You Can't Make This Stuff Up!

[Lee Stewart]

Crocodiles kill around 1,000 people per year and Nile crocodiles – found mostly in Egypt – are the deadliest, with an estimated 200 people falling victim to their prehistoric-looking jaws each year. But they don’t set out to hunt humans – it’s simply that to a croc lurking in the river, pretty much any flesh is fair game, from fish to zebra. And few stand a chance. The reptiles weigh up to 1,650 pounds (748kg) and are capable of biting with a force of 3,700 pounds (1,678kg) per square inch, rivaling the jaws of a T. rex.

[Lee Stewart]

Alligator attacks on humans are relatively rare, with Florida statistics showing there were 413 unprovoked bites, 25 of those resulting in death, between 1948 and 2019. Found mostly in Florida and other US states including Louisiana and Mississippi, they tend to be more shy of humans – and choosier about what they eat – than crocs. Nevertheless, their strong jaws can cause serious damage to humans, especially as our habitat encroaches more on theirs.

[Lee Stewart]

It’s not surprising that great white sharks are almost universally feared. They’re the world’s largest predatory fish, growing up to 20 feet (6m) long and weighing around 5,000 pounds (2,267kg). They can also slice through the water, torpedo-like, at up to 15 miles per hour (24km ph). Oh, and they have up to 30 razor-sharp teeth that they use to snare their prey. But they aren’t quite as murderous as Jaws might suggest: 10 people died from shark bites in 2020, with an annual average of four.

[Lee Stewart]

These pretty, marble-shelled mollusks are equipped with a needle-like tooth that injects prey with venom. Cone snails launch this to latch onto a target, paralyzing their victim. Some use this brutal technique to feed on worms while others feed on fish, and it’s the latter – particularly the geography cone snail – that’s potent enough to kill humans. Found around the Caribbean, Hawaii, Florida and Indonesia, they’re also known as cigarette snails because the poison acts so quickly there’s just enough time to light up before you die.

[Lee Stewart]

It’s reported that around 30 people die each year in the US as a result of ant bites, with fire ants – accidentally introduced from South America – the deadliest. The brownish-red ants are particularly fearsome because they tend to be so aggressive, more likely to persistently attack people than other ant species. Their bites are severe, causing itchy, painful red welts and, in severe cases, potentially fatal anaphylactic shock.

[Lee Stewart]

Hornets are basically enormous wasps, at least in looks, which makes them terrifying enough. Most species avoid people and aren’t aggressive, but that isn’t the case with the Asian giant hornet. Roughly as big as the average human thumb, they’re fiercely protective of their colonies and, if threatened, will inflict a sting that’s been compared to a red-hot needle with pain lasting days. One hornet has enough venom to kill 10 mice, while multiple stings can kill humans regardless of allergies. In Japan, between 30 and 50 deaths are attributed to the insects each year.

[Lee Stewart]

Komodo dragons, endemic to Indonesia’s Lesser Sunda Islands, grow up to 10 feet (3m) long and weigh around 330 pounds (150kg) – and they’re fearsome predators. After ambushing their prey, they inflict a razor-sharp bite that releases a potent venom, causing shock and preventing clotting so victims bleed to death. They will also stalk bite victims relentlessly, waiting for the poison to kick in. Five people have been killed by the reptiles since 1974, according to Komodo National Park.

[Lee Stewart]

Slow lorises may be among the cutest-looking creatures but they can actually be deadly. The rare mammals, who have the coloring and twisting movement of a cobra, live in the rainforests of South and Southeast Asia and are the only venomous primates. When threatened, they lick toxic-secreting glands, mixing venom with saliva for a bite that can cause anaphylactic shock and even death in humans. Slow lorises are currently endangered due to habitat loss and illegal medicine and pet trades, with hunters often clipping the teeth.

[Too Many Projects]

Originally Posted by Lee Stewart

The town of Unionville in Maryland got a record-breaking drenching on 4 July 1956 when 1.23 inches (3.12cm) of rain fell in just one minute. According to the World Meteorological Organization, it is the greatest rainfall to ever fall in one minute and be reliably recorded to date.

We moved to a new location in Sept 2019. The next spring was rainy and I was trying to get a driveway put in to the new building I'd had put up in the backyard. We didn't have a rain gauge at the new place, so I went to Fleet Farm and got a BIG one. When I got home my wife said " I hope I never see that full"....... It was predicted to rain overnight. We were woken a few times by pounding rain and in the morning there was 5.5" in the gauge. By the time it stopped later that day, it topped out at 6". Communities 7-8 miles East of us had 14-16" overnight and roads and bridges on township and county roads that had stood for 50 years were wiped out in flash floods.

Moral of the story, never make a comment about something that Mother Nature just might feel like making come true.

[Lee Stewart]