Deadliest Animals on Earth that look completely harmless
Summary
Top 20 Deadliest Animals on Earth that look completely harmless. With soft fur, big eyes, and pretty colors, many creatures can strike humans as cute and stunning. But we could never have imagined that some of the nicest ones might […]
Top 20 Deadliest Animals on Earth that look completely harmless. With soft fur, big eyes, and pretty colors, many creatures can strike humans as cute and stunning. But we could never have imagined that some of the nicest ones might actually harm us. Don’t underestimate the pouncing pain potential of the domestic cat, a species responsible for more than 12 billion kills each year. So never judge a book by its cover, especially if you’re out in the wild. Presenting the top 20 deadliest animals on earth that look completely harmless.
Video: Deadliest Animals on Earth that look completely harmless
Fire Salamander
The fire salamander’s primary alkaloid toxin, samandarin, causes strong muscle contractions and hypertension combined with hyperventilation in all vertebrates. The poison glands of the fire salamander are concentrated in certain areas of the body, especially around the head and the dorsal skin surface.
You might think this animal looks harmless and is not dangerous to humans; they are shy and cryptic animals and are completely harmless if they are not handled or touched. But that’s always not the case.
The snail
While freshwater snails kill people with their unwanted passengers the blood flukes, other snails are seriously venomous. Marine cone snails launch one of their venom-filled teeth at fish to slow them down. It paralyzes the fish, so the cone snail can catch up and eat it.
A cone snail’s tooth is sharp enough to go through a wetsuit, so they can be problematic for divers. The sting can be fatal to humans if they don’t seek medical attention, but only 36 deaths have been recorded since 1670. Next time you see a snail, though, just remember that just because it’s slow doesn’t mean it’s harmless.
Video: Deadliest Animals on Earth that look completely harmless
Box jellyfish
It’s estimated that around 100 people die each year from box jellyfish stings, which each have enough venom to kill about 60 people. These 24-eyed marine creatures inject toxins into people’s blood, causing their hearts to stop. Although some people die in a different way, they go into shock and drown because the pain is so intense.
However, some people stung by them don’t actually die if they get to shore and treatment in time. These venomous animals with innocent-looking species live around Australia, but some live near Hawaii and Florida. They’re 10 feet tall because their 15 tentacles are so long.
Kissing bugs
Also known as the “assassin bug,” the kissing bug causes about 12,000 human deaths per year. It spreads the Chagas disease in Latin America through its excrement, which it puts on people’s skin. As we learned from some of the other deadly animals, excrement should just generally be avoided if one plans to prosper in this world of creepy crawlies. It comes among the top 10 list of deadliest animals in 2020.
But kissing bugs makes it difficult to avoid their excrement because they regularly bite sleeping people right on the face. In fact, this is how they got their charming and misleading name. So while Dementors are purely from J.K. Rowling’s imagination, this kiss of death is very much real.
Tsetse Fly
Sometimes spelled tzetze and also known as tik-tik flies, are large biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus Glossina, which are placed in their own family, Glossinidae.
A bite by the tsetse fly is often painful and can develop into a red sore, also called a chancre. Fever, severe headaches, irritability, extreme fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and aching muscles and joints are common symptoms of sleeping sickness. Some people develop a skin rash.
Assassin Bugs
Assassin bugs are named that way because of their proficient predatory lifestyle. They are waiting for the prey in ambush, but once the prey is identified, chances of escape are minimal. Assassin bugs usually eat different types of insects. Some species feed on the blood of birds, reptiles, and mammals.
Some types of assassin bugs—typically, wheel bugs—will bite if and when they are handled. If this happens to you, you will probably experience intense and immediate pain that might kill you.
Bees, wasps, and hornets
Every year, perhaps a hundred or more people die from bee, wasp, or hornet stings. While some of the deaths have been caused by a whole lot of stings on one person, most were actually due to allergic reactions. About 58 people in the US die from these insects per year, which makes them one of the more surprisingly deadly animals in the United States.
Bees just aren’t as sweet as the honey they make. But their dwindling numbers are cause for concern because they pollinate quite a lot of our food.
Bears
Every year, about 12 people die from being mauled by this wild animal. This includes bears around the world, from the brown bears of North America to the sloth bears of India.
Sloth bears, despite eating mostly insects and fruits, are possibly the most aggressive bear. It’s probably because they have to fend off tigers, who sometimes try to eat them. Bears most often kill people when bears and humans accidentally encounter each other, which is especially dangerous if this animal has her cubs.
Spiders
While spiders are probably one of the scariest animals on earth, they don’t even look close to the deadliest. In the US, about seven people die each year from the bites of either black widows or brown recluses.
There are eight different species; all eight live in Brazil, but some live throughout Latin America. Rather than building webs to catch food, Brazilian wandering spiders walk about the forest floor, hunting and ambushing small animals like reptiles, spiders, and mice. Their bite gives people severe burning pain, nausea, and other symptoms. It can be lethal, but victims usually take antivenin, and the spiders rarely inject all of their venoms in one bite.
Ants
Generally, the average American only encounters ants that are simply a nuisance, but some people say ants kill around 30 people each year. Of course, these deaths are worldwide, where there are all kinds of ants. There are actually more than 10,000 ant species, many of which live in tropical forests.
Fire ants are well known for being aggressive, and they have killed people by stinging them because it can cause an allergic reaction. About 9 people in the US die each year from ants. However, elsewhere ants can kill with venomous stings. Driver ants, like the ones from Indiana Jones 4, could potentially eat a person if they weren’t moving.
Read More: Top 20 animals that hate each other
Cows
These cute animals are certainly not viewed as particularly scary, but when they’re falling from the sky, you’d probably reconsider. Jumping off a cliff is only one of the several ways cows have killed people. For example, sometimes dogs agitate cows, and once the owner gets involved, it doesn’t end well. Other times, cows are purposefully aggressive and attack people.
Cows have even been seen ganging up on unlucky people. It may have something to do with the fact that humans kill millions of them per year. Of course, there are cases where it’s just accidental; maybe the cow was in an enclosed space and got spooked, crushing the poor person. About 20 Americans die each year from cows, but worldwide it’s more.
Horses
While horse girls may be crazy for horses, they probably aren’t thinking about the dangers they pose to people. Horse is another dangerous animal that looks completely harmless. Horses kill about 20 people a year in the US, several a year in Australia, and probably more worldwide. Surprisingly, horses kill more people in Australia than the country’s superbly venomous snakes and spiders.
Elephants
If Dumbo hadn’t been a Disney film, we probably would have seen Dumbo’s mom, Mrs. Jumbo, kill the people teasing her baby. This harmless-looking animal kills about 500 people per year, but the attacks are actually becoming more common.
Some researchers think elephants are killing people because they have a form of PTSD and remember that humans killed their family. The aggression is being passed between family members, so people are turning to unconventional methods to keep wild elephants away.
Hippopotamuses
Hippos are territorial and huge, so naturally, they pose a threat to humans. About 500 deaths per year are caused by these “river horses.” The attacks are sometimes because humans appear to pose a threat to hippo calves, and this makes the hippo moms get very angry.
They’ve trampled people, pulled them into lakes, tipped over boats, and even bitten heads off. Unfortunately, since they’ve lost a lot of habitats, they’re forced to live closer to humans.
Dogs
About 25,000 to 35,000 people per year are killed by man’s supposed best friend, dogs. Most of these deaths are actually due to rabies, though, so you can’t entirely blame the pups. They can be our most loyal companions, but that companionship means more humans are exposed to more of the dangerous canines as well.
Dogs can be vaccinated against rabies, but in Africa, Asia, and Latin America there are a lot of stray dogs that haven’t yet been to the vet. Regardless of where you live, you should probably vaccinate your dog. It’s a win-win situation because it protects both you and the pooch.
Pigs
On occasion, pigs take revenge against their bacon-filled destinies. There have been a few cases where pigs have eaten people. In one case, a farmer went to feed his pigs and never came back. He might have collapsed from a heart attack or other medical emergency only to succumb to his pigs.
In Rome, a group of mafia assassins fed a man alive to pigs. They beat him first, but the pigs still had a taste for blood. Pigs may have a reputation for being dumb pieces of meat, but they are very smart animals. This animal comes in the top 5 deadliest animals list. Plus, they can weigh like 700 pounds.
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Cape buffalo
Cape buffalo, also known as “The Black Death,” is the most dangerous animal among hunters in Africa. When wounded, they’ll run off and then sometimes circle back to attack the hunter who shot them. It’s almost like they were upset about getting shot, but that’s just a wild guess.
There are some estimates that say Cape buffalo kill about 200 people a year. And despite the fact that they’re herbivores, their killing isn’t limited to humans.
Deer
Deer are not known for being aggressive, but they do kill around 240 people per year. Most of these deaths are from car accidents since deer have a funny little habit of suddenly jumping out onto the road, despite a car speeding down it.
Of course, we’ve confused them by putting death lanes smack in the middle of their territory. They haven’t exactly had a lot of time to evolve and adapt to the changing environment. Hopefully, deer will learn how to cross the street and stop causing so many accidents because they’re victims of them too.
KOALAS
It may seem hard to believe, but the world’s most cuddly animal has a dark side. Most of the time, these tree-huggers keep to themselves, adhering to a strict schedule of snacking and snoozing up to 22 hours a day. But sometimes, a koala snaps. Koala-on-koala violence is generally pretty mild, but they have been known to go after dogs and even humans. In December 2014, Mary Anne Forster of South Australia found herself at the receiving end of a vicious bite after trying to protect her two dogs from an aggressive koala. The koala sank its teeth into Forster’s leg and refused to let go, relenting only after she reached into its mouth and pried its jaws apart with her hands.
Read More: 20 Terrifying Dinosaurs You’re Glad Are Extinct
Stonefish
Stonefish are named for their visual similarity to rocks, sitting perfectly still and blending right into the seabed where an unsuspecting foot can easily step down on their dorsal fins, primed and ready with potent neurotoxins. The unluckiest clodhoppers will step hard, applying more pressure and increasing the amount of venom that gets injected; they may also trigger the stonefish’s secondary defense mechanism known as a lachrymal saber, which has been likened to a switchblade of the face. Fatality from stonefish venom can occur within an hour, so it’s recommended to seek antivenom immediately. Most importantly, watch where you step.
Which one is the deadliest? Have you ever been hearted by any of these animals? Share your thoughts in the comment section.