If You Step on This Sea Creature, You Have Seconds to Get Help

Now if you step on a sea urchin, you’re going to know right away! Look at those spikes! Get the point? Ha ha, ow!

While they’re not aggressive, they’ve got a great defense going against any creatures that want to eat them! Venomous spikes and a poisonous bite! Pick your poison, literally.

They live in all of the oceans of the world, so avoiding them is out of the question. They mostly hang out in shallow water, hiding in rock pools and reefs. So, unmindful people step on them a lot!

The long venomous spikes of the urchin look like needles. Feel like them too. They can go in quite deep, plus they release a strong toxin. The cure? Remove the spikes quickly, and wash with saltwater.

One small marine mammal just loves sea urchins. Any guesses? It’s the sea otter! Don’t let its cuteness get in the way of its toughness. These mammals rarely leave the water, and that even includes taking naps! Holding hands with other otters keeps them from floating away from the pack.

Their fur is the densest on the planet, with up to a million hairs per square inch! We only have about 2,000! They’re also good with tools! They can use rocks to hammer open shells. Hey, how else would you open a sea urchin? You “otter” try it sometime.

Stonefish aren’t going to win any beauty contests... unless the pageant is for best rock look-a-like! Their tiny unreflective eyes and rough skin blend in perfectly with their environment! A large head, an even bigger mouth, and a home full of... yeah, it’s rocks.

And just ’cause you’re on the beach, doesn’t mean you’re safe. Stonefish can survive for 24 hours out of the water! Stepping on one or even handling one won’t be that fun. Their dorsal fin spines have extremely strong venom!

It shoots out when they get stepped on, and it can lead to paralysis or even heart failure. You’ll need help, fast! No wonder they’re one of the most dangerous creatures in the water, or anywhere! Be careful when scrambling around rocky areas. They love to play hide and seek!

Box Jellyfish tentacles grow up to 10 feet long! And each tentacle has 5,000 stinging cells! Not bad for a creature that’s mostly just water. Their venom is strong enough to paralyze anything they want to eat.

Now, if you happen to get stung, it’s going to hurt, a lot! Its toxins contain proteins that affect the heart, skin cells, and even our nervous system! No wonder it’s considered one of the most dangerous creatures on the planet!

I wouldn’t recommend using sunscreen, soda, coffee, or other... older methods. They don’t work! Your best bet is some good old-fashioned seawater. Looks like jellyfish are the rulers of the ocean, not sharks!

Hey, look around your local rock pool... you might see this sweet, little octopus! It’s tiny and has blue rings! Cute! But, don’t fall for it now, this octopus wouldn’t make a good pet.

When provoked, the octopus will start flashing neon blue to warn everyone to stay away. And I highly recommend you do just that.

Their venom is 1,000 times more dangerous than cyanide! There’s also no known antidote for it. The best thing to do: take a quick pic and walk away! Better yet, just walk away. Not even the octopuses are normal down under! I’ll stick with my shrimp on the Barbie... mate.

Do you see that large log near the ocean floor? Maybe it’s part of an old ship, treasure, gold, diamonds, I’m rich!! As you get closer, you notice something. It’s swimming! It’s not a shark or a dolphin.

It’s a saltwater crocodile! Now, don’t panic! If you bump into one of these reptiles in the sea, it’s unlikely it’ll think of you as food! Crocodiles have a special valve in their throat that stops them from drowning underwater, but that doesn’t mean they can’t bite!

Usually, they’re heading to a nearby island, and the quickest way there is to body surf! They can’t really take the ferry. Watching one from a distance should be ok. Just don’t swim to shore right away, they love to ambush their lunch in shallow water. If there’s one time I’d want to see a Great White Shark — It’s when I’m diving with crocodiles. They’ll gladly take a crocodile-sized nibble, given the right motivation.

Going out on a boat off the coast of Mexico sounds like the perfect vacation! The sun, the blue water, the most endangered sea creature! Wait, What? The Vaquita isn’t dangerous, but don’t expect it to stick around to say hello or sign any autographs. It’s incredibly shy!

This little cow, that’s what the Spanish means, is one tiny sea mammal! With those black markings around its eyes, it looks more like a sea panda to me! Seeing one should make you feel very special! They’re on the brink of extinction, mostly because they get caught up by accident in fishing nets. It’s estimated that there are only 10 left in the wild!

The Galápagos Islands are legendary. Giant Tortoises, Blue-Footed Bobbies, Sally Lightfoot crabs, and red-lipped batfish! But if you’ve ever swum around there, you might’ve seen something really unexpected in the water.

Iguanas! Everywhere! These large marine reptiles eat the algae that grow on underwater rocks... they’re strict vegetarians! I bet the fish are happy about that! A long flat tail designed for swimming helps them move around, and sharp claws keep them on the rocks for their daily sunbathing sessions. But watch them closely, they sneeze a lot!

They haven’t got a cold or anything; they’re sneezing out salt! A special gland keeps the salt out of their nose, and they’ve got to get rid of it somehow. Sounds painful. What’s cool is that they don’t mind us in the water with them! Because the islands have been so isolated, the creatures here aren’t afraid of humans!

If picking up shells on the beach is something you like doing, make sure the shell you collect doesn’t already have an owner! Snails are everywhere in this world, and they’re mostly harmless to the touch. But there’s always one. Ruining it for everybody. Trust me. The cone snail is nothing like its land-based brothers. It’s not vegetarian!

There’re over 500 species of this venomous sea creature, with a few that can really hurt you. These little snails are extremely vicious. They inject their venom through a harpoon-like tooth. And they don’t even floss! They’re capable of paralysis, blindness, lung failure, and even worse. Best give some respect to your back-yard snails, you don’t want them calling this thing in as backup!

Want to high-five a sea creature? Well, put your flipper, I mean hand, up for the Tasmanian Red Handfish! This fish doesn’t swim like a fish. It walks! It uses its flipper-like hands to stroll around on the ocean floor. These bottom walkers are disturbed by swimmers and boats a lot! Some people even want to take them home as pets! I think it’s better to just give them a wave and swim on by!

If you think starfish love getting their photo taken, does that mean you can communicate with starfish? If you could, this one would ask you to leave it alone. It’s always grumpy! Unlike its washed-up relatives on the seashore, the Crown of Thorns Starfish is large and dangerous! These creatures occur naturally on corals, like the Great Barrier Reef! Their venom’s terrifying, even for humans!

This sea creature is covered in poisonous spines that cause intense and immediate pain... it can last longer than 3 hours! So what happens if you rub one of these things the wrong way? Nausea and vomiting... not exactly ideal for getting that perfect Instagram pic.

Pufferfish may look small and cute but handle them wrong, it’s game over! They’re a huge hit at underwater birthday parties the world over... they can turn themselves into balloons! Funnily enough, not all pufferfish are venomous with sharp spikes! Some are smooth and adorable! But the nasty ones have a highly toxic substance inside their body...

Which is weird because you could pay up to $50 for it at a restaurant! Have you ever heard of the Japanese delicacy Fugu? It’s venomous pufferfish on a plate! Young chefs spend years training to prepare it. But one wrong cut, and you can bet that customer won’t be coming back. Ever.

Sharks are the only animal immune to pufferfish toxins. Great, another thing that makes sharks awesome.