What Flies Beneath: Shocking Air Cargo Loads [Infographic]

It’s hard to imagine what airlines decide to fly cargo, especially when you only pack some clothes, toys and other common-sense items you cannot stuff in the small compartment above your head in a plane. But just under your feet, a whole new world opens, with potentially mind-blowing passengers.

Imagine live manatees waiting patiently to be delivered to their new homes, or a shocking 17,000 live Christmas trees in their way to American troops stationed overseas. If these are not enough to blow your mind, what about 2,750 bottles of donor breast milk? And sure, human and animal sperm tops the list too.

For the right price, pretty much everything can fly cargo. Luxury cars are pretty common, and so are human remains. Radioactive materials, however, are less common (and less desirable too).

Perhaps learning what air carriers decide to load in passenger flights is not ideal for many air travelers. There are certain situations when ignorance is bliss, especially since airlines take cautionary measures to ensure that nothing goes wrong with the cargo. Still, after seeing the infographic below, by Schumacher Cargo, the only thing more horrible I can think of is Snakes on a Plane, starring Samuel L. Jackson.