The simple designation most dangerous animal in the world can be tricky. Some of them are feared—even infamous—for their menacing qualities, while others fly quietly under the radar of deadly creatures.
Then there are those, like the great white shark, that are unfairly maligned. Despite all the negative publicity generated by the “Jaws” movies, the great white shark is not responsible for many human deaths.
All in all, sharks cause an average of 10 human deaths per year worldwide, with some years that number being much lower. Shark bites are higher — there were 91 confirmed shark bites in 2023, and while great white sharks have the strongest animal bite in the world, sharks are still far less threatening than many other dangerous animals.
So what makes an animal dangerous? Some have very potent venom, while others spread diseases. Some are extremely territorial, and others are just plain aggressive. Let’s take a look at which animals are the deadliest in each of these categories.
The most poisonous animal: Geography Cone snail
Box jellyfish are often considered the most venomous animals in the world, but the real honor goes to the geographer cone snail (Conus geographus), which require only about one-tenth the amount of venom of a deadly scorpion to kill the same prey.
These small shelled sea creatures live in the reefs of the Indo-Pacific region and are not often encountered by humans, so it is quite rare for them to kill people. However, there have been about 30 recorded deaths of divers attributed to this deceptively cute, venomous species.
In fact, 65 percent of people who are “stinged” by cone snails will die if they don’t get to the hospital in time. Currently, there is no way to treat their powerful venom; the patient simply has to be strong enough to hold out until the venom wears off.
You see, cone snails are the most venomous of the 500 known species of cone snails and can choose from about 200 powerful neurotoxins when concocting a deadly venom.
When they are ready to hunt, they stab their prey with a “harpoon-like tooth” that delivers a dose of painkilling venom said to be 10,000 times more potent than morphine. Try getting back to the surface under those conditions!
That said, the box jellyfish (specifically the Australian box jellyfish) has earned its reputation, killing far more people each year than the geography cone snail. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) considers them the most venomous marine animal in the world.
Dozens, sometimes more than 100, of people worldwide die each year from the tentacles of the Australian box jellyfish, with 20 to 40 in the Philippines alone. Fortunately, there is an antidote for the venom, although survivors are often left with significant scarring.
The animal with the most diseases: the mosquito
Little mosquitoes may not be trying to feast on your flesh like some predators do, but make no mistake, they are one of the most dangerous animals on the planet. This is because mosquito bites transmit pathogens to humans that are extremely deadly, including diseases such as encephalitis, yellow fever, dengue, malaria, West Nile virus, Zika virus, and others.
These diseases kill more than 725,000 people each year and make another 700 million people sick.
Mosquitoes are disease vectors, meaning they are living organisms that ingest dangerous microorganisms when they feed on an infected person or animal. Without disease control, they then transmit the microorganisms to their next meal source and can continue to do so over and over again.
Unfortunately, the World Health Organization says that many of the deaths caused by mosquitoes could be prevented by protective measures such as bed nets and insect repellent, but are often hampered by various cultural and socioeconomic factors. Even someone who does not die from a mosquito-borne disease is likely to suffer significantly and possibly experience lifelong disabilities.
There are many other insects that can also cause lasting damage to humans. The African tsetse fly can give you a parasitic disease, such as sleeping sickness. In South America, Chagas disease, which you get from a triatomine insect, can cause everything from painful stomach pains to serious heart problems.
Ironically, “killer bugs” have an ominous name, but they do little harm to the human body.
Most territorial animal: Hippopotamus
Whatever you do, don’t stray into a hippo’s territory: water. They won’t like it and you could be in for a world of hurt. These ultra-territorial African giants held the title of deadliest animal on that continent for years and they wouldn’t hesitate to defend their territory against other animals or humans. They’ll even knock over boats if they’re so inclined!
According to National Geographic, hippos kill about 500 people in Africa each year, and they don’t even have to bite a human with their 24-inch-long teeth to get the job done. They can easily crush a human with their 10,000-pound girth.
So, if you find yourself in Sub-Saharan Africa or Colombia anytime soon, keep your eyes peeled. Real hungry-hungry hippos aren’t nearly as cute as they are in the game.
Most aggressive animal: crocodile
We’ve talked about hippos killing people, but they can’t hold a candle to this next aggressive animal. We’re talking about the crocodile. Whether it’s the saltwater crocodile, the Nile crocodile, or another species, crocodiles get the title of “most aggressive” animal in the world.
Saltwater crocodiles (Crocodile) don’t even need to be provoked to chase a human. These huge (up to 23 feet [7 meters] (in length) vicious predators consider anything they target as prey.
And if humans come near their territory, all is lost.
Saltwater crocodiles—which live in tropical and subtropical regions such as the Indo-Pacific, Southeast Asia, and the Northern Territory of Australia—have the strongest bite of any animal on Earth and are responsible for dozens of attacks on humans each year. And crocodiles that live in North, Central, and South America can be pretty stubborn, too.
But it is the Nile crocodile (Crocodile niloticus) which has the most attacks on humans annually. Although researchers in 2019 analyzed 67 years of crocodile attacks on humans in South Africa between 1949 and 2016, they found 214 verified, unprovoked attacks. Most wild encounters occurred in rivers and most victims were young boys.
Some people confuse the Nile crocodile with the American crocodile (Crocodile with acutus), a federally endangered species in Florida. There has never been a report of a human being killed by an American crocodile in the wild. Just be careful not to confuse the two.
To be honest, it’s probably best to stay away from the huge reptiles and be on your guard when in a place where the largest crocodiles live.
Now that’s disturbing
No list of dangerous animals would be complete without humans. Both humans and animals kill for food — but only humans kill for sport. And of all the animals on this list, humans are probably the deadliest animal of all. A 2015 study published in the journal Science even declared humans to be “superpredators.” Why? Because humans hunt and kill other large carnivores, including grizzly bears, wolves, and lions, nine times more often than those large carnivores eat each other. Every animal killed by humans is just as much a victim as every animal killed by humans. So if you really want to know what the most dangerous animal in the world is, you might want to look in the mirror.
Original article: What is the most dangerous animal in the world?
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