Most Dangerous Animals & Creatures On Earth
We are naturally drawn to danger, but you will run away if you encounter a large scary animal, but what if the deadliest is not the largest creature on Earth, it could be small and harmless looking? Would it be a thrill? It might just be downright scary. Some of these animals don’t look dangerous but are actually lethal. While you might be thinking of mosquitoes and worms that are, indeed, quite fatal to humans, today we will explore the planet for some of the world’s most dangerous animals that may just be a literal nightmare.
13 Megalopyge Opercularis
Toupee Caterpillar. When we think of caterpillars, we think of the cute and small insects that eventually become beautiful butterflies. They seem completely harmless, but some of them are nothing but dangerous. The puss caterpillar is the most poisonous caterpillar in the United States. Appropriately nicknamed the toupee caterpillar, the insect looks like a man’s toupee. Those fluffy looks are incredibly deceiving. Beneath all the fluff are tiny spine packed with a toxic punch. Once the spines have entered your skin, the toxins increase in strength making for a very bad time. The pain lasts for hours and has been described as being worse than a bee sting. The pain doesn’t just stay in one spot either; it typically spreads. For example, a sting on the hand can be felt all the way to the shoulder. And if the pain is bad enough, even your bones will hurt.
12 Burmese Python
Some of us have snakes as pets that we keep in our homes. These snakes generally aren’t dangerous, but it’s not surprising that there are many snakes that are deadly. They are natural predators that lunge at their prey. Most people try to avoid snakes. And I probably don’t have to tell you twice to stay away from a python. Among the largest snakes in the world, Pythons are particularly dangerous for more than just its size and vicious lunge. These snakes are known for constricting and suffocating their prey. Burmese pythons can get to be almost as long as a school bus. With a girth as big as a telephone pole, they are able to swallow large animals like sheep and deer. When traveling to the marshes of Southeast Asia, keep an eye on the tree for the young but don’t get in the water. They can be waiting for you. Florida everglades is also home to the invasive species that were once pets. The pythons had created havoc eating the apex species such as alligators and crocodiles. With no predator to control them, they have become an ecological nightmare.
11 Ticks
Going for a walk can be a refreshing change of pace. Nature can help us unwind and relax. It’s also just really nice to see all the wildlife we may encounter. While forests are home to beautiful flora and fauna, the woods are also home to some pretty scary stuff, like the tick. Small and unassuming, you might just think that this insect is just an annoying pest. For most people, that’s all their encounters will amount to. But for the unlucky few, it could mean hospitalization or worse. Ticks are able to spread terrible bacteria and viruses like Lyme’s disease and the Powassan Virus. Both can have fatal consequences. But nature is clever, while ticks can survive without food for months until its next victim passes by, you don’t need repellent to protect yourself from ticks. Just invite opossums to your yard. Opossums, marsupials found in the Americas, may not look like much but opossums can eat hundreds of ticks per day, according to research, opossums attract ticks and opossums’ favorite dish is ticks! opossums are the unsung heroes, saving you and your animals from a painful illness. Thank you, opossums, I think you are so cute!
10 Vespa Mandarinia Japonica
Japanese Hornet. Springtime. The flowers are in bloom, and rain is in the air. During the spring, you’ve probably encountered some bees and wasps hanging around your flower garden or house. Usually, bees leave you alone, but wasps can chase you down if they’re in the mood. None of these are as dangerous as the Japanese hornet though. These hornets are predators. In Japan, they are responsible for more annual human fatalities than even bears and snakes combined. The deadly predators attack smaller insects and cut off the pieces to take home to share. For humans, their sting can make you seriously ill, and can even be lethal.
9 Hadronyche
Funnel Web Spider. Mosquitoes, cockroaches, bugs, they are disgusting. And spiders are our allies to destroy those intruders. Most spiders are harmless and mean us no harm. But not all spiders are nice, some can be deadly. Australia, a land filled with wonderful unique animals like koalas and kangaroos, is also home to one of the most venomous spiders in the world. The web is not as pretty as the orbs found in a garden. This one is shaped like a funnel. A bite from one of these spiders is almost a sure demise for the victim. After being bitten, it only takes 15 minutes to take down an adult human. No other spider’s venom acts that quickly. The funnel-web spider is on a whole new level of danger.
8 Trimeresurus Stejnegeri
Bamboo Snake. Bamboo is a strong, sustainable material that’s great for building homes, furniture and flooring. You might even have bamboo inside your house. But did you know about the snakes that live in the bamboo groves and forests? You may use bamboo to build your house, but bamboo is this snake’s home. Chinese Vipers are only about the length of an arm and are a bright green color. A cursory look might have you thinking they’re not very dangerous, but think again. Their fangs contain a powerful venom that stays in your body for up to 24 hours. The site of the bite will actually turn black from necrosis setting in. The pain is said to be similar to that of a hot iron being pressed into your skin. Luckily, they only live in bamboo forests, so our homes are free of Chinese Vipers.
7 Jellyfish
Sharks, salt water crocodiles, giant octopus… real dangerous animals that lurk below us when we swim, but how about smaller less impressive looking creatures, that could be more dangerous that any of those giants combined? It may not cross your mind to be worried about jellyfish. One-touch will leave a mark on your body and a lot of pain, but unlikely to be fatal. Others though are much more dangerous. located in the Indo-pacific regions of the world, from India to Australia and Japan, this jellyfish is “named the world’s most venomous creature.” The box jellyfish is the length of your ink pen but its tentacles can be longer than a tall human. Unlike regular jellyfish who move with the waves, the box jelly propels while hunting for fish. The box jellyfish should be avoided at all costs. Its sting is absolutely lethal to humans.
6 Hippo
Playing board games is fun. Some even bring back many happy and nostalgic memories for some of us. But in real life some of those games could be deadly. Hungry hippos is one of them. Actual hippos in the real world won’t be leaving you with the same sentiment. They are extremely territorial and aggressive animals. They will even capsize boats if they feel threatened. One French Zoo director learned a permanent lesson about the dangers of the Hippopotamus. The director used to play with a hippo at his zoo. A few years later, the same hippo killed him after getting loose from its enclosure. It just goes to show that human interactions with hippos should be left to board games. Let the real hippos live in peace.
5 Parabuthus Transvaalicus
Spitting Thicktail Black Scorpion. Are you an adventurous eater? Have you ever wondered what a scorpion tastes like? Well, while it isn’t exactly uncommon to eat them. Many cultures around the world eat scorpions. But unless you’re eating the scorpion, these arachnids are definitely not safe. In fact, they are very dangerous. Scorpions are responsible for thousands of fatalities every year. Their venom is extremely toxic, containing neurotoxins and enzyme inhibitors in their stinger. From South Africa, meet the scariest scorpion of all. The spitting thicktail black scorpion (Parabuthus transvaalicus) not only does it have 2 types of venom in its powerful thick tail, but it also spits it up to 3 ft, causing temporary blindness, and could cause permanent damage to the eyes of the target. This large scorpion about the length of a pencil, could knock down a healthy adult human causing serous pain and possible ending. You wouldn’t want the deadly creature to be close enough to sting you, or spit on you.
4 Horse
We depict horses as being majestic animals that are full of love. Horseback riding is seen as a prestigious sport and pastime. There are even horses used in therapy. Even with all the good things that come with horses, they are still dangerous. But how could these beautiful animals ever be dangerous? The fact is that horses spend a great deal of time with humans. It means there is plenty of opportunity for a horse to get spooked or for there to be a misunderstanding or accident. If a horse tramples on you, it will most likely be fatal. In Australia, horses have claimed more lives than snakes and bees. When dealing with horses, the main thing is to show respect and really listen to how the horse is feeling.
3 Pomacea
Freshwater Snails. Lakes, rivers, and ponds can be great places for recreational fun. Maybe you want to go fishing in the river, or swimming at the lake. But before you hop in, you might want to know how dangerous freshwater snails can be. Found in Asia, Africa, and South America, these freshwater snails emit schistosomiasis, a deadly parasitic disease. When infected with the parasite, the liver, intestines, and spleen all take critical damage. The worst part about these snails is that one doesn’t have to touch you for you to get the parasite. If freshwater snails are in the water that you are wading through or swimming in, you can get the parasite too. Contact with water that has freshwater snails is equally as dangerous.
2 Eunectes Murinus
Giant Anaconda. The amazon is a magical place. We’ve heard the legends--the legends that deep in the Amazon, giant anacondas lie in wait to terrorize locals and tourists alike. A normal anaconda is already large. Though it can be dangerous to humans, it typically does not attack unprovoked. We’re not really what they like to eat. But the giant anaconda is a whole new kind of beast. Roughly the size of a humpback whale, yes you heard that right, the giant anaconda slithers through the forest tormenting locals and other large creatures. But is the giant anaconda fact or fiction? Although nothing larger than a 2 story-high building in length has been captured, locals say that when the giant anaconda slithers by, rivers flood and tunnels collapse… so… the legend could be true, we just have not seen the mother of all the anacondas.
1 Homo Sapiens
Look in the mirror and tell me what you see. Do you see a normal harmless human? Or do you see the most dangerous animal on the planet? We have the potential to be both. It’s easy to point our fingers at other animals for being dangerous, but the fact is that humans are destructive and dangerous in our own right. We drive plant and animal species to endangerment and extinction. We pollute our world and damage the planet. We even hurt one another and cause more fatalities than snakes, snails, spiders and scorpions combined. That doesn’t include the other ways we hurt each other, like car accidents and transmitting deadly diseases. The reality is that we are the most dangerous species in the world.
From a distance, these dangerous animals are not so dangerous. The key is to keep away and avoid the deadliest animals on Earth. Even thought we humans are classified as the deadliest animal in the planet, each of us have the power to positively affect it, make it better and create a lasting change for us and the animals we must protect. so, together, lest become the most powerful force of change to improve the only home we have, planet earth.
