The World's Most Dangerous Animals. Kevin Baker Baker
in Queensland, Australia and the infamous string of attacks on the Jersey Shore in 1916 by suspected bull sharks provided the idea for the novel Jaws.
In Australia, a ferry driver once reported seeing a Chihuahua being snapped up when it came close to the edge of a river. They have even been seen leaping out of the water to snap at bats.
However, humans are not typically the bull shark’s meal of choice. They’ll eat almost anything as long as it is available: fish, turtles, other sharks and even birds occasionally. The aggressive head-butts are employed initially as a tactic to disorient their prey after slamming their whole weight (anywhere from 200-500 pounds) against them. Sometimes the head-butt alone will kill their prey outright. While their target is disoriented, the bull shark will thus gain the advantage and snatch its victim up before it can recover.
Bull sharks typically live for up to sixteen years, and they reach sexual maturity at around 10 years old. They breed in brackish water in the summer. Eggs hatch inside the bodies of the female sharks and the babies feed off of the placenta and nourishment from the mother. Gestation lasts about a year and the litters can be as big as 13 pups. These little shark babies are usually around 30 inches long and already sport a full set of teeth when fully developed. The first thing they do is to swim away from their mother, who might eat them.
Although bull sharks are one of the most dangerous species of shark, it is important to remember that there are only 16 shark attacks on average per year in the United States for example. Plus, only one shark attack every two years actually kills someone in the U.S. In fact, a person is six times more likely to be killed by a pig than a shark, which is good news for most people, except pig farmers of course.
5 – Hippo
A hippo’s skull showing its dangerous canines and incisors. Image author: Raul654.
At first glance, the hippo looks like a big, cuddly animal. It is all roly-poly round curves with a silly-looking toothy smile. They look like they are ready to hop into a children’s movie and appear adorable. The word hippopotamus means ‘horse of the river’ in Greek, and horses are some of the nicest animals on Earth. In fact, because hippos spend most of their lives in water, it seems like they should hardly be a concern to people at all.
The hippopotamus is native to the mid and southern regions of Africa. The hippo spends its whole life in the water, except for when they were eating. They leave the water at dusk and sometimes wander as far as six miles inland. They are typically vegetarians, though on rare occasions they have been seen eating carrion, and will eat up to 150 pounds of food in a night. They are considered as a vulnerable animal as they are often hunted and everything about this animal points to it being a harmless cuddly delight.
However, these goofy looking animals are notoriously bad tempered. The mature male bulls are aggressive and territorial, and the females will do anything to protect their young calves. It makes sense, really as Africa is home to some of the most dangerous and notorious predators in the animal kingdom. Young hippos are often prey to crocodiles, lions and the like, but the adults are protected by their massive size and grumpy nature. There have been reports of crocodiles being chased out of the water or even killed by hippopotamuses.
That’s not all, as hippos are also sometimes remarkably aggressive towards people. Because of their territorial tendencies, they have been known to attack humans in boats and also on land without any provocation at all. Among the large animals in Africa, they are considered one of the most dangerous. Approximately 200 people die from hippo attacks every year.
Interestingly, hippos rarely kill each other. Despite being extremely territorial, the hippos will stop fighting once they realize which one is stronger. Rarely, bulls might try to kill the infants, but this is not normal behaviour. There are also some very, very rare instances of hippo cannibalism, likely involving sick or distressed animals.
There are several things a person can do to avoid or be safer around hippos. Although occasionally these attacks happen without provocation, the iconic big mouth yawn is a sure sign of impending aggression. Should you be planning to spend time around rivers in Africa, keep an eye and ear out for oxpeckers as they are a sign that hippos could be near. Tap the side of the boat to let them know where you are so that they don’t come up under you and knock your boat over. If you see hippos, keep plenty of space in between your boat and the animal, especially if there appear to be large numbers of them. On foot, keep away from thickets that could hide a hippo. And finally, you could use a tree or termite mound as cover if necessary.
6 – Great White Shark
Great white shark biting into a whale carcass. Image author: Fallows C, Gallagher AJ, Hammerschlag.
When it comes to sharks, the great white shark is usually the one that first springs into everyone’s mind. Images of them leaping from the water and snatching fish and seals out of the water are iconic, impressive and at the same time terrifying on a primordial level. Surprisingly, this fierce-looking predator is far more dangerous in our imaginations than in real life. Although one third of the 100 or so annual shark attacks are caused by great whites, most of these attacks are not fatal. In fact, the great white usually tends to simply bite and then release their victims out of sheer curiosity.
However, the great white is still one of the ocean’s top predators. Their bodies are streamlined to be fiercely fast swimmers, with up to a 20 foot long body shaped like a torpedo and a crescent-shaped tail. This sleek design helps them to swim up to speeds of 35 miles per hour. That is not even to mention their five rows of massive teeth. Each row has 46 teeth in it, making a total of 230 razor-sharp chompers that can be as long as up to three inches in length. Even though their bite force is not as strong as, say, a bull shark, they still have a very powerful bite, partly because of those teeth.
Their bite isn’t even the most impressive feature of this fearsome animal. All of their senses are extremely acute, especially their sense of smell. They can sniff out one drop of blood out of billions of drops of water from as far as three miles away. All sharks have a great senses of smell, but the great white’s is the sharpest.
All of the great white’s other senses are equally impressive. They even have a sixth sense: electro-reception. They can sense an electrical field due to a series of pores on their snout. This is how they navigate the ocean. Great whites create an electrical map of the seas by using the magnetic fields that crisscross the Earth.
Great white sharks have gotten a bad reputation due to their portrayal in movies and other popular media. As mentioned earlier, sharks are largely uninterested in eating people. They prefer getting their annual 11 tons of food from seals, sea lions, and even other sharks. In fact, the reason that people get attacked by sharks is because the sharks get confused. From below, a human swimming in the water can look like a seal or sea lion. When a shark realizes their mistake, they’ll just let go and move on. It is very rare for a person to be killed by a great white attack.
7 – Stone Fish
A stone fish in a public aquarium. Image courtesy of SeanMack.
People who have accidentally stepped on a stonefish have reported that the pain can last up to a staggering 6 months. Sometimes the infected area can blacken and produce a hole over time in the skin of the unsuspecting diver or beachcomber, requiring special treatment. A stonefish does not sound that dangerous. If anything, one would perhaps initially imagine that these fish are simply very sharp and stepping on one would result in a cut foot. Although while stepping on this unsuspecting fish will result in a sharp pain in your foot, it will be from a nasty venom, that should be tended to immediately, because the stonefish happens to be one of the most poisonous fish in the world.
Not to worry though, as the stonefish really isn’t as aggressive as say