5. Tarantula hawks.
“Tarantula hawks are a species of wasps that hunt fucking tarantulas. They are also one of only three genus of animals who’s toxins receive the highest rating on the Schmidt pain index.”
6. Outer space.
“Outer space. Either we are alone out there or not—both are equally terrifying.”
7. Gympie-gympie leaves.
“The gympie-gympie leaves that have small, hollow, toxin-filled hairs on them. The pain from touching them is said to feel like your skin is being burned off with acid and can last for months and even years if all the hairs don’t get removed. Allegedly, one guy used the leaf as toilet paper and the pain was so bad he killed himself.”
8. The manchineel tree.
“The manchineel takes the cake on ‘scary fucken trees.’
Literally every part of the tree is toxic, some of the toxins we haven’t even identified yet, they’re brand-new to us and only found in the manchineel. It has little apples that look delicious and taste delicious, and slightly peppery. The peppery feeling very quickly proceeds to a severe burning sensation and anaphylactic shock, as your esophagus, trachea, and bronchial tubes all begin to swell shut. The sap blisters skin and can permanently blind you. It grows all over the Caribbean, in Florida, in Mexico, in Central America, and the northern parts of South America. Historically, the Carib Natives would use manchineel leaves to poison the water supplies of rival tribes. There are now signs and markings at most manchineel trees, indicating in various languages that you don’t touch it, eat things from it, get near it, pick up the leaves that have fallen, nothing.”
