TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS ANIMALS IN THE WORLD

by Ana Hribernik

A lot of us have had a fear for specific animal species, only a few (like Steve Irwin) are/were brave enough to get over their fears they had for animals, or maybe they never had a fear for another animal creature. Some animals have become a threat to our lives through the years. For example, if we asked people on the streets what’s the deadliest animal on the world, a lot of them would say a shark, or maybe a scorpion. They’re not entirely wrong, but there are so many other and A LOT deadlier species we might have never heard of and have no idea they exist. Don’t worry, it’s very unlikely you’ll see any of them in your lifetime because most of them live in parts of sub – Saharan Africa and Indo-Pacific waters. Here is a list of top ten deadliest animals on the world in case you run into one.  

10. Cape Buffalo

There are around nine hundred thousand buffalos in sub-Saharan Africa. They are relatively gentle animals when they’re unbothered and they like to travel in enormous herds around the area to find water, so they don’t dehydrate. Like human moms, buffalo moms are pretty much the same when it comes to threatening their little calf. If they see their baby wounded, that’s not good news for the bully. There’s no doubt why their nickname is Black Death, because they can become super deadly and crush everything in front of them with those massive horns. These animals have killed more hunters on the continent than any other living creature.

9. CONE SNAIL

If you’re planning a trip to Indonesia, Caribbean or Hawaii and see these beautiful creatures close to the shore, don’t dare to touch them if you want to stay alive. Their brown and white marbled shells may look attractive to pick up but for your own sake, rather leave them alone. Their sharp teeth contain a special venom, which makes it one of the most venomous snails on Earth. Their venom stops nerve cells from communicating with one another. It’s called »a cigarette snail«, because it gives you »enough« time to smoke one cigarette before you die. Cruel, huh?

8. GOLDEN POSION DART FROG

This group of frogs, called the poison dart, is known for their bright colours. They live in rainforests in South America, but only a few of them are particularly dangerous to humans. The most deadly is Golden Poison Dart (picture). It’s incredible how small it is – its size is the same as the size of a paper clip.  It is said that this frog’s venom is capable of killing 10 grown men. A single individual would be killed with 2 micrograms of venom. People who have lived on that location for centuries have known about this frogs’ venom, so they used it for darts in hunting. Their colour is bright, so the potential predators know the frogs are best not to mess with and it’s better to leave them alone. But because of deforestation in South America these beauties are on the list of endangered animals.

7. BOX JELLYFISH

These nearly invisible jellyfish are considered the most venomous marine animals in the world. They’re found in Indo-Pacific waters north of Australia. Their cubic frames contain around 15 ten feet long tentacles at the corners. Their stinging cells attack the heart, nervous system and skin cells. There have been hundreds of victims each year – and they all went into shock and drowned or died of heart failure, before they were able to swim back to the shore to find help. Even if you get the proper help in hospital and receive the antidote, you’ll suffer another few weeks of pain and bear scars for life.

6. PUFFERFISH

These fish, also known as blowfish, are located in tropical seas all around the world, especially around Japan, China and the Philippines. Their venom is found in the fish’s skin, muscle tissue, liver, kidneys and gonads, all of which must be avoided – when the fish is prepared for dinner (human consumption). In Japan it is considered as delicacy, known as fugu and can only be prepared by experienced and licensed chefs. But that doesn’t take away the fact, that there still are accidental deaths from poisoning. The venom is 1200 times more poisonous than cyanide, and can cause deadening of tongue and lips. Other symptoms are vomiting, dizziness, arrhythmia, difficulties with breathing and last – death. If possible, eat something different from the menu, I wouldn’t recommend this fish.

5. BLACK MAMBA

Black mamba is found in savannas and rocky areas of southern and eastern Africa and is the fastest of all snakes, it’s speed is measured up to 12,5 miles per hour, which makes escaping very difficult. As most animals, black mambas strike only when they feel threatened, so don’t get on its nerves if you see it. In case they strike, they’ll bite repeatedly. There’s enough venom in one single bite that can kill 10 adult people. If a person doesn’t get the anti-venom within twenty minutes, he or she will most certainly die.

4. SALTWATER CROCODILE

Florida’s alligators are nothing when compared to these beasts that are much more short-tempered and aggressive towards anything that crosses their way. They’re excellent swimmers. Of all crocodile species existing, saltwater crocodile is the largest and- MOST DANGEROUS among his cousins. They can grow up to 7 metres in length and weigh more than 1 ton. They cause more human deaths in one year than sharks. Their bite is compared to the bite of T- Rex, which is enormous.

3. TSETSE FLY

Who would have thought that a fly came on the list of top 10 dangerous animals on the planet, huh? Well, that’s not just a usual fly that annoys us in summer. It’s about the same size as the regular fly, but doesn’t take away the fact that they bite and suck our blood as some nasty bugs. They spread microscopic pathogens, which are causative agent of African Sleeping Sickness, a disease marked by neurological symptoms including behavioural changes, poor coordination. It can cause death if it’s left untreated. Because there are no medications to prevent the infection, it’s told better to avoid bushes during the day and wear neutral – coloured clothing. The tsetse fly is actually attracted to bright and dark colours, especially blue.

2. MOSQUITO

The common mosquito, even tinier that the tsetse fly mentioned above, ranks as the deadliest insect in the world. It’s found on every continent on our planet, with the exception of Antarctica. It causes an enormous amount of diseases and viruses (malaria, yellow fever, West Nile virus and the Zika virus) which kill roughly 725,000 people each year. These insects are attracted to our body temperatures and the CO2 we exhale. The best tools to prevent infection are the insect repellents.

1. HUMANS

Are you surprised? Don’t be, humans are animals too and we’ve been killing each other for 10,000 years. We caused between 150 million to 1 billion deaths during wars only in the past century, so there’s no doubt we are the deadliest to our own species. Even though it’s said that we live in the most peaceful era in our history, we still assault each other with brutality, gun violence and terrorist attacks around the globe. We are dangerous to the animals that share this beautiful planet with us, we are the ones that cause the global warming, pollution, deforestation etc.  There’s no doubt, that we are the deadliest on our planet, but I hope things will start to change.
Source: CN traveler