Gigantic sharks, ferocious lions and venomous snakes are not new to any deadliest animals lists, and there have been numerous accounts of these predators taking on each other, their prey and even humans but there are some animals who don’t get enough credit in the deadly and dangerous department. While aside from a few animated movies, no one has pretended that a shark is your everyday lovable animal, many other animals are portrayed with a false sense of softness or overlooked all together when it comes deadly tactics. Check out some of the most shocking deadly animals on the planet.
10. Humans
We have a strange way of leaving ourselves off the list of the most deadly animals when human beings most definitely belong there. Not only are humans responsible for the most human deaths, we have no problem killing everything from plants to animals for our own benefit on a daily basis. Our ingenuity to create ways to destroy other species and each other as well as our ease in doing so definitely puts humans on the list of animals who are very deadly, but rarely mentioned.
9. Mosquitos
Technically an insect, and significantly smaller than the others on this list, yet the mosquito is extremely deadly and often overlooked. Mosquitos can infect humans and animals with various diseases and illnesses, many of them dangerous enough to cause death. Credited with one of the highest death tolls due to Malaria and other diseases, mosquitos are feared in certain areas where shallow pools of stagnant water provide excellent breeding grounds. When all of those larvae hatch, mosquitos have been known to attack animals in swarms over over 1 billion and drain their prey of blood in under ten minutes.
8. Polar Bears
It is well known that you just shouldn’t mess with large wild creatures, but for whatever reason the polar bear has always been projected as a lovable, cuddly creature, especially since starring in Coco-Cola commercials. In reality, the polar bear is extremely dangerous and although they aren’t known for killing humans, starvation and loss of habitat due to climate change has increased the number of polar bear attacks.
7. Cape Buffalo
A Cape Buffalo looks more or less like many other buffalo and aside from some pretty wicked horns, appear innocent enough, however their nicknames could tip you off to just how unexpectedly dangerous they are. Known also as the ‘widowmaker’ or ‘black death,’ this inhabitant of the African grasslands has one heck of a mean streak. They have been known to charge with no provocation and have taken on predators such as lions, and will even charge vehicles.
6. Box Jellyfish
Jellyfish are known for their painful stings that should always be avoided, however, the box jellyfish is definitely the most dangerous of them all. Having earned the label of the most venomous animal on the planet, a sting from a box jellyfish is most likely fatal to humans. The toxins can shut down a person’s nervous system very quickly, usually meaning the person drowns before making it to shore.
5. Puffer Fish
The puffer fish is one of the most shocking deadly animals due in part to its cute outward appearance. Cute until they are threatened however, and that is when they puff out their spines, the venom from which can paralyze you and stop your breathing resulting in death. Puffer fish are also dangerous out of water, as they are often used in Japan as a delicacy but if improperly prepared the venom can still cause paralysis of the diaphragm which can still result in death, even after they are dead.
4. Brazilian Wandering Spider
Spiders are inherently terrifying to many people and while most know the dangers of the Black Widow spider, the scariest and most venomous spider of them all happens to be the Brazilian Wandering Spider. What is most dangerous about it however is suggested by its name – it wanders. This means it is pretty common in the southeastern United States as well and has no problem hiding in cars and houses of populated areas during the day. Fortunately these spiders don’t often inject a full dosage of venom into victims, so not many people die, however, males who have been bitten by them have been known to experience a prolonged erection, making the spider’s venom also known as “natural Viagra.”
3. Hyenas
In terms of danger to humans, hyenas are often overlooked in favor of the more common African predators such as lions. Hyenas have been known to hunt humans however, mostly during war-time or when disease is rampant and human corpses are plentiful. To make matters worse, once a hyena has acquired a taste for human flesh, it will purposefully hunt humans in order to satisfy that taste.
2. African Elephants
Elephants are often referred to as “gentle giants”, although the African elephant is making somewhat of a different reputation for itself. Male African Elephants have been known to be especially aggressive even when not provoked and as their habitats become increasingly threatened there have been more and more stories of one of the large creatures causing havoc and death in small villages.
1. Hippopotamus
Although the hippopotamus is a huge animal, it is often thought of as calm and gentle but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. They are herbivores but that does not stop them from killing other animals, including humans, and are known for their aggressiveness and for being territorial. Even with sharing the waters with some terrifying predators such as crocodiles and alligators, hippos have been known to easily kill crocs and are responsible for more human deaths in Africa than any other large animal. It’s always the quiet ones.
