Photo Courtesy Of NASA

With so much at stake, corporate interests, bias media, revolving door politicians, and those who follow them are flooding the airwaves with false truths, and flat out propaganda to mislead and confuse the average person. And with almost unlimited funding via large corporate donors, they have made a relentless push to stop environmental action in its tracks. Here are a list of the the most common propaganda talking points they are throwing around these days, and the real truths you can use to counter them.

1. ‘Volcanoes release more Co2 than humans do each year’

This is one of the lamest and easiest to disprove pieces of propaganda that climate change deniers have been using to downplay man’s part in global Co2 emissions. According to the USGS, volcanoes, both above and below the sea release a total of 200 million tonnes of CO2 on average per year. And while that may sound like a huge amount, The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that in 2003, the man made global emissions of Co2 were at 26.8 billion tonnes. That’s right, we spew out over one hundred times as much Co2 per year as all the worlds volcanoes combined. If you want to really blow a deniers mind, after they say that its Volcanoes to blame, make them confirm that they believe volcanoes are able to alter global climate. When they agree that they believe in that, inform them of that fact that they represent less than 1% of man made Co2. Then ask them if they still believe that humans can’t be responsible for global warming if they produce 100 times as much carbon dioxide as the volcanoes.

2. ‘They call it pollution. We call it life’

This talking point about Co2 was used in a series of commercials and op-eds funded by the Competitive Enterprise Institute in 2006 and has become a favorite of climate change deniers ever since. While the CEI may be right in that without Co2, life on our planet would cease to exist. They leave out the fact that carbon dioxide is only good for life at certain levels. Once it goes above a certain ppm, it becomes toxic. If our current level of atmospheric carbon dioxide was increased by 100%, it would result in a constant feeling of drowsiness in those who breathed it. Doubling that again, would result in a narcotic effect on those exposed. And at a concentration of 5-8% it starts to create difficulty breathing, headaches, vision and hearing problems, loss of consciousness, and even death.

3. ‘Scientists predicted global cooling in the 70’s, why should we trust them now?’

The myth that just won’t die. For years now those with their heads buried in the sand have been using this one to try and discredit the current scientific consensus. And much like all the other propaganda, this one holds no water when you look at it closely. While it is true that during the 1970’s there was some talk of global cooling, but it was by no means a consensus. In fact all of it came from a very small number of scientists speculating about possible cooling. They never gave a cause, they never did any major studies, and there was never more than a few dozen reputable scientists who gave it a second thought. The reason this small speculative rumor gained so much attention back then, and still does today is that the media latched onto it like it was the 1970’s version of Y2K.

4. ‘There was record cold temps in _______ this week/year’

The drudge report loves using this one on an almost weekly basis to rile up their followers. Anytime it snows early, or a new record low temperature is recorded, the global warming deniers latch onto it and milk it for all it is worth. Little do they know how uneducated and ignorant they make themselves look to those with even a rudimentary understanding of how weather and global climate differ. And that is the truth of this situation. localized single event weather instances have no relation to long term global temperatures. If they did, Seattle wouldn’t of broken it’s records for both high and low temps over the last twelve months. On the flip side, this also means that a record high temp for one city, state or country also does not equate to proof of global warming either. Frankly, the entire subject needs to die off from both ends of the debate, as it does neither side any good.

5. ‘What about the cooling that took place in the early part of the 20th Century’

Get ready for it deniers, that period of cooling was the result of man made pollution as well. Before the introduction of the clean air act, we released so much particle pollution into the air that we literally were blocking out the suns rays to such a high degree that we lowered the earths temperature 0.2°C. Once we lessened and or banned these forms of pollution, temperatures went back to normal, and also gave us insight into how much our Co2 pollution was warming the planet now that the particle pollution wasn’t masking it.

6. ‘Global Warming Peaked in 1998, It’s Been Cooling Ever Since’

While 1998 was a record year, it was due to multiple factors with an unusually strong El Niño being the main culprit.  On top of that, according to NASA 2005 overtook 1998 as the hottest global temperature, with 2003, 2004, and 2005 trailing right behind 1998. So the trend has in fact kept going, and the notion that 1998 was the end of global warming is entirely a myth propagated by those trying to mislead the general public.

7. ‘NASA lied, 1934 Is Actually The Hottest Year’

As of last year, many global warming deniers started to throw around the year 1934 as the hottest on record. And claim that NASA screwed up their data, or even go as far as to call it a conspiracy. The truth of that is that yes, NASA did screw up, but the 1934 data now claimed as proof that global warming is a scam, is only a half truth. What they fail to mention when they bring up 1934, is that the record temperature was for the lower 48 states only. Meaning that figure represents only 2% of the entire planet. When you look at 1934 globally, it still fits the same time line that the deniers are trying to discredit with this false ‘proof’.

By Mark Johnson

A Brazilian rubber tapper turned union organizer and environmentalist. Chico Mendes was one of the earliest and most vocal opponents of the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. When rubber prices fell, and cattle ranchers started buying up the jungle and burning it to the ground, Chico organized non violent resistance movements to stop them from taking over. Unfortunately this lead to his assassination in 1988 by local ranchers intent on stopping him.

Howard Zahniser

Environmental activist Howard Zahniser was the man most responsible for the creation of the Wilderness Act of 1964. In 1956 while while working with the Wilderness Society, he drafted what would become the Wilderness Act. It took the last 8 years of his life, multiple rewrites, 18 public hearings, and him personally lobbying nearly every congressmen. Sadly, he died of heart failure a few months prior to it being signed by President Lyndon Johnson. Thanks to Howard’s hard work, over 100 million acres of land are permanently protected.

Rachel Carson

Loved by millions, hated by pro business conservatives, Rachel Carson is without a doubt the most influential and controversial environmentalist of the 20th century. Her book, Silent Spring ushered in a new era of thinking in regards to pesticide and chemical use. She opened the eyes of the entire nation to the risks posed by bio accumulation of toxins and the harm they were silently doing to us all. Her work spawned the activism that led to the creation of the EPA, which essentially used her playbook as its rules of operation.

Al Gore

These days Vice President Gore is best known for his fight against global warming, and his documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. But long before that, during his days in the house of representatives, he was one of the most ardent supporters of environmental protections. He held the very first congressional hearings on global warming, sponsored legislation on toxic waste, and presided over the Global Marshall Plan in 1990. All of this during a point in time when speaking out for the environment as an elected official was a political risk.

David Attenborough

David Attenborough has brought the wonders of the natural world into our homes and exposed millions to both the natural beauty, and destruction of our environment. Without him, the environmental and naturalist movements would be nowhere near as strong as they are thanks to his work in showing us the planet in such detail. More recently he has become very vocal with environmental causes such as deforestation, global warming and overpopulation.

James Hansen

Climatologist James Hansen has been at the forefront of global warming research for close to thirty years now. His work as head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies has given some of the most concrete proof of the dangers of global warming. He has testified before congress, taken on the Bush Administrations censorship of science, and has been one of the most vocal scientists against global warming deniers propaganda campaigns.

Paul Watson

Love him or hate him, he has been at the forefront of the environmental movement for decades. Watson has been involved with the Sierra club, Defenders of Wildlife, Was a founding member of Greenpeace, and today runs the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Which has gained him the most attention for its direct action approach to stop whaling.

Theodore Roosevelt

As the 26th President of the United States Teddy Roosevelt was the first president to really take conservation of nature and resources seriously. At a time when the world, and especially Americans only viewed the environment as something to exploit, Teddy showed us all that it was something to enjoy and respect. He was directly responsible for the protection of over 230 million acres of forest.

Gaylord Nelson

Senator Wilson was one of the first and most influential environmentalist members of Congress. He helped bring about the Clean Air Act, the banning of DDT, and the creation of the Appalachian Trail. He is best known though as the father of Earth Day, which was one of the most monumental moments in the environmental movement.

John Muir

John Muir was instrumental in the creation of the early stages of environmentalism. His founding of the Sierra Club started the initial push to protect the natural wonders of the United States. His work directly lead to the creation of Yosemite, Sequoia, Rainier, and Glacier National Parks, as well as saving the last remaining coastal redwoods in California.

By Mark Johnson

Yes camera’s can be complicated and expensive, but not so much as to warrant using a disposable piece of junk that doesn’t even take good pictures. A point and shoot digital camera can be had for under one hundred bucks these days, and used 35mm film cameras are so hard to sell that many people are giving them away. So you really have no excuse for using a disposable, other than wanting to waste resources and pollute more.

Swiffer

These one use cleaning products ranging from dusters to mops really have become popular with the lazy among us. While they do make cleaning a quick and fairly easy task, they do not clean better than a little elbow grease can do with a wet rag, or an old fashioned mop. Both of which not only cost 10x less, but last for hundreds, if not thousands of uses before having to be replaced.

Disposable Phones

Unless your a drug dealer or terrorist, you have no business throwing your money away and polluting the earth with  disposable cell phones. With all the plastics and toxins used in creating these, they are one of the worst items imaginable for a disposable product.

Non Rechargeable Batteries

This isn’t the 1990’s people, rechargeable batteries have come a really long way the last ten years. For as little as five dollars you can get four packs of high quality double or triple A batteries that will last for hundreds of charges. Which not only makes them better for the environment, but also means massive savings.

Plastic Wrap

That’s right, the magic plastic everyone has come to depend on is also horrible for the environment. It may make life easier, but there are other ways to preserve those leftovers, cover a pie, or secure a freshmen to a flagpole. For food uses, many companies now make alternatives that have elastic edges that can secure a plate or dish and are reusable.

Nonrefillable Pens

This is a product that makes no sense to not buy refillable versions of. The cheap reusable pens are the same price and the same quality as the throwaway ones. And it takes so little effort to change the ink cartridge that even a child could do it. So quit buying bulk packs of disposable pens, and instead buy one pen, and a pack of cartridges.

Styrofoam

We all know how bad this stuff is, we have all heard how long it takes to biodegrade, and yet we keep on using it. Even though there are environmentally friendly, toxin free and recyclable alternatives for food and packaging uses. Sadly, until more cities and states start banning it’s use, you will be hard pressed to avoid this one entirely.

Bottled Water

This multi billion dollar scam of a product has become so popular that we now extract, bottle and ship water thousands of miles just to be able to claim the water you are drinking came from a ‘pure’ source. Most of the companies selling bottled water don’t even source it from an aquifer, but instead get it from a municipal tap. The same tap you use for next to no cost on a daily basis. So just save yourself and the environment a lot of cost, and buy a water purifier, hook it up to your faucet, and enjoy the same quality and taste that the giant corporations tell you can only be had by their overpriced H2o.

Disposable  Audio Books

How anyone would ever consider buying a disposable audio book that costs anywhere from $20 to $50 dollars is beyond me. Nevertheless, they are being sold, and are without a doubt one of the most environmentally unfriendly products ever created.

Shopping Bags

This really has become a hot button issue lately with many cities having banned them, and hundreds more in disucssion about if they should. Proponents of plastic bags argue that they are a nesseciety, and that banning them will only hurt the poor. But the truth of the matter is that all it takes to no longer need them is keeping canvas bags around in your car, backpack or purse when you go shopping. They cost as little as one dollar each, and will last for years. So there really is no reason why anyone shouldnt make the switch today.

By Mark Johnson

By Mark Johnson

Photo By IntangibleArts

The state of consumerism has turned into a revolving door of buying poorly made, environmentally unfriendly, disposable products manufactured with planned obsolescence in mind.  The only thing that the average consumer seems to care about now being how low of a price something can be obtained at. This in turn has led to our culture becoming more wasteful than at any point in human history.

It hasn’t always been this way though, it is actually a fairly new phenomenon, taking shape over the last twenty or so years. Before that, when you bought something you bought it to last. And in many cases these well built products are still in use today. Unlike their newer counterparts which if lucky, barely last a decade. Even worse, most corporations have outsourced their production to countries with little to no environmental regulations just to save a few pennies on the dollar which are used to entice you with lower prices.

You may be asking yourself, what can you do? how can one person make a difference? Well it can be done, you can make a difference. And for those who want to break this cycle and help the environment, here are a few easy steps to make your shopping more environmentally friendly.

Get To Know The Company Before You Buy

As difficult as this may sound, it has become beyond easy to do a little bit of research from the comfort of your own home. When you have a purchase in mind, find a few different makers, Google their corporate practices in regards to the environment, labor and quality. Then make an informed decision on which to buy. It really is that simple. And by doing so, it also helps the bottom line of the corporation you feel is meeting your standards.

It’s Cheap For A Reason

That old saying of, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is, couldn’t be more correct. From child labor, environmental pollution, or just plain old poor quality. You get what you pay for. And if what you buy breaks, forcing you to buy it again and again, all you are doing is wasting money, and natural resources that could have been put to better use by building a sound, quality product the first time around. Ikea would be a prime example. Sure they have great deals on furniture, but that savings comes at the expense of deforestation of old growth forests which supply a large portion of Ikea’s supply of exotic woods. And every time that cheap piece of furniture breaks, you have to replace it again with totally new resources that will yet again be wasted on something that is not made to last.

Demand Responsible Corporate Practices

If your like many people, you probably think this is just a naive fantasy of hippies. But in truth, your voice, and actions can go a long way in making even the largest corporations change their course. Just look at all of the corporations abandoning the US Chamber of Commerce these last few weeks over their stance on global warming. Corporations like Nike, Apple, PG&E, and Exelon didn’t leave the organization because they felt it was the right thing to do, they did so because they knew it would damage their credibility with consumers who want action taken to combat global warming.

By Mark Johnson

Photo By bertdennisonphotography

Yosemite National Park is the crown jewel of the state of California’s natural wonders. Created in 1890, it is the third oldest national park in America, and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With it’s towering rock cliffs, abundant wildlife and wilderness activities for all ages, this park is something everyone should see at least once in their lives.

Olympic National Park

Photo By SanyamStudio

Washington State’s Olympic National Park along with being a World Heritage Site, is also designated an international biosphere reserve due to its unique features. Within the park resides everything from coastal beaches on the pacific ocean, temperate rainforest’s that receive more rain than anywhere else in America, all the way up to glacier capped mountains rising over 10,000 feet. With hundreds of miles of trails, an abundance of wildlife, and camping locations scattered throughout the park, you would be hard pressed to not find something to interest you here.

Yellowstone National Park

Photo By dominiq

Created in 1872, Yellowstone is the very first national park in not just America, but the entire world. The park is home to some of the most amazing geological features in the United States with its geysers, hot springs and canyons. It is also home to one of the best wildlife preserves in all of North America. With over 60 species of mammals it is the last good example of North America’s mega-fauna in their natural habitat.

Everglades National Park

Photo By ruben i

This subtropical wilderness is the largest marshland in the United States. And is without a doubt the most in danger of this countries national parks. From encroaching development and pollution, to invasive species, water diversion, and hurricanes, this park has seen it all. Yet it still remains, and is an amazing sight to see for those brave enough to mingle with everything from alligators and pythons, to panthers and a plethora of bugs.

Mount Rainier National Park

Photo By Alaskan Dude

Mount Rainier National Park contains the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states. Capped with dozens of glaciers, it rises 14,411 ft into the sky. And is especially breathtaking for the fact that its base is at an elevation of less than 1,500ft making it seem even taller. With such a large change in elevation within the park comes many different things to do and see. From hiking and camping, to photography and wildflower and wildlife watching, it is a nature lovers paradise. And also a risk takers dream come true. With more glaciers than the rest of the lower 48 states combined, and the tallest mountain, Rainier has become a one stop destination for mountaineering.

Denali National Park

Photo By Unhindered by Talent

Denali National Park is home to Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in all of North America. It is so large that it takes up over 30% of the entire park, which is close to 10,000 square miles in size. It is so remote, that it only has one road, and even then, most of it is not paved. Other than the bus tours that take you down this road, you need to be in extremely good shape to really see all this park has to offer. As almost all of the park is only accessible by hiking dozens of miles into it.

Arches National Park

Photo By Ran Z

As it’s name suggests, Arches National Park is filled with naturally formed sandstone arches. Over 2,000 of them to be precise. Located in Utah, this park is home to so many rock formations that it would take you months, if not years to see them all.

Glacier National Park

Photo by Ken Thomas

Unfortunatly this parks name will no longer suit it in the not too distant future. Glacier National Park in Montana was once home to some of the largest and most stunning Glaciers in the lower 48 states. But over the last century has seen the majority of them drastically shrink, or fully vanish into history. Even so, this park is a definite must see for those wanting to get in touch with nature. From its mountains, lakes and wildlife, any backpacker or hiker will fall in love with this place.

Grand Canyon National Park

Photo By Wolfgang Staudt

Everyone’s heard of it, millions have seen it, very few people though know just how amazing it really is. The Grand Canyon is over 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, over 6,000 feet deep, and shows over two billion years of the earths history in it. It is by far the most stunning visual presentation of geology in all of the country, and is something none should miss out on seeing at least once.

Sequoia National Park

Photo By Miguel Vieira

Sequoia National Park is home to some of tallest, and largest volume trees on the planet. The “Giant Forest” Inside the park contains five of the ten largest trees. With the prime specimen being General Sherman at 275 feet tall, and with a 102.6 foot circumference. The park is also home to hundreds of caves,  many species of wildlife, and it’s trademark trees that you can literally drive through.

By Mark Johnson

The researchers compiled this list based on which cities suffer from the most year-round particle pollution.

Bakersfield, California

Panaramio: John McCall

Pittsburgh/New Castle, Pennsylvania

Panaramio: Vladimir Kharitonov

Los Angeles/Riverside/Long Beach, California

chanceseales.wordpress.com

Visalia/Porterville, California

Panaramio: chsanfino

Birmingham/Hoover/Cullman, Alabama

Panaramio: MatthiasBy

Hanford/Corcoran, California

Panaramio: Kewaneh

Fresno/Madera, California

Panaramio: Chip Stephan

Cincinnati, Ohio

Panaramio: ST314

Detroit/Warren/Flint, Michigan

millenialmayors.org

Cleveland/Akron/Elyria, Ohio

epa.gov

By Elizabeth Wolfe

The Avenue of the Baobabs is a road in Madagascar lined with thousand year old baobab trees that are up to 100 feet tall. Their unique shape and size have made them one of the most popular tourist destinations in the entire country. Sadly this area has no conservation status, and in fact is not even designated as a park, so the risk of them being destroyed remains fairly high.

Angel Falls

Angel Falls, located on a tepui in the remote jungles of Venezuala is the tallest waterfall on earth. The falls are 3,212 ft in height, and is so tall that the water atomizes into mist before it ever reaches the bottom. To see these falls in person requires is a major undertaking though, and involves planes, river boats, and lots of hiking.

Uluru

This gigantic sandstone rock in Australia is over 1,100 feet tall and has a circumference of almost 6 miles. Depending on the time of day, this rock glows with different colors, with its most stunning being at sunset, when it becomes a bright red. It also holds strong spiritual beliefs of the local indigenous people who view it as sacred ground.

Sundarbans

The Sunderbans of Bangladesh are the largest halophytic mangrove forest on the planet. Taking up thousands of square miles, this swampy forest is home to a variety of wildlife ranging from tigers and crocodiles, to birds and deer.  Four million people also call this forest home, and as such it faces risks of development and exploitation.

Jeita Grotto

The Jeita Grotto is one of, if not the most beautiful limestone caves in the world. Located in Lebanon, this cave took millions of years to form, and has within it the worlds largest stalactite. During the Lebanese civil war it was used to house munitions, though thankfully very little damage was done to this stunning underground wonder.

Eisriesenwelt Ice Cave

Eisriesenwelt, German for World Of The Ice Giants, is the largest ice cave known to man. Formed by river erosion, the cave is filled with melting snow in the summer, which then freezes in winter creating its majestic ice formations. Located inside Hochkogel mountain in Austria, it is a very popular tourist attraction due to its unique formations and easy access via cable car.

By Mark Johnson

In 1953, Hooker chemical sold a piece of land that was used as a chemical waste dump to the Niagara falls school district for the purpose of building a school on. Knowing full well of the risks, the school district bought the land for one dollar and agreed to release hooker of all liabilities from the contamination. With the soil disturbed by building,  the entire property, along with residential neighborhoods around it become contaminated causing a plethora of health problems. The contamination at the love canal was the catalyst for the creation of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.

Minamata disease, Minamata Japan

Starting in 1908 The Chisso Corporation began producing fertilizers in Minamata, and later industrial chemicals such as acetylene and acetic acid. Unfortunately, like most chemical corporations of the era, they drained their waste into the closest body of water. In this case Minamata Bay. in 1956, after many years of dumping their waste, local residents started to come down with a myriad of symptoms ranging from numbness, loss of vision, comas, and even death. Upon investigating the cause of this outbreak, researchers identified mercury poisoning as the cause due to bio accumulation in local sea life that was the primary food source for the local population. Sadly it took 12 years for the Japanese government to finally admit the cause, by which time thousands had been exposed, and many had died. In 2001, the official total of victims had exceeded 2,100 with 1,784  already dead from exposure.

Hanford Nuclear Plant

Combine 1940’s environmental ignorance and the worlds first large scale nuclear power plant, and what you have is a recipe for disaster. As part of the Manhattan project, a secret facility was built in Washington State on the Columbia river to produce the Plutonium for the first atom bombs. During it’s early years, cooling water was drawn into the plant, then after only six hours was released back into the Columbia river. Releasing as much as 50,000 curies per day. On top of that, radioactive waste was released into the air in such large amounts that it spread as far as Oregon, Montana, and Idaho. During the cold war, Hanford was responsible for the majority of the plutonium used for the entire US nuclear arsenal, which resulted in 53 million gallons of radioactive waste that has still yet to be cleaned up.

Bhopal Disaster

In December of 1984, the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal India suffered a catastrophic failure that resulted in the release of 42 tonnes of methyl isocyanate gas. Over 2,200 people died that night, with thousands more dying over the next 72 hours. Today, it is estimated that over 25,000 have died from exposure to the gas leak. After many lawsuits, Union Carbide still has not cleaned up the remains of the plant, and close to 400 tonnes of chemicals remain at the facility.

Three Mile Island

On March 29th 1979, a partial core meltdown occurred at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant due to poorly trained staff. Over 13 million curies of radioactive gas were released into the air, making this the largest nuclear disaster in US history. Due to this event, nuclear power plant production in the US came to an almost complete halt, and to this day has not regained the popularity nuclear power once had.

Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill

On the night of December 22nd 2008, the Kingston fossil plants retention pond which contained 1.1 billion gallons of coal ash slurry broke, covering over 300 acres with up to six feet of slurry. Much of it also went down local rivers contaminating the water supply and killing wildlife. As of June of this year, only three percent has been cleaned up, and it is estimated that it could take years, and billions of dollars to remove it all.

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

In March of 1989 the Exxon Valdez, a one thousand food long oil tanker struck Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound Alaska resulting in release of 10.8 million gallons of crude oil. As many as 500,000 sea birds, 250 bald eagles, 1,000 otters, 22 orca whales, and billions of salmon died from the spill which in the end covered over 11,000,000 square miles. To this day, wildlife has not recovered, and tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil are still contaminating prince William sound.

Chernobyl

Photo By Carl Montgomery

Without a doubt the worst environmental disaster of all time. Chernobyl released so much radioactive material that it was recorded as far away as Ireland. 56 people died as a direct result of the blast, with conservative figures stating 4,000 will die from cancer. Parts of the ‘zone of alienation’ are the most polluted of any on earth, and can still give off fatal doses of radiation if one was to spend enough time in them. To this day, the reactor has not been decontaminated and poses a serious risk if it was to collapse.

By Mark Johnson

Native to the northern coasts of Australia, this basketball sized jellyfish has tentacles filled with thousands of microscopic darts that fire upon impact with a predator or prey. On top of being excruciatingly painful, it’s venom is so strong that an average sized specimen contains enough venom to kill sixty full grown adults. If left untreated, a sting from this species can be lethal in less than five minutes. With many victims dying of heart attack or drowning before they can even get back to the beach.

Hapalochlaena Lunalata – Blue Ringed Octopus

Photo By Stephen Child Via Flickr

Like many of the worlds most brightly colored species, this magnificent looking creature from the tropical waters of Australia and Asia is also very deadly. Though it is no larger than the size of a Kiwi, it has within it one of the most deadly toxins known to man. It also has the ability to change its colors to camouflage itself until it is ready to strike, making it hard to stop when swimming or wading through shallow waters. Due to its colorful body, it is also a popular addition to brave(or dumb) home aquarists.

Conus Marmoreus – The Marbled Cone Snail

This harmless looking snail fires a harpoon like stinger from the tip of its shell that releases a neurotoxin into it’s prey. This toxin is so powerful that a single drop is capable of killing 20 people with ease. Most instances of human contact with this species occur in shallow waters by either stepping on them, or by those crazy enough to pick them up. Which is fairly common due to the profitable trade in their shells.

Synanceia – The Stonefish

Photo By walknboston Via Flickr

A contender for worlds ugliest fish, it is also the most deadly fish known to man. When disturbed, it uses it’s needle shaped dorsal fin, which is coated with a toxin to immobilize and kill whatever unlucky creature came in contact with it. This species is especially dangerous for its ability to camouflage itself into the color and shape of a rock. Making it very easy to step on one not knowing what it is until its too late.

Phoneutria Nigriventer – The Brazilian Wandering Spider

Recently listed by Guinness as the worlds deadliest spider, the Brazilian Wandering spider is also one of the most aggressive and fearless creatures on this list. Native to South and Central America, they get their name due to their habit of wandering the jungle floors at night looking for prey. During the day, they will nest in warm dark places, and  are especially fond of going inside peoples homes which leads to most human bites and fatalities. They are also good hitchhikers and have been known to sneak into shipments of Bananas to other parts of the world on a fairly regular basis.

Oxyuranus Microlepidotus – The Inland Taipan

Photo By Jen 64 Via Flickr

Another Australia native, the Inland Taipan is the worlds most venomous snake. One bite releases enough venom to kill one hundred fully grown adults. Thankfully there has been zero recorded fatalities by this snake due to its shy and docile nature. Along with the creation of a very potent anti-venom.

Dendroaspis Polylepis – The Black Mamba

The black mamba while not having as potent a venom as the Inland Taipan is much more deadly due to its behavior and size.  Native to over half of Africa, these highly aggressive snake grows up to fourteen feet in length and is feared for its habit of striking its prey multiple times per attack. With each bite releasing more of its deadly venom. And if that wasn’t bad enough, it is also the fasted snake in the world, with an estimated top speed of twelve miles per hour.

Enhydrina Schistosa – Beaked Sea Snake

This sea snake which is found in the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf is the deadliest of all sea snakes. It has a venom that is more potent than that of a king cobra, but much like the Inland Taipan is very docile in nature. In fact this sea snake so rarely bites humans that fishermen in India will grab them with their bare hands and release them from their fishing nets when they get caught.

Takifugu – Pufferfish

This Genus of Puffer fish, which contains 25 different species has a poison that is 1200 times more potent than cyanide. Though the fish itself is not what creates the poison, instead it is a bacteria that the fish eats that creates the neurotoxin. In japan, the fish is an expensive delicacy that is cooked by specially trained chefs. Even with these precautions multiple deaths are still attributed to eating this fish each year.

Phyllobates Terribilis- The Golden Poison Frog

Photo By Tambako the Jaguar Via Flickr

This cute little amphibian lays claim to being the most poisonous vertebrate in the world. A single gram of this toxin is capable of killing up to 15,000 humans. Like the Puffer fish, the frog itself is not what creates the poison, and in captivity these frogs are perfectly harmless.  Instead it is thought the toxin comes from an insect, most likely a beetle in Columbia which produces the toxin.

By Mark Johnson