SOMETIMES competition for sunbeds isn't the worst thing you have to worry about on holiday.
In some of our favourite destinations, encounters with killer creatures have left tourists in terrifying situations – sometimes with life-changing injuries.
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A brown recluse spider recently cost one British tourist a couple of fingers in Ibiza Credit: Alamy
A 19-year-old Brit is set to have two fingers lopped off after being bitten by a deadly spider on a beach in Ibiza recently.
He didn't think anything of the bite until the following morning, when he woke up to find his hand burning with pain.
"I began to panic because my hands were turning more and more purple and the doctors told me they had never seen anything like it," the unnamed teen told Diario de Ibiza.
Tests revealed he'd been targeted by a brown recluse spider – a creepy crawly with flesh-eating venom.
But that's not the only beast found in some of our favourite sunspots.
'Paralysed with agony'
Dangerous spiders aren't the only creatures you should keep an eye out for in Spain.
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The country is also home to several species of venomous snakes including the snub-nosed viper and the Baskian viper.
But there's also more deadlier threats too – including the Portuguese man o' war.
The aquatic killers can grow 12 inches long and five inches wide, with tentacles reaching up to 165 feet.
One woman was left "paralysed with agony" when she was stung by one of the jellyfish-like beasts off the Costa Del Sol in 2019.
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The grim aftermath of where a Portuguese man o' war's tentacles touched Naomi Mateos Credit: Central European News 14
The jellyfish-like creatures have been known to deliver a lethal sting in rare cases Credit: Alamy
Naomi Mateos said she was left "wanting to die" from the pain after the creature wrapped its potentially lethal tentacles around her arms, back and breasts.
There are other land-based dangers in Spain too.
A 75-year-old woman was left with facial injuries and a broken pelvis when she was mauled by a bear in June.
The victim was set upon while out walking in the Asturias region in northern Spain, home to Cantabrian brown bears.
They can weigh up to 200kg and, while they'll generally avoid human contact, they have been known to attack in rare cases when they feel threatened.
Bear 'could have killed us'
Bear attacks have been documented in Italy in recent years too.
A father and son were set upon by a brown bear last June as they walked in the Brenta Dolomites.
The dad, named locally as Fabio Misseroni, told L'Adige the bear leapt out of the woods "like lightning".
"He lunged at my son… at that point I went after him to defend Christian. He bit my leg, then my arm, then my other hand.
"Then he left, miraculously. He could have killed us both."
The attack came a month after a terrifying video went viral showing a 10-year-old boy being stalked by a bear in the same region.
Little Alessandro can be shown trying to calmly follow the instructions of his dad, who tells him to walk slowly and not turn his back on the beast.
Italy too has its dangerous spiders.
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The grim effects of a Mediterranean recluse spider's bite on a woman's ear Credit: Dr. Marieke van Wijk 14
The critters' pack a powerful venom that can cause victims' skin to form sores and die Credit: Getty
The first ever reported fatality from a Mediterranean recluse spider occurred in 2016 when a 65-year-old woman was bitten on her hand while cleaning her cellar.
She died 12 hours after being taken to hospital in Catanzaro, south Italy.
Others suffer less severe – though still horrific – consequences of the bites.
A 22-year-old Dutch holidaymaker needed reconstructive surgery on her ear after it turned black.
She was bitten by a Mediterranean recluse spider as she slept and woke up from the pain.
Plastic surgeons eventually had to slice off the dead tissue and recreated it using cartilage from the victim's ribs.
Vipers and black widows
France was second only to Spain as Brits' preferred holiday destination in 2019.
But it is home to a few creatures that might make you rethink your booking.
While Britain certainly has some nasty creepy crawlies, there are even greater menaces on the other side of the Channel – including the European black widow.
Also known as the Mediterranean black widow, the spider is known to have a painful bite which can even lead to death in extreme cases.
One resident was bitten by one of the beasts in Sainte-Marie-La-Mer in southern France last year.
The man, known only as Thierry, went to bed after being bitten thinking little of the bite.
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The Mediterranean black widow's venomous bite has been known to be fatal in rare cases Credit: Wikipedia
He then continued to not seek treatment as his health deteriorated – worried friends eventually called emergency services when he stopped answering his phone.
"I was so weak that I didn’t hear their calls," he told l'Indépendant.
After being treated in hospital he made a recovery and later found the spider in his home.
France also has bears, though they're more feared for their attacks on cattle than people. And it has vipers too.
A 30-year-old hiker nearly died when he was bitten by one on the hand in the Alps in 2019.
He went into anaphylactic shock after trying to suck the venom out his wound, The Connexion reports.
A medical team arriving by helicopter was able to save his life.
'Six minutes to live' panic
There's arguably nowhere on Earth where animals pose a threat to humans than Australia.
It has more deadly snakes than anywhere else, including the one with the deadliest venom, the inland taipan.
But that's just the beginning of a staggering range of predators Down Under.
In March, a 17-year-old died after being stung by a box jellyfish at a Queensland beach.
His life support machines were turned off around a week after he was stung by the creature, considered to be the most venomous marine animal.
Named after their shape, their broad and lengthy tentacles are covered in pockets of venom that can lead to cardiac arrest, paralysis and death when injected into people and animals.
The country is also home to another highly venomous marine creature – the blue-ringed octopus.
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Mitchell Ogg survived being bitten by a blue-ringed octopus in Australia Credit: Facebook 14
The octopuses, which are only a few inches in size, are among the most venomous marine animals Credit: Alamy
Death can occur within minutes of being bitten if left untreated.
Mitchell Ogg miraculously survived a dose of the octopus' venom in 2018 when he was bitten on his bare foot.
Navy paramedics treated him at the scene in Perth before he was rushed to hospital.
"When you think you've got six minutes to live the panic kicks in, I just tried to stay calm about it," he told Seven News at the time.
Deadly crocodile attacks have also menaced Australia in recent years.
One female ranger was dragged to her death while she was fishing with her family in the Northern Territory in 2018.
Australia is home to freshwater and saltwater crocodiles, which can grow up to 20 feet long.
'Shredded' by wolves
Greece dreamt up the multi-headed hound Cerberus to guard the gates of the Underworld.
But its real wild dogs and wolves are even more terrifying.
One British tourist was even "shredded to pieces" in a disturbing attack in 2017.
Celia Hollingworth, 64, may have been mauled to death by wolves in northern Greece.
The retired university lecturer from Wiltshire made a frantic call to relatives in Britain to say she was being attacked.
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Celia Hollingworth phoned home as she was attacked in Greece Credit: SWNS:South West News Service
A coroner thought wolves may be responsible for her fatal attack
Her body was found two days later.
Celia said she was being attacked by stray dogs, but a coroner thought it was more likely to have been "rabid wolves and jackals", The Times reports.
"It was a tragic sight," a police officer familiar with the investigation told the paper.
"Her body was found shredded to pieces, some of it devoured."
The officer added: "Even experienced forensics crews were shocked when they faced the harrowing sight."
Hole in leg after spider bite
Celia's attack took place near the border with Turkey – which has some terrors of its own.
Chief among them is the brown recluse spider, which has a nasty venomous bite.
Brit dad Scott Lower found out first-hand when he was bitten during a holiday to Sarigerme in south-west Turkey in 2017.
It was only when he returned home that the "searing pain" began.
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Scott Lower was in Turkey with wife Mandy and son Harrison when he was bitten Credit: SUN ONLINE 14
Medics eventually had to drain the wound, leaving a gaping hole in Scott's leg Credit: SUN ONLINE
"After I got back to the UK, I ended up hobbling around and was in so much pain because the skin was decaying," Scott said at the time.
"The pain was getting worse and worse – it developed into this throbbing that left me in so much agony I was being sick."
He was left with a grim hole in his leg after medics cut out an area of Scott's leg where necrosis – tissue death – had set in.
Grizzly gore
There's something to love for every kind of tourist in the US.
But there's also a huge amount of deadly beasts to look out for too.
Ben Kelly was just 26 years old when he was killed in a Great white shark attack while surfing off the coast of California last May.
Kelly bled to death after the predator ripped open his right leg in the waters off Manresa State Beach.
And while European countries have had gruesome bear attacks, grizzlies are responsible for more deaths.
Leah Lokan, a 65-year-old nurse, was dragged from her tent and mauled to death by a grizzly bear in Montana last month.
The 400lb (181kg) beast attacked Leah and her two friends as they camped in the small town of Ovando – it was later shot dead by officials.
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Pike Carlson was set upon by a mountain lion in Colorado Credit: NBC news 14
The big cat attacked Pike by biting him on the face and head Credit: Getty - Contributor
Mountain lions also pose a terrifying threat across the country.
Pike Carlson was just eight years old when he was attacked in Colorado in 2019.
Little Pike screamed out in pain as the big cat sank its teeth into his head and face.
The cougar eventually let him go as Pike used a stick to jab it in the eye.
"His head was inside the lion's mouth and I think that was what made me snap, watching him chew on him," dad Ron Carlson told TV station KUSA.
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"When I first picked him up, I could see the whole side of his face was open.
"There was blood all over him. His scalp was ripped open in several spots. It was something that no parent should ever see."
Over two dozen people have been killed by mountain lions in North America in the last 100 years – but thankfully Pike wasn't one of them.
Heart-stopping moment boy, 12, escapes bear attack thanks to ultra-calm response while stalked by half-ton beast