are more unusual than average.<\/p>\n

From species that can inflict harm when they\u2019re no longer living, to the world\u2019s only venomous primate, these creatures are certainly out of the ordinary. All can do some serious damage to humans \u2013 and in some cases, they can kill.<\/p>\n

Weirdest deadly animals
\nTiger puffer
\n\"\"The toxins in a tiger puffer are highly concentrated in its liver and ovaries – DigiPub\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The pufferfish<\/a> deserves a spot on this list as it\u2019s capable of killing a human even when it\u2019s no longer alive.<\/p>\n

Fugu is a dish prepared using pufferfish \u2013 often the tiger puffer \u2013 which has lethal levels of the toxin tetrodotoxin (TTX)<\/a>. Eating incorrectly prepared pufferfish is capable of killing a human in as little as 17 minutes, and there\u2019s no known antidote for TTX poisoning.<\/p>\n

Australian box jellyfish
\n\"\"Most species of box jellyfish can be fatal to humans if you’re stung – Aleksei Permiakov\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

This jellyfish is revered for its venomous sting, which comes from its 3-metre-long tentacles. When touched, the tentacles release microscopic poison-filled darts.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s considered the most venomous creature in the world, and one of the deadliest animals in the sea<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Blue-lined octopus<\/p>\n

Like blue-ringed octopuses, blue-lined octopuses are highly venomous. They contain high levels of tetrodotoxin (TTX), which is the same toxin that makes pufferfish so venomous.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s another surprising use for its venom: during sex. Male blue-lined octopuses inject females with venom<\/a> to avoid being cannibalised during reproduction. The females turn pale and stop breathing, but they don\u2019t die \u2013 and the males live another day.<\/p>\n

Slow loris
\n\"BengalWhen it feels threatened, the slow loris will raise its arms above its head to lick its brachial gland – Freder\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

There aren\u2019t many venomous mammals in the world, but the slow loris<\/a> is a primate with a venomous bite. <\/p>\n

The slow loris bolsters this bite with additional toxins absorbed from its food. The poison oozes from a gland (called the brachial gland) located near the loris\u2019 elbows, which is then transferred to its mouth by licking. A slow loris will also comb its venom through its offspring\u2019s hair to make them unpalatable to predators.<\/p>\n

Portuguese man o\u2019war<\/p>\n

The Portuguese man o\u2019 war<\/a> is the odd one out on this list as it\u2019s not one animal, but four. All are genetically identical and live as a colony, with each individual performing a specific function.<\/p>\n

Its tentacles can grow up to 50 metres long (the length of a full-size Olympic swimming pool) and are made up of barbed tubes that deliver venom. It\u2019s rarely deadly to humans but can still cause painful welts \u2013 even after it has washed ashore).<\/p>\n

Cone snail
\n\"\"The cone snail uses its venom to kill fish, but it can also be deadly for humans – Auscape\/Universal Images Group\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Snails might not be renowned for being deadly, but the cone snail<\/a> is a highly venomous sea snail.<\/p>\n

One species is known as the cigarette snail, as it\u2019s said that if you\u2019re stung by one, you have time for at least one more smoke before you die. They\u2019ll potentially unleash a dose of venom if you tread on one.<\/p>\n

Platypus
\n\"Platypus\"Platypuses are monotremes, meaning they are a mammal that’s capable of laying eggs – Martin Harvey\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The platypus<\/a> is an unusual creature for many reasons: it lays eggs; glows in the dark and the females \u2018sweat\u2019 milk to feed offspring.<\/p>\n

But the males also possess a unique defence mechanism \u2013 venomous ankle spurs. While it isn\u2019t deadly to humans, a strike can still paralyse or kill smaller animals, including dogs. They\u2019re thought to be used while sparring for dominance during the mating season.<\/p>\n

Cane toad
\n\"ACane toads can lay up to 30,000 eggs twice a year, making them a rapidly reproducing threat to native species – Jason Edwards\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Cane toads<\/a> are considered one of the world\u2019s most destructive species, after being introduced as a biological control for crop growing.<\/p>\n

These creatures have glands on their shoulders which release a milky-white toxin (called bufotoxin) when the cane toad feels threatened. \u00a0<\/p>\n

The toads are toxic at all stages of life, from eggs to adults.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Whether they inhabit the world\u2019s oceans, jungles or rivers, there are plenty of deadly animals that are more…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":313620,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[111,139,69,147,406],"class_list":["post-313619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=313619"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313619\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/313620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=313619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=313619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=313619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}