Top 10 Most Dangerous Animals in the World

I guess you immediately think of sharks, lions, jaguars when the most dangerous and fierce animals in the world come to your mind. Truth is they are aren't close to being the scariest on our planet. Other ferocious beasts, both large and small top the list of the most dangerous and deadly animals on earth. Here are the ten most dangerous animals in the world.

10. Cape Buffalo

The cape buffalo is so dangerous that it is referred to as "the Black Death"! Cape buffaloes are highly prized by big game hunters, and are members of "Africa's Big Five" - the five most difficult animals to hunt on foot. Other members of "Africa's Big Five" are: the African lion, the African elephant, the rhinoceros (black or white), and the leopard. The cape buffalo kills more big game hunters than the other animals combined. Cape buffaloes are so powerful, they have been known to tip over cars. They have a solid shield of horn above their heads, called a "boss". These behemoths can grow up to nearly six feet tall and weigh close to a ton. They circle and stalk their prey before charging at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour, and will keep charging even when injured. They have also been known to attack predators like lions. They drink up to 40 liters of water, twice a day; after the morning feed and before the evening feed.

9. Cone Snail

The cone snail is found in the warm waters in the tropics (Hawaii, Indonesia, Caribbean, etc.). It may look inoffensive but it is extremely deadly. A single drop of its venom can kill 20 human adults. There's no antivenin for its venom yet - you'll be dead within minutes if it stings you and you aren't immediately rushed to the emergency room. Its toxin stops nerve cells from communicating with one another, causing paralysis within moments. It is nicknamed "cigarette snail" as its poison affords you about enough time to smoke a stick before you die. Cone snails are instantly recognizable for their highly prized brown-and-white marbled shells. They are carnivorous and predatory, hunting and eating prey like small fish, mollusks, marine worms, and even other cone snails. As the sea saying goes, "If it's a cone, leave it alone."

8. Golden Poison Dart Frog

Poison dart frogs are the most poisonous animals alive. Its poison is called batrachotoxin. It causes paralysis and death when it enters the bloodstream, even in minute amounts. This frog is native to South America. The native Embera people used to lace the tips of their darts used for hunting with the frog's poison for centuries. Just 2 micrograms of the golden poison dart frog's toxin is needed to kill a human being, which is roughly the amount that would fit onto the head of a pin. 

7. Pufferfish

Also known as blowfish, the pufferfish is a carnivorous fish located in tropical seas around the globe, especially around China, the Philippines, and Japan. They are the second most poisonous vertebrate on earth, after the golden arrow dart frog. Their neurotoxin, called tetrodotoxin, is found in their skin, liver, kidneys, gonads, and muscle tissue. The risk of death from encounters with this fish increases in countries like Japan, where it is considered a delicacy. In Japan, the pufferfish delicacy is known as fungu. Only trained and licensed chefs are allowed to prepare it. Even so, there are several accidental deaths from ingestion every year. Tetrodotoxin is up to 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide. It interferes with the transmission of signals from nerves to muscles by blocking sodium channels. The result is a rapid weakening and paralysis of muscles, including those pf the respiratory tract, which can result in respiratory arrest and death.

6. Box Jellyfish

Box jellies are also called marine stingers, and sea wasps. They live primarily in coastal waters off Northern Australia and throughout the Indo-Pacific. They move or float at speeds close to 5 miles per hour. Box jellies are transparent, nearly invisible and are without vertebra (invertebrates). The box jellyfish's venom is among the most deadly in the world. It contains toxins that attack the heart, nervous system, and skin cells. Its venom is so painful that it causes shock and drowning in its human victims. Some victims die of heart failure before reaching the shore. Survivors get to experience considerable pain weeks after the sting and have significant amounts of scarring on areas of their skin that made contact with the box jellyfish's tentacles. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, box jellies are the most venomous marine animal in the world. 

5. Black Mamba

The black mamba is a nervous, fast, venomous snake, which becomes very aggressive when threatened. Black mambas are brown snakes. The black mamba is especially deadly due to its speed. The black mamba is native to the savannas and rocky areas of southern and eastern Africa. Their name is derived from the blue-black coloring inside their mouths, which they display when threatened. When threatened, the black mamba will bite repeatedly, delivering enough venom capable of killing 10 men, in a single bite. Black mambas have a neurotoxic venom, which shuts down a victim's nervous system and paralyzes them. Fatalities from black mama bites have been documented to occur within as little as 20 minutes, though most known fatalities occur within 30 minutes to 3 hours. 

4. Saltwater Crocodile

The saltwater crocodile is the largest and most dangerous of all crocodile species, and is the animal most likely to eat a human. The saltwater crocodile can weigh over 1000 kilograms. Saltwater crocodiles populate the brackish and freshwater regions of eastern India, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia. Australian saltwater crocodiles kill averagely 1 to 2 people per year. Saltwater crocodiles have long lifespans, most live for more than 65 years. Crocodiles in general, kill will the greatest bite force ever directly measured for living animals. Saltwater crocodiles slam their jaws shut with 3,700 pounds per square inch (psi), or 16,460 newtons, of bite force, making them the world's most powerful biters.

3. Tsetse Fly

It is often regarded as the world's most dangerous fly. A bite from this fly puts you into a lethal sleep, as its bite infects you with either the Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense or the T. b. gambiense. These two closely-related single-cell parasites (trypanosomes) are responsible for the deathly sleep you fall into, after sustaining a bite from the tsetse fly. The sleep-inducing disease is called African Sleeping Sickness. Its symptoms include: poor coordination, behavioral changes, anxiety, fever, sweating, headache, insomnia at night, uncontrollable sleepiness during the day, swollen lymph nodes throughout the body, and a swollen, red, painful nodule at the site of the fly bite. The tsetse fly is commonly found in sub-Saharan countries. These flies suck blood off their victims and usually feed during the peak warm hours of the day. There are currently no vaccines against the disease. People living in areas where the tsetse fly thrives are advised to wear neutral-colored clothing, given that the tsetse fly is attracted to bright and dark colors. 

2. Mosquito

The common mosquito is even tinier than the tsetse fly, but even more deadly. There are over 3,000 species of mosquito. They are found in every region except Antartica. Mosquitoes are vectors of diseases like: malaria, elephantiasis, Chikungunya, encephalitis, yellow fever, dengue fever, West Nile virus and the Zika virus. Mosquitoes are responsible for the deaths of 725,000 people on an annual basis, and afflict an estimated 700 million people. As per the World Health Organization, over half of the human population is currently at risk from mosquito-borne diseases. Mosquitoes are attracted to our body temperatures and the carbon dioxide we exhale. To avoid mosquitoes; use an insect net, keep air circulated, use insect repellents, and avoid mosquito hotspots.

1. Humans

Don't be surprised, we are animals too, and we've been killing each other for 10,000 years. The total deaths from war were estimated at between 150 million and 1 billion, a decade ago. Till date, we assault each other with extremely high rates of senseless brutality, from domestic violence and gun violence to terrorist attacks around the globe. Humans are dangerous to nature, and to other animals too, we deprive many animals of their natural habitat by enhancing global warming. We are by nature, irrational beings, thus we act irrationally. Humans have the capacity to destroy our entire planet with a host of terrifying weapons like genetically modified superbugs and nuclear devices. Admit it, we're the worst.