Young beach-goer makes near-deadly error after picking up what he thought was an empty shell in Australia : 'They hold enough venom to kill 100 adults'

  • Australian  Jono Montgomery 'almost died' during beach visit
  • The young man picked up a cone shell - thinking that it was empty - it wasn't
  • The snail inside holds enough venom to kill 100 adults, and it takes nine minutes

By Belinda Cleary For Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

A young man has revealed he was almost killed while looking at shells on the beach after he inadvertently picked up one of the deadliest sea creatures on the planet.

Self-described shell expert Jono Montgomery, from Queensland, Australia, filmed the moment he found an ultra-rare textile cone shell at the beach.

He picked the shell up thinking it was empty - even flipping it over to 'make sure' because he knows just how deadly the creature inside can be.

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Queensland man Jono Montgomery was 'almost killed' while looking for pretty shells at the beach
He picked up this textile cone shell and was thrilled with it

Queensland man Jono Montgomery was 'almost killed' while looking for pretty shells at the beach

'No way it is empty,' he cheered. 'Wait is it, yea that's just a rock.' 

'That is my best find ever, I just walked up,' he said.

Jono revealed he goes shelling every day and 'needs to know what is deadly' but admits he definitely missed the danger that day. 

Had the creature inside decided to strike Jono would have had about nine minutes to get help before he died.

'Please do not pick cone shells without gloves,' he pleaded in text on top of the video.

He also revealed there is no anti-venom for the sea creature's sting and they hold enough venom to kill 100 adults.

'They are so deadly because each one carries over 500 neurotoxins inside their harpoon stinger,' he said. 

The video has been seen millions of times, with thousands of people dropping comments for the young ocean lover.

'I am just going to leave this hear and let natural selection figure it out,' one man said.

'Thanks for warning us - I didn't think shell creatures could be dangerous,' another said. 

He flipped it over to make sure it was empty - but mistook the creature inside for a rock

He flipped it over to make sure it was empty - but mistook the creature inside for a rock 

The mistake could have been deadly - each snail has enough venom to kill 100 adults - anddeath comes after just nine minutes

The mistake could have been deadly - each snail has enough venom to kill 100 adults - anddeath comes after just nine minutes

While others declared the idea a sea creature could kill was 'fake news'.

'No, I am serious, please don't pick these up - they will kill you,' Jono said. 

Others said the video made them ill - as they could see the dangerous creature inside each time he flipped the shell around.

'My anxiety soared, the fact you kept holding it with excitement,' said another.

'You kept sticking your finger inside the death opening for no reason!' exclaimed another.

But he wasn't alone, others said they have also handled the beautiful shells at the beach.

He was initially thrilled by the fine - but discovered he was close to death once he reviewed the footage

He was initially thrilled by the fine - but discovered he was close to death once he reviewed the footage

What are the ten most venomous creatures on the planet? 

 1 - Box jellyfish 

2 - Inland taipan

3 - Blue-ringed octopus 

4 - Cone snail 

5 - Irukandji jellyfish 

6 - Coastal taipan 

7 - Dubois sea snake

8 - Boomslang snake

9 - Funnel-web spider 

10 - Indian red scorpion 

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'I almost died like that too. I saw a cone shell and picked it up not knowing what it was. Looking back I realise how lucky I was.'

'I have got one in my tank which I clean monthly by hand, I didn't know they were venomous. Maybe that's why my Nemo bites it,' one fish lover said.

 'I saw this on National Geographic when I was little and haven't picked shells up since,' said another.

 The snails are found along the east coast of Africa and around Australia.

There have been 30 human deaths attributed to cone snails. In 2021, a teen nearly died after picking up a live textile cone. 

Queensland

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