The World's Most Dangerous Animals

Jayne.

1 – Introduction

‘When Animals Attack!’ was one of the highest rated shows aired by FOX in America during the 1990s. Viewers tuned in to see bears, eagles, wolves, sharks, snakes, and even pets attack unsuspecting people who came too close. Part of the phenomenon of such programming seems to be a natural fear that we have of some animals, one so primal that even the possible presence of a potential predator far in the distance may curdle our blood at the thought of the possibility of being eaten alive, injected with a painful venom or perhaps even having a sizeable chunk bitten out of us.

Human beings have occasionally turned harmless animals into deadly weapons in the past, such as in Afghanistan, Iraq, the West Bank, and Lebanon, where donkeys have been used to carry explosives, occasionally killing policemen and soldiers. In 2003, Palestinians used a donkey to carry out an unsuccessful attack near Jerusalem. PETA director Ingrid Newkirk contacted Yasser Arafat asking him to keep animals out of the fighting. Other than these largely unsuccessful efforts to use animals as weapons, humans have rarely used animals in warfare since horses were replaced with tanks and armored personnel carriers.

What is it about some animals, however, that makes them seem more dangerous than others? Each time an exotic pet attacks its owner or a passerby in the U.S. for example, the story makes the news and is carried to neighboring states, prompting legislators and city council members to enact ordinances and statutes meant to license or even restrict the ownership of exotic pets. In practice, surprisingly, there is statistically less than one death per year resulting from exotic pet ownership in the U.S. (not including deaths within zoos). In 2003, however, the U.S. Captive Wild Animal Safety Act took effect, banning the sale or transportation of lions, tigers, snow leopards, or other big cats.

More than 20 Americans are killed by cows (and as many by horses) per year, yet these large herbivores would only usually instill terror into the hearts of very young children. Around five campers and hikers die from rattlesnake bites annually in the U.S., and as many from the black widow spider. Over 30 Americans per year experience attacks by their family pet, and even the occasional deer caught in the headlights kills over one hundred Americans per year on road trips. These are just statistics from the U.S. of course and they will vary from country to country, with different terrains being inhabited by different kinds of animals.

Incredibly, the most dangerous animal to humans on Earth is the common mosquito, which often carries deadly malaria, that amounts to approximately one million fatalities each year. Of course, people kill far more of each other than wild animals do. By one estimate, governments of the world alone have influenced the killing of 175 million people during the 20th century, averaging almost 2 million deaths per year.

Yet humans retain primal fears of wild animals that harkens back to the days when shelter could be found in caves, rather than houses and when men held only spears, rather than rifles. In some parts of Africa and South America, rural tribesmen and their families are still frequently attacked and sometimes killed by animals. Polar bears occasionally attack natives of Alaska and Canada, while Australian aborigines have been mauled by dingoes. Tourists visiting many of these untamed frontiers are in much greater danger, as some do not heed the warnings of natives or find themselves too close to a hippopotamus, rhino or lion.

While the widely known condition of ‘arachnophobia’ is a fear of spiders, ‘ophidiophobia’ is the fear of snakes. People harboring an irrational fear of dogs that can extend into adulthood may be experiencing ‘cynophobia’, which some psychologists believe may be a remnant of the fear of wolves and wild dogs. According to the Calm Clinic, Evolutionary psychology holds that a fear of dogs evolved in humans as a survival mechanism. Learning to fear and to avoid large predators would have been of use to humans in the days when wild, dangerous and hungry animals were commonplace.

Gregory Carey in The Principles of Evolutionary Psychology says that, Even before our own species evolved, hominid youngsters had to learn very quickly what types of animals to avoid. Perhaps the nervous system of an ancient primate ancestor evolved a sensitive period for the acquisition of fear responses to dangerous animals, and we inherited that mechanism. Such scientists propose that youngsters amongst our ancestors learned both from their group and their early experiences which animals they needed to fear as a survival trait. This trait may be so deeply rooted that humans are predisposed to develop such phobias before reaching adolescence. In fact, many adults admit to some long held phobia that they have had longer than they can remember, usually not triggered by any particular previous life event.

Snakes, spiders, and dogs top the list for phobias, while bats, bears, and rats remain well represented. Long ago, spotting a snake (or even a spider) would have been an advantage to a person's survival, according to one study in which adults and children could pick out images of snakes among various non-threatening objects more quickly than they could pinpoint frogs and flowers, writes Jeanna Bryner, Managing Editor of LiveScience.

About one in 20 people possess a strong fear of snakes, and about one person in 30 of spiders. Why is there not a greater fear of the hippopotamus? Surely, the common mosquito kills more humans that all other animals combined, yet the mosquito doesn’t exactly fill us with fear when we see one flying around.

This book is an overview of animals which can be considered dangerous, or potentially dangerous to human beings. Although most of the animals listed in this book would only become dangerous if they felt threatened in some way. It also goes without saying that dangerous animals should be protected and not wiped out just because evolution has granted them skills where they would win a fight if we picked one against them.

2 – Box Jellyfish

Chironex Box Jellyfish. Image author: Guido Gautsch.

According to the U.S. National Science Foundation, 20-40 people die from box jellyfish stings in the Philippines alone each year. Box jellyfish frequent Australia’s northern oceans throughout the entire year, but are more prevalent in the wet season between November and April. Although they show many characteristics of typical jellyfish, they are actually classed as not being a true jellyfish.

True jellyfish usually just drift around, but the box jellyfish has been recorded as moving at speeds of up to six metres per minute. Since box jellyfish have 24 eyes, in four sets, they can detect and attack anything around a 360 degree zone of vision. Their eyes are defined as ‘ocelli’ meaning simple eyes that can only detect light and dark.

Small fish and invertebrates, such as prawns, are the box jellyfish’s choice of prey. Even the most venomous jellyfish in the world is not without its own predators to worry about however, as blue swimmer crabs, rabbitfish, batfish and butterfish are all a threat. Sea turtles are the box jellyfish’s most fearsome predator as they are remarkably unaffected by the stings and can quite happily munch away on a tentacle unperturbed.

Box jellyfish have very dangerous tentacles that can grow up to 3 metres in length. Most of the harm caused by these jellyfish comes from their ‘cnidocytes’ which are all over their tentacles. Cnidocytes are small ‘poison pouches’ that harbour small darts and venom. Each tentacle has over 500,000 cnidocytes. This cube or bell shaped jellyfish has four distinct sides, which gives the box jellyfish its name. A fully grown box jellyfish can grow to a respectable size of 30 cm in diameter and weigh up to 2 kg. They are usually pale blue in colour or transparent.

When tentacles wrap around their victim, they shoot their poisoned darts into the skin. The venom then enters the bloodstream. Just a small amount of box jellyfish venom is enough to stop the heart and spike blood pressure. Records show that most victims who are injected with the venom survive; however, many countries don’t require death certificates for jellyfish related deaths, so the data may be skewed.

Don’t expect the box jellyfish to be a trivial dumb blob of goo. Box jellyfish actually display complex behaviors that allow them to avoid things as well as speed up their swimming in a certain direction. Box jellyfish are in fact quite intelligent, as tests have not only shown that they have a very basic memory, but that they can also learn.

These jellyfish can be found throughout the Atlantic and east Pacific oceans, the Mediterranean, as well as North California, Japan, South Africa and New Zeeland. Box jellyfish encounters are more likely to happen 7-10 days after a full moon in Hawaii, when they come near to the shore to spawn. These spawning activities are occasionally so widespread that beaches have to be closed until it is safe to go back into the water.

A victim can immediately go into shock if stung and if they are swimming alone the pain is so severe that the swimmer will usually not be able to make it back to shore on their own. Necrosis can occur in venom infected tissue, which means that cells are destroyed causing tissue to die, often leaving permanent scars.

Unlike myth would tell you, it is not a good idea to urinate on jellyfish stings and you would certainly be doing the poor victim a favour by not considering urinating on them, as this would only further darken the tragic experience for them. Spirits and vodka should never be poured over stings either as this is also a myth, it is just a waste of time and good spirits. Natural vinegar does work however, and has saved many lives. Vinegar needs to be poured over any tentacles still attached to the victim’s body before they can be removed, as removing them before this can lead to more venom being released. If cardiac arrest occurs, CPR may keep the victim alive until help arrives. Hospitals and medical centres near areas where box jellyfish are common will usually have an antiserum called ‘antivenin’ which can relieve pain and reduce scarring.

According to Dr. Angel Yanagihara, research professor at the university of Hawaii, who was stung by box jellyfish (quoting from an article by Diana Nyad for the Huffington Post), the feeling of being stung by a box jellyfish was like her entire body was . . . submerged in hot, burning oil and she yelled Fire!, Fire!, FIRE! Her companion who was also stung in the water was startled when his breaths per minute slowed down to just three breaths per minute. Luckily, they both miraculously survived.

3 – Asian Giant Hornet

The world’s largest hornet. Image courtesy of Hometboy1970.

Imagine if there were a 3 inch long wasp with a quarter inch long stinger. Well, this insect is real . . .

A simple honey bee is no real concern. Even the more sinister wasp hovering around your ice-cream is not really that much of a threat. For the most part, these critters will not bother people if they are left alone. With honey bees, although painful, their stingers do more damage to the bee than to their victims. Then there is the Asian giant hornet: a fearsome insect that most people can only imagine in their worst nightmares.

While the average wasp is around ¾ of an inch in length, the Asian giant hornet can reach upwards of three inches in length. That is roughly the size of an adult’s thumb. Their anatomy is very different to other hornets; their heads are orange and wider than normal, their eyes and antennae are a dark brown colour and their mandibles are black, while the rest of their body is mostly black and golden. Additionally, unlike other hornets, they do not have barbed stingers. This means that the stinger will not detach itself and remains on the body of the hornet after it has been used. Because of this, the Asian giant hornet can sting its victims repeatedly.

The stinger is about a ¼ of an inch long and the venom of this hornet contains eight different chemicals. Each of these chemicals has a specific purpose, ranging from