Throughout history, we have always tried to make our world much safer, in order to protect our children and our future. Unfortunately, no matter the efforts, the world still remains a dangerous environment if not treated with respect. When it comes to wild animals, believe it or not, their size doesn’t represent their dangerous attitude and characteristics. This is the reason why we have decided to create the top 10 most dangerous animals in the world and at the same time to demonstrate that, although some of these animals may seem friendly, if they are provoked, they become lethal.
10
Lanomia or the “Assassin Caterpillar”
Believe it or not, this small little creature can’t even be seen (if you happen to see it, consider it a one in a million chance) as it perfectly blends in its natural habitat. Although scientists have studied this tiny creature for decades, it was only recently that they discovered its massive poisonous potential. Recent studies have shown that hundreds of deaths in the past 20 years were caused by this caterpillar.
When this animal “attacks”, his bite will make you bleed and the venom will prevent the blood from clotting. The body will start feeling pain, will swell up and will rapidly start shutting down, causing severe problems to all your organs. If this animal stings you 20 to 100 times, it can easily cause lethal conditions. Unfortunately, people don’t realize when they encounter this small animal as they usually step on it, or touch it when they are near a tree. Scientists said that all the registered attacks caused by this creature occurred only in Brazil and its surroundings.
9
Puffer Fish
There are not that many things known about this tiny little fish except the fact that it may cause more damage after his death, then he can do when he is still alive. In some parts of the world, this puffer fish is considered to be quite a delicacy and just a portion of this fish ends up costing a huge amount of money. One of the reasons is that the chef that cooks this type of food must be experienced enough to be able to completely remove all traces of poison from the fish’s organism before cooking. If this doesn’t happen, the person that eats it will die due to the fact that even a small amount of poison will make your airways to block. If treated immediately, with proper medical treatments, death can be avoided.
The funny thing about this fish is that during his lifetime, it doesn’t really represent any threat to humans, but larger marine animals, predators, seem to keep away from it. Even the sharks have learned to stay away.
8
Death Stalker Scorpion
When you hear this name, you instantly start feeling a sense of fear even though you are not even close to this animal. The reality is that you would be right to be afraid of it mostly because it becomes irritated quite fast and is extremely deadly. The gorgeous yellow coloring is what creates the illusion of being a cute little toy, but his tail is actually a deadly weapon. Its sting releases a lethal poison that produces an immense pain that often makes the victim enter a state of shock, the airways start blocking and death becomes the next possible step. There is also a positive aspect about this situation: scientists have created an anti-venom. If it is administrated within a certain time period, the victim will recover. Although it has been spotted in different locations, this scorpion originates from Israel.
7
Hooded Pitohui
This is without a doubt, the only poisonous family of birds known until now. There have been situations in which their bite was lethal. This is one of the reasons why scientists call this bird “The Flying Venom.” The skin and the feathers are actually the poisonous parts of the birds, but the real frightening aspect about this bird is that its venom is the most dangerous and lethal substance known to mankind. In a study conducted on a mouse, where he was injected with this bird’s poison, strange results were seen. Usually, with other types of poison, from the time it was injected and until the time of death, a few minutes go by. In this case, the poison took effect in just a few seconds.
6
Blue-Ringed Octopus
This octopus is an amazing animal and its beauty manages to attract even the most uninterested person. Unfortunately, it is recommended to keep distance from her if you don’t want to get hurt. Its venom is quite vicious and until now, no anti-venom has been created. The only semi-positive aspect about the situation in which a person gets stung by the octopus, it can survive its venom if he receives instant CPR, instant meaning 5 minutes max, otherwise paralysis will begin installing. In the unfortunate case that help doesn’t arrive in time, the victim may suffer from permanent blindness or permanent paralysis. I guess it is true that the most beautiful animals are those that can hurt you more.
5
Yellow Bellied Sea Snake
Although the yellow bellied sea snake is without a doubt the most beautiful snake in the world, it doesn’t mean he is not also lethal. Here are a few characteristics that differentiate him from other types of snakes. He can be found in the sea, not like other snakes that live on the ground, they hunt no matter the time of day or night, but they normally never attack humans, unless they get too close. All these being said, it’s time to talk about the danger that lies inside this creature, as the poison is even more concentrated than the Cobras, and offers a most horrible death. Scientists say that just a drop of this venom is capable of killing 3 men. The venom attacks the respiratory system, and causes paralysis. It also attacks all your muscles, giving extreme pain, making you wish you would die. If you don’t get CPR immediately, until the anti-venom is injected, it causes pain, shock and death.
4
Poison Dart Frog
As all the animals above, the poison dart frog has gorgeous colors and it is without a doubt one of the most interesting and beautiful animals that you will ever have the chance of seeing. Unfortunately, his skin is extremely poisonous as well as their secretions. This is their defense mechanism and their way of avoiding to become a victim. The name, actually comes from the fact that in the past, the tribes had a tradition of making poison darts from the poison of this frog. An interesting thing about this family of poison dart frogs is that not all of them are able to kill humans, there are only 3 types that are deadly. In general, if you touch a poison dart frog, even though you run into the one that doesn’t kill you, you will definitely feel extremely sick as it enters your skin.
3
Hippopotamus
When we hear about hippos in general, we think about a not that bright animal that is also extremely slow and peaceful. The reality is that this 9,000 pound animal is extremely territorial and is able to create great damage to protect itself. Statistics have shown that hippos kill more humans in a year than all African animals combined. Pretty huge, right?
An interesting fact about hippos is that they can’t swim, but when it’s time to attack, the run underwater at a speed of about 5 mph. It’s quite fast, especially if they don’t get tired easily. Another characteristic about them is that if they catch you, you are dead, no doubt about it. They check to make sure you are dead, so they can rest peacefully knowing you won’t come back to disturb them again.
2
Cone Snail
This is the type of animal that now one even gives it a second thought, but it is extremely deadly. In general, it is quite difficult to see if you are holding a cone snail, as you get distracted by the gorgeous shell without realizing that the actual danger lies within the snail. There are many shell collectors that get stung by the harpoon that this snail has. The result depends on the type of cone snail that stings a person, as each snail has his own poison characteristics. The ones that are deadly, contain a Neurotoxin that paralyzes the body and make it shut down by also causing severe respiratory problems. Others just enter the blood system and start causing problems. The only way to get rid of the poison from your blood is by making a full blood transfusion.
1
Boomslang
This animal is a snake that can be found South Africa, but from time to time it has been spotted all across the African continent. Believe it or, this snake is actually one of the deadliest snakes known up to this moment, and there are quite a few good reasons why. First of all, it has huge fangs (for a snake), it has a much better eyesight than all other snake species (it can be compared to a human), they blend perfectly with the surroundings and it is extremely deadly. Unfortunately, no human has managed to live after he was bitten by a boomslag. Its venom kills within a few hours by making the victim bleed from inside out, including from your eyes, ears and nose.
Unfortunately, the only place in the world that has the antivenom is in Johannesburg, so if you get bitten hundreds of miles away, you might not have a chance of getting to the hospital in time.