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  • You've been bitten!

  • And, uh-oh, it's venomous.

  • How long have you got?

  • Well, that depends on a few factors, including the potency, dose delivered, and speed of distribution.

  • Turns out, not all venoms act the same way.

  • Here are the animals with the fastest acting venom on earth.

  • First up, spiders.

  • There are around 40,000 species of spider and most are venomous.

  • But, thankfully, only a handful pose a threat to humans, including the male Sydney Funnel-web Spider.

  • Its venom is 60 times as potent as cyanide and can kill a human in one to two hours.

  • The venom attacks the nervous system, kicking it into overdrive until, ultimately, it shuts down.

  • Of course, spiders aren't the only venomous animals in Australia.

  • It's home to 20 of the world's 25 deadliest snakes, including the Eastern Brown Snake which is responsible for the most snakebite deaths in the country.

  • Its venom is 8,000 times stronger than cyanide and can kill a human in about one hour.

  • Its venom also attacks the central nervous system but, this time, it slows everything down.

  • And, to top it off, the venom has a coagulant that causes the blood in your veins and arteries to clot.

  • Between the two, it's not a good way to go.

  • Now, at this point, you might consider switching your Australian safari to a scuba dive, just to be on the safe side.

  • But, venomous animals live in Australian waters too, like the Blue-ringed Octopus.

  • Its venom is 1,000 times more toxic than cyanide and it'll bring down a human in just 20 to 40 minutes.

  • Bacteria in its saliva makes an extremely potent neurotoxin which paralyzes your muscles.

  • And, once that paralysis hits your diaphragm and rib muscles, you have only a few minutes before you suffocate to death.

  • But another marine animal is even deadlier.

  • The fastest acting venom on earth belongs to the Australian Box Jellyfish, or Sea Wasp.

  • It's not the most potent venom out there at 2,000 times stronger than cyanide, but encounter one of these guys and you'll be dead in 15 minutes.

  • That's because their tentacles are covered with tiny, venom-loaded darts called nematocysts, which shoot heart-stopping toxins into the body wherever they make contact.

  • All of this sounds pretty scary but, remember, you're less likely to die by venomous spider than by car crashes and infection, or disease.

  • And, it's not like these animals are after you anyway.

  • They'd just as well prefer that you stick to your own habitat.

  • But, still, be smart, be respectful, be safe.

  • Tell us the scariest animal encounter you've ever had, and thanks for watching.

You've been bitten!

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