World's Hardest Creature IX: NOMINATIONS

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

I'm not sure there's value in having Nile and Saltwater crocs as separate competitors, unless someone can state a clear point of difference between the two.

Thats my thinking too. A quick google search says that on average the salt water is a little larger and more aggressive. I think I'll just go with the salt water croc.

 

[perseus]

Golden Eagle

Watch out, Rudolph! Golden eagles in Norway regularly prey on reindeer calves, and have even been seen taking on adults – particularly in early winter following bouts of bad weather.

The eagles, which have a wingspan of around 2 metres, land on the reindeer’s back and sink their long talons into it, puncturing large blood vessels under the spine. Then they wait for the deer to die from blood loss.



Just stick the talons into the wolf's skull at a 100 mph.
This is according to field observations made by Olav Strand at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, who says he has seen eagles kill adult deer weighing as much as 60 kilograms.

https://www.newscientist.com/articl...-the-eagles-hunting-adult-reindeer-in-norway/

Golden eagles live across the northern hemisphere. Their usual prey includes hares, rabbits, grouse and ground squirrels, but they have also been seen hunting large mammals such as wolves, sheep and saiga antelope. When diving for prey, they can reach speeds of 240 kilometres per hour.

 

[Hugo Rune]

Thats the Cayman out then

Oh yeah. Here is a Croc being beaten by some cats:

 

[Withdean11]

Watch out, Rudolph! Golden eagles in Norway regularly prey on reindeer calves, and have even been seen taking on adults – particularly in early winter following bouts of bad weather.

The eagles, which have a wingspan of around 2 metres, land on the reindeer’s back and sink their long talons into it, puncturing large blood vessels under the spine. Then they wait for the deer to die from blood loss.

View attachment 71172

Just stick the talons into the wolf's skull at a 100 mph.
This is according to field observations made by Olav Strand at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, who says he has seen eagles kill adult deer weighing as much as 60 kilograms.

https://www.newscientist.com/articl...-the-eagles-hunting-adult-reindeer-in-norway/

Golden eagles live across the northern hemisphere. Their usual prey includes hares, rabbits, grouse and ground squirrels, but they have also been seen hunting large mammals such as wolves, sheep and saiga antelope. When diving for prey, they can reach speeds of 240 kilometres per hour.

No. Eagles should be banned from this. Bloody chavs.

 

[AlbionPics&SouthCoastTwit]

The Polar Bear won the first 2 WHCs then sat out the next three competitions. When it re-entered in 2013 it won again.

It is basically retired cause it has won every WHC it's ever entered.

It seems to have "polarized" this competition between those who want to disqualify it for "winning too much" and those who think it should win every year.

 

[perseus]

The Squeeze (Crocs getting beat up again!)

He saw an animal as smooth as glass
Slithering his way through the grass
Saw him disappear by a tree near a lake . . .

Read more: http://www.bobdylan.com/us/songs/man-gave-names-all-animals#ixzz3wNYWzdsE



"After the crocodile had died, the snake uncoiled itself, came around to the front, and started to eat the crocodile, face-first," she added.

 

[perseus]

Greater Black-backed Seagull finishing off the remains of a shark

 

[perseus]

Sperm Whale 2016

"With its huge, scarred head halfway out of the water and its tail beating the ocean into a white-water wake more than forty feet across, the whale approached the ship at twice its original speed--at least six knots. With a tremendous cracking and splintering of oak, it struck the ship just beneath the anchor secured at the cat-head on the port bow. . ."

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/06...&tag=smithsonianco-20&linkId=ZVOFWFONNCGXWO4K

The Sperm Whale wants to be the large critter of 2016

 

[Gullflyinghigh]

That field looks EXCELLENT by the way. Loads of actual hardness.

i reckon the Rhino could be a dark horse.

I'm no animal expert but I'm fairly certain that a Rhino is not a dark horse. That would just be a dark horse.

 

[perseus]

Blue-ringed Octopus
Sting Ray
Colossal Squid
Black Mamba
Rabbit: the most dangerous animal in England, setting traps for off road cyclists and unwary walkers.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Black Mamba.

Seconded

 

[Frutos]

Sting Ray.

Seconded

 

[sydney]

I'm not sure there's value in having Nile and Saltwater crocs as separate competitors, unless someone can state a clear point of difference between the two.

they are basically the same creature i think......have seen both close up in the wild.....the croc in the vid above is a little freshie or possibly a caiman .......@ 3mtrs max as opposed to 7-8 mtrs for the nile /salty.

 

[ShanklySeagull]

The Inland Taipan - the worlds most venomous snake bar none - below is some detail on its less venemous costal cousin. Only the Inland Taipan has enough venom to kill 289 people with a single bite whereas its coastal cousin only managed to kill 56 people.
For a 'hard as' rating you want this snake watching your back in a bar-fight...


The Coastal taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus scutellatus) is a large, highly venomous Australian elapid that ranges in an arc along the east coast of Australia from northeastern New South Wales through Queensland and across the northern parts of the Northern Territory to northern Western Australia. It has one subspecies, the Papuan taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus canni). The Papuan taipan is found throughout the southern parts of the island of New Guinea. This snake can be highly aggressive when cornered and will actively defend itself.[61] They are extremely nervous and alert snakes, and any movement near them is likely to trigger an attack. When threatened, this species adopts a loose striking stance with its head and forebody raised. It inflates and compresses its body laterally (not dorso-ventrally like many other species) and may also spread the back of its jaws to give the head a broader, lance-shaped appearance. In this position the snake will strike without much provocation, inflicting multiple bites with extreme accuracy and efficiency. The muscular lightweight body of the Taipan allows it to hurl itself forwards or sideways and reach high off the ground, and such is the speed of the attack that a person may be bitten several times before realizing the snake is there.[62] This snake is considered to be one of the most venomous in the world. Ernst and Zug et al. 1996 and the Australian venom and toxin database both list a LD50 value of 0.106 mg/kg for subcutaneous injection.[10][63] Engelmann and Obst (1981) list a value of 0.12 mg/kg SC, with an average venom yield of 120 mg per bite and a maximum record of 400 mg.[64] To demonstrate just how deadly this species is, an estimate was made on the number of mice and adult human fatalities it is capable of causing in a single bite that yields the maximum dose of 400 mg. Based on the study by Ernst and Zug et al. 1996, which listed the LD50 of the coastal taipan at 0.106 mg SC and a venom yield of 400 mg, this would be sufficient enough to kill 208,019 mice and 59 adult humans in a single bite that delivers 400 mg of venom. The venom apparatus of this species is well developed. The fangs are the longest of any Australian elapid snake, being up to 12 millimetres (1.2 cm; 0.47 in) long, and are able to be brought forward slightly when a strike is contemplated. Coastal taipans can inject large amounts of highly toxic venom deep into tissue. Its venom contains primarily taicatoxin, a highly potent neurotoxin known to cause hemolytic and coagulopathic reactions.[61] The venom affects the nervous system and the blood’s ability to clot, and bite victims may experience headache, nausea and vomiting, collapse, convulsions (especially in children), paralysis, internal bleeding, myolysis (destruction of muscle tissue) and kidney damage. In a single study done in Papua New Guinea, 166 patients with enzyme immunoassay-proven bites by Papuan taipans (Oxyuranus scutellatus canni) were studied in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Of the 166 bite victims, 139 (84%) showed clinical evidence of envenoming: local signs were trivial, but the majority developed hemostatic disorders and neurotoxicity. The blood of 77% of the patients was incoagulable and 35% bled spontaneously, usually from the gums. Microhematuria was observed in 51% of the patients. Neurotoxic symptoms (ptosis, ophthalmoplegia, bulbar paralysis, and peripheral muscular weakness) developed in 85%. Endotracheal intubation was required in 42% and mechanical ventilation in 37%. Electrocardiographic (ECG or EKG) abnormalities were found in 52% of a group of 69 unselected patients. Specific antivenom raised against Australian taipan venom was effective in stopping spontaneous systemic bleeding and restoring blood coagulability but, in most cases, it neither reversed nor prevented the evolution of paralysis even when given within a few hours of the bite. However, early antivenom treatment was associated statistically with decreased incidence and severity of neurotoxic signs. The low case fatality rate of 4.3% is attributable mainly to the use of mechanical ventilation, a technique rarely available in Papua New Guinea. Earlier use of increased doses of antivenoms of improved specificity might prove more effective.[65] The onset of symptoms is often rapid, and a bite from this species is a life-threatening medical emergency. Prior to the introduction of specific antivenom by the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories in 1956, a coastal taipan bite was nearly always fatal. In case of severe envenomation, death can occur as early as 30 minutes after being bitten, but average death time after a bite is around 3–6 hours and it is variable, depending on various factors such as the nature of the bite and the health state of the victim.[61] Envenomation rate is very high, over 80% of bites inject venom. The mortality rate among untreated bite victims is nearly 100%.[61][66]

 

[vegster]

The Inland Taipan - the worlds most venomous snake bar none - below is some detail on its less venemous costal cousin. Only the Inland Taipan has enough venom to kill 289 people with a single bite whereas its coastal cousin only managed to kill 56 people.
For a 'hard as' rating you want this snake watching your back in a bar-fight...


The Coastal taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus scutellatus) is a large, highly venomous Australian elapid that ranges in an arc along the east coast of Australia from northeastern New South Wales through Queensland and across the northern parts of the Northern Territory to northern Western Australia. It has one subspecies, the Papuan taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus canni). The Papuan taipan is found throughout the southern parts of the island of New Guinea. This snake can be highly aggressive when cornered and will actively defend itself.[61] They are extremely nervous and alert snakes, and any movement near them is likely to trigger an attack. When threatened, this species adopts a loose striking stance with its head and forebody raised. It inflates and compresses its body laterally (not dorso-ventrally like many other species) and may also spread the back of its jaws to give the head a broader, lance-shaped appearance. In this position the snake will strike without much provocation, inflicting multiple bites with extreme accuracy and efficiency. The muscular lightweight body of the Taipan allows it to hurl itself forwards or sideways and reach high off the ground, and such is the speed of the attack that a person may be bitten several times before realizing the snake is there.[62] This snake is considered to be one of the most venomous in the world. Ernst and Zug et al. 1996 and the Australian venom and toxin database both list a LD50 value of 0.106 mg/kg for subcutaneous injection.[10][63] Engelmann and Obst (1981) list a value of 0.12 mg/kg SC, with an average venom yield of 120 mg per bite and a maximum record of 400 mg.[64] To demonstrate just how deadly this species is, an estimate was made on the number of mice and adult human fatalities it is capable of causing in a single bite that yields the maximum dose of 400 mg. Based on the study by Ernst and Zug et al. 1996, which listed the LD50 of the coastal taipan at 0.106 mg SC and a venom yield of 400 mg, this would be sufficient enough to kill 208,019 mice and 59 adult humans in a single bite that delivers 400 mg of venom. The venom apparatus of this species is well developed. The fangs are the longest of any Australian elapid snake, being up to 12 millimetres (1.2 cm; 0.47 in) long, and are able to be brought forward slightly when a strike is contemplated. Coastal taipans can inject large amounts of highly toxic venom deep into tissue. Its venom contains primarily taicatoxin, a highly potent neurotoxin known to cause hemolytic and coagulopathic reactions.[61] The venom affects the nervous system and the blood’s ability to clot, and bite victims may experience headache, nausea and vomiting, collapse, convulsions (especially in children), paralysis, internal bleeding, myolysis (destruction of muscle tissue) and kidney damage. In a single study done in Papua New Guinea, 166 patients with enzyme immunoassay-proven bites by Papuan taipans (Oxyuranus scutellatus canni) were studied in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Of the 166 bite victims, 139 (84%) showed clinical evidence of envenoming: local signs were trivial, but the majority developed hemostatic disorders and neurotoxicity. The blood of 77% of the patients was incoagulable and 35% bled spontaneously, usually from the gums. Microhematuria was observed in 51% of the patients. Neurotoxic symptoms (ptosis, ophthalmoplegia, bulbar paralysis, and peripheral muscular weakness) developed in 85%. Endotracheal intubation was required in 42% and mechanical ventilation in 37%. Electrocardiographic (ECG or EKG) abnormalities were found in 52% of a group of 69 unselected patients. Specific antivenom raised against Australian taipan venom was effective in stopping spontaneous systemic bleeding and restoring blood coagulability but, in most cases, it neither reversed nor prevented the evolution of paralysis even when given within a few hours of the bite. However, early antivenom treatment was associated statistically with decreased incidence and severity of neurotoxic signs. The low case fatality rate of 4.3% is attributable mainly to the use of mechanical ventilation, a technique rarely available in Papua New Guinea. Earlier use of increased doses of antivenoms of improved specificity might prove more effective.[65] The onset of symptoms is often rapid, and a bite from this species is a life-threatening medical emergency. Prior to the introduction of specific antivenom by the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories in 1956, a coastal taipan bite was nearly always fatal. In case of severe envenomation, death can occur as early as 30 minutes after being bitten, but average death time after a bite is around 3–6 hours and it is variable, depending on various factors such as the nature of the bite and the health state of the victim.[61] Envenomation rate is very high, over 80% of bites inject venom. The mortality rate among untreated bite victims is nearly 100%.[61][66]

If ever there was a reason for not visiting Australia... We have it now.

 

[Frutos]

The Inland Taipan - the worlds most venomous snake bar none - below is some detail on its less venemous costal cousin. Only the Inland Taipan has enough venom to kill 289 people with a single bite whereas its coastal cousin only managed to kill 56 people.
For a 'hard as' rating you want this snake watching your back in a bar-fight...


The Coastal taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus scutellatus) is a large, highly venomous Australian elapid that ranges in an arc along the east coast of Australia from northeastern New South Wales through Queensland and across the northern parts of the Northern Territory to northern Western Australia. It has one subspecies, the Papuan taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus canni). The Papuan taipan is found throughout the southern parts of the island of New Guinea. This snake can be highly aggressive when cornered and will actively defend itself.[61] They are extremely nervous and alert snakes, and any movement near them is likely to trigger an attack. When threatened, this species adopts a loose striking stance with its head and forebody raised. It inflates and compresses its body laterally (not dorso-ventrally like many other species) and may also spread the back of its jaws to give the head a broader, lance-shaped appearance. In this position the snake will strike without much provocation, inflicting multiple bites with extreme accuracy and efficiency. The muscular lightweight body of the Taipan allows it to hurl itself forwards or sideways and reach high off the ground, and such is the speed of the attack that a person may be bitten several times before realizing the snake is there.[62] This snake is considered to be one of the most venomous in the world. Ernst and Zug et al. 1996 and the Australian venom and toxin database both list a LD50 value of 0.106 mg/kg for subcutaneous injection.[10][63] Engelmann and Obst (1981) list a value of 0.12 mg/kg SC, with an average venom yield of 120 mg per bite and a maximum record of 400 mg.[64] To demonstrate just how deadly this species is, an estimate was made on the number of mice and adult human fatalities it is capable of causing in a single bite that yields the maximum dose of 400 mg. Based on the study by Ernst and Zug et al. 1996, which listed the LD50 of the coastal taipan at 0.106 mg SC and a venom yield of 400 mg, this would be sufficient enough to kill 208,019 mice and 59 adult humans in a single bite that delivers 400 mg of venom. The venom apparatus of this species is well developed. The fangs are the longest of any Australian elapid snake, being up to 12 millimetres (1.2 cm; 0.47 in) long, and are able to be brought forward slightly when a strike is contemplated. Coastal taipans can inject large amounts of highly toxic venom deep into tissue. Its venom contains primarily taicatoxin, a highly potent neurotoxin known to cause hemolytic and coagulopathic reactions.[61] The venom affects the nervous system and the blood’s ability to clot, and bite victims may experience headache, nausea and vomiting, collapse, convulsions (especially in children), paralysis, internal bleeding, myolysis (destruction of muscle tissue) and kidney damage. In a single study done in Papua New Guinea, 166 patients with enzyme immunoassay-proven bites by Papuan taipans (Oxyuranus scutellatus canni) were studied in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Of the 166 bite victims, 139 (84%) showed clinical evidence of envenoming: local signs were trivial, but the majority developed hemostatic disorders and neurotoxicity. The blood of 77% of the patients was incoagulable and 35% bled spontaneously, usually from the gums. Microhematuria was observed in 51% of the patients. Neurotoxic symptoms (ptosis, ophthalmoplegia, bulbar paralysis, and peripheral muscular weakness) developed in 85%. Endotracheal intubation was required in 42% and mechanical ventilation in 37%. Electrocardiographic (ECG or EKG) abnormalities were found in 52% of a group of 69 unselected patients. Specific antivenom raised against Australian taipan venom was effective in stopping spontaneous systemic bleeding and restoring blood coagulability but, in most cases, it neither reversed nor prevented the evolution of paralysis even when given within a few hours of the bite. However, early antivenom treatment was associated statistically with decreased incidence and severity of neurotoxic signs. The low case fatality rate of 4.3% is attributable mainly to the use of mechanical ventilation, a technique rarely available in Papua New Guinea. Earlier use of increased doses of antivenoms of improved specificity might prove more effective.[65] The onset of symptoms is often rapid, and a bite from this species is a life-threatening medical emergency. Prior to the introduction of specific antivenom by the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories in 1956, a coastal taipan bite was nearly always fatal. In case of severe envenomation, death can occur as early as 30 minutes after being bitten, but average death time after a bite is around 3–6 hours and it is variable, depending on various factors such as the nature of the bite and the health state of the victim.[61] Envenomation rate is very high, over 80% of bites inject venom. The mortality rate among untreated bite victims is nearly 100%.[61][66]

Seconded.

 

[Chicken Run]

The Inland Taipan - the worlds most venomous snake bar none - below is some detail on its less venemous costal cousin. Only the Inland Taipan has enough venom to kill 289 people with a single bite whereas its coastal cousin only managed to kill 56 people.
For a 'hard as' rating you want this snake watching your back in a bar-fight...


The Coastal taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus scutellatus) is a large, highly venomous Australian elapid that ranges in an arc along the east coast of Australia from northeastern New South Wales through Queensland and across the northern parts of the Northern Territory to northern Western Australia. It has one subspecies, the Papuan taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus canni). The Papuan taipan is found throughout the southern parts of the island of New Guinea. This snake can be highly aggressive when cornered and will actively defend itself.[61] They are extremely nervous and alert snakes, and any movement near them is likely to trigger an attack. When threatened, this species adopts a loose striking stance with its head and forebody raised. It inflates and compresses its body laterally (not dorso-ventrally like many other species) and may also spread the back of its jaws to give the head a broader, lance-shaped appearance. In this position the snake will strike without much provocation, inflicting multiple bites with extreme accuracy and efficiency. The muscular lightweight body of the Taipan allows it to hurl itself forwards or sideways and reach high off the ground, and such is the speed of the attack that a person may be bitten several times before realizing the snake is there.[62] This snake is considered to be one of the most venomous in the world. Ernst and Zug et al. 1996 and the Australian venom and toxin database both list a LD50 value of 0.106 mg/kg for subcutaneous injection.[10][63] Engelmann and Obst (1981) list a value of 0.12 mg/kg SC, with an average venom yield of 120 mg per bite and a maximum record of 400 mg.[64] To demonstrate just how deadly this species is, an estimate was made on the number of mice and adult human fatalities it is capable of causing in a single bite that yields the maximum dose of 400 mg. Based on the study by Ernst and Zug et al. 1996, which listed the LD50 of the coastal taipan at 0.106 mg SC and a venom yield of 400 mg, this would be sufficient enough to kill 208,019 mice and 59 adult humans in a single bite that delivers 400 mg of venom. The venom apparatus of this species is well developed. The fangs are the longest of any Australian elapid snake, being up to 12 millimetres (1.2 cm; 0.47 in) long, and are able to be brought forward slightly when a strike is contemplated. Coastal taipans can inject large amounts of highly toxic venom deep into tissue. Its venom contains primarily taicatoxin, a highly potent neurotoxin known to cause hemolytic and coagulopathic reactions.[61] The venom affects the nervous system and the blood’s ability to clot, and bite victims may experience headache, nausea and vomiting, collapse, convulsions (especially in children), paralysis, internal bleeding, myolysis (destruction of muscle tissue) and kidney damage. In a single study done in Papua New Guinea, 166 patients with enzyme immunoassay-proven bites by Papuan taipans (Oxyuranus scutellatus canni) were studied in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Of the 166 bite victims, 139 (84%) showed clinical evidence of envenoming: local signs were trivial, but the majority developed hemostatic disorders and neurotoxicity. The blood of 77% of the patients was incoagulable and 35% bled spontaneously, usually from the gums. Microhematuria was observed in 51% of the patients. Neurotoxic symptoms (ptosis, ophthalmoplegia, bulbar paralysis, and peripheral muscular weakness) developed in 85%. Endotracheal intubation was required in 42% and mechanical ventilation in 37%. Electrocardiographic (ECG or EKG) abnormalities were found in 52% of a group of 69 unselected patients. Specific antivenom raised against Australian taipan venom was effective in stopping spontaneous systemic bleeding and restoring blood coagulability but, in most cases, it neither reversed nor prevented the evolution of paralysis even when given within a few hours of the bite. However, early antivenom treatment was associated statistically with decreased incidence and severity of neurotoxic signs. The low case fatality rate of 4.3% is attributable mainly to the use of mechanical ventilation, a technique rarely available in Papua New Guinea. Earlier use of increased doses of antivenoms of improved specificity might prove more effective.[65] The onset of symptoms is often rapid, and a bite from this species is a life-threatening medical emergency. Prior to the introduction of specific antivenom by the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories in 1956, a coastal taipan bite was nearly always fatal. In case of severe envenomation, death can occur as early as 30 minutes after being bitten, but average death time after a bite is around 3–6 hours and it is variable, depending on various factors such as the nature of the bite and the health state of the victim.[61] Envenomation rate is very high, over 80% of bites inject venom. The mortality rate among untreated bite victims is nearly 100%.[61][66]

So he has a useful weapon of mass destruction, the leader of DPRK has a useful weapon now but it doesn't make him hard, I'd go into the ring with that little **** [emoji1]

 

[Bladders]

When does the knock out stage start ?

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Latest Update

Creatures with two (or more) nominations are:

Honey Badger
Immortal Jellyfish
Cassowary
Malayan Sun Bear
Mosquito
Great White Shark
Tardigrade(moss piglet/water bear)
Cape Buffalo
Mantis Shrimp
Wolverine
Tasmanian Devil
Hippo
Rhino
Hyena
Leopard
African Crowned Eagle
Grey Wolf
African Hunting Dog
Siberian Tiger
African Elephant
Cone Snail
Human
Orca
Brazilian Wandering Spider
Komodo Dragon
Bullet Ant
Japanese Giant Hornet
Box Jelly Fish
Tarantula Wasp
Shrew
Grasshopper Mouse
(salt water) Croc
Bobbit worm
Jaguar
Sea Horse
Grizzly Bear
Sting Ray
Black Mama
InIand Taipan
(nile Crocodile)

Creatures nominated but in need of being seconded:

Lynx
Greater Grison
Giraffe
Tiger Shark
Dog Whelk
Blue Ringed Octopus
Colossal Squid

Have I missed any out?

I've put the Nile crocodile in for now but as far as I can work out it's basically the same as the salt water croc so for the competition I'll probably just put the SWC in.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

When does the knock out stage start ?

Competition proper will start on monday. Nominations will close sometime on Sunday(probably evening my time, lunch time oin england).

There will be four groups with the top four from each going through to round two. Winner A vs 4th B, 2nd A vs 3rd B etc.

If there are too many competitors to fit into 4 groups there'll be five groups with the top three and the best fourth placed going through. In this scenario the second round will be a random draw with the proviso that no beast will compete against a beast from its qualifying group.

From the quarter finals on it'll be a completely random free draw.