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False Widows, Adders, Water Shrews & Cows: Creatures Not To Mess With In Britain (PICTURES)

LOOK: Creatures Not To Mess With In Britain
Sara C Nelson
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Poisonous spider bites in Britain are, thankfully, a rare occurrence.

But it can happen – as Essex decorator Ricki Whitmore discovered - after suffering a severe reaction to the venom of a false widow spider.

Which got us morbidly thinking about the other creatures (some fluffier than most) on this fair isle which, under certain and to be honest pretty unlikely circumstances have been known to maim and even kill…

Sweet dreams…

Don't mess with us
False widow spider(01 of06)
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Ricki Whitmore faced the amputation of a leg after a run-in with a false widow spider. (credit:East News/ Alamy)
Adder(02 of06)
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Adders (Vipera berus) are the only venomous snake living wild in England, Scotland and Wales. The venom causes localised pain, tenderness, swelling and bruising which can spread.There have been around 196 incidents of bites caused by people picking up venomous adders between 2009 and 2011, figures from the Health Protection Agency's National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) showed. (credit:Getty)
Water shrew(03 of06)
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The water shrew has a venomous bite which paralyses freshwater shrimps, water slaters and caddis larvae, the BBC reveals. Thankfully, their teeth cannot penetrate human skin, though the venom in their saliva can leave a rash (should you ever get close enough to find out). (credit:Getty)
Cows(04 of06)
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In 2009, Health & Safety Executive figures showed 18 people had been killed and 481 injured by cows in the previous eight years. Since then, there have been at least four cow trampling deaths reported in Britain, including a pensioner in Wiltshire in March. Numerous injuries have also been reported - including those sustained by former Home Secretary David Blunkett as he walked his guide dog Sadie. (credit:Getty)
Deer(05 of06)
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In 2010 the British Deer Society estimated that each year as many as 75,000 deer are involved in collisions, sometimes causing human fatalities as well as injuries.This week, two teenage girls were killed after their vehicle collided with a deer on the northbound carriageway of the A10 between Ware and the A120 Puckeridge exit in Hertfordshire. (credit:Getty)
Swan(06 of06)
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The oft-quoted adage 'a swan can break a man's arm' is, as a matter of fact, true. So says The Swan Sanctuary, adding the caveat: "If a wing in full span and velocity were to hit a weak-boned person (such as a child or an elderly person) then it is theoretically possible."In May last year, a pair of the birds were plucked from their nest following a spate of attacks on the River Cam, near Cambridge.And last year a swan was blamed for knocking a man out of his canoe in Chicago, and continuing the attack until he drowned. (credit:Getty)
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