What animal would you most like to avoid being bitten by? Shark is natural go to. 100 years ago when malaria was still a potent killer, a mosquito bite was certainly a bite to fear. There are, of course, the animals whose sheer power in their bite instills terror e.g. the lion.
There are, however, a number of wild cards, animals whose bite or sting you’d never think about when asked the above question. We’ve compiled a short list of wild cards to enlighten you on this subject…and maybe scare you a little too.
Domestic Cats
That’s right, domestic cats, so we’re not talking about the ones that live on the African savannas. Cats bites are notorious for spreading bacterial infections, often pretty nasty ones. And the rate of infection is insanely high: 80% of all people with cat bites get infected. Here are a few common and debilitating infections they can cause:
- Pasteurellosis Infection: After receiving this from a bite, it takes 2 to 12 hours for symptoms to set in. Pain, reddening and swelling in the area where the cat has bitten. Sounds standard, except that these spread throughout the body. If the cat bites on the hand, the infection develops in the hand’s tissue, tendons or, if you’re really unlucky, the bones.
- Streptococcal Infection: This bacterial infection causes chronic illness, kidney diseases, swelling and reddening in the area of the bite. Steadily the pain and swelling progress through the whole body.
- Staphylococcal Infection: This is probably the most serious one. It leads to skin infection, even blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Komodo Dragons
Good thing is, you probably won’t have to deal with one of these guys in your everyday life. These are the world’s largest lizards, but scientists had previously thought they killed their prey with the power of their bite. Instead, they deliver an extremely potent venom.
Scientists from the University of Melbourne studied the komodo’s bite and found it quite weak when compared to other predators. It was thanks to MRI scans that the scientists discovered venom glands that hadn’t been discovered before. The venom is quite powerful, causing a sharp drop in blood pressure and inhibits blood clotting.
Stonefish
It’s not its bite, but its sting that will do you in. Perhaps that’s more devious. It doesn’t even see itself as a predator to humans, but one nick—and I mean one nick—and you’re in serious trouble. They are the most lethal fish in the sea and are more than capable of dealing lethal blows.
They’re native to Australia, occupying underwater sites frequented by tourists. The Aborigines knew very well of the stonefish, even developing a corroboree in which they danced a re-enactment of being stung and killed by this fish. A survivor of an encounter said that he had recurring kidney pains for several years after being stung.
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