7/27/2019 7 Tiny but Deadly Creatures http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/7-tiny-but-deadly-creatures 1/7 Page 1 of 77 tiny but deadly creatures They say you shouldn't sweat the small stuff, but you might reconsider that notion after looking at this list. It just so happens that many of the deadliest creatures on Earth are also some of the tiniest (like the deathstalker scorpion shown here.) In fact, it's the diminutive size of these animals that makes them so terrifying: you might never see them coming. [01] Poison dart frogs Bright colors in nature are often a sign of danger, and these flamboyant little frogs are no exception. The potent toxin secreted from their skin has been used by indigenous peoples in Central and South America to poison the tips of blowdarts. The most deadly species, the golden poison frog, carries enough toxin on average to kill 10 to 20 men. That's impressive for a creature that only grows to about 1.5 inches in size.
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They say you shouldn't sweat the small stuff, but you might reconsider that notion afterlooking at this list. It just so happens that many of the deadliest creatures on Earth are also
some of the tiniest (like the deathstalker scorpion shown here.) In fact, it's the diminutive
size of these animals that makes them so terrifying: you might never see them coming.
[01] Poison dart frogsBright colors in nature are often a sign of danger, and these flamboyant little frogs are no
exception. The potent toxin secreted from their skin has been used by indigenous peoples inCentral and South America to poison the tips of blowdarts.
The most deadly species, the golden poison frog, carries enough toxin on average to kill 10
to 20 men. That's impressive for a creature that only grows to about 1.5 inches in size.
[02] Tsetse fly Houseflies aren't the most charismatic of insects, but be thankful they aren't tsetse flies.
Though roughly similar to a housefly in appearance (and shown in close-up here, just to
make you squirm), tsetse flies come equipped with a large proboscis, which they use to feed
on the blood of large vertebrates. (Yes, that includes humans).
That appetite for blood makes them a vector — meaning they transmit disease, in this case
trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness. It's estimated that as many as 300,000 people areinfected with this debilitating disease, which results in swelling of the brain.
Few creatures are as vile as the flea. These tiny, wingless, blood-sucking parasites areconsidered unsanitary for a reason: they spread disease. In fact, fleas were the vectors for
one of the deadliest pandemics in history, the Black Death, also known as the bubonic
plague.
Though the plague is uncommon today, it does still exist. Between 1,000 and 2,000 cases
[05] Indian red scorpion Widely considered to be the most lethal scorpion in the world, the Indian red scorpion is big,
bad news in a small package. The creature only grows to about 50-90 millimeters in size,
but that just makes it more difficult to detect. If you're traveling in their home range of India, Pakistan, Nepal or Sri Lanka, make sure to shake out your boots before putting them