What’s the difference between a house cat and a lion?
The number of humans it kills each year.
This week let's learn about the world’s deadliest animals. These creatures come in all shapes and sizes. Here we are ranking the most dangerous animals based on how many human attacks or deaths per year they cause. What features make the animal so dangerous: Is it a venomous poison? A sharp sting? Or piercing fangs?
Here are the 17 out of the 35 deadliest animals on the planet.
35. Moray Eel
Humans Killed Per Year: 0
Where They Can Be Found: Warm waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans
Notable Features: Long bodies without scales
The moray eel tends to hang out in tropical seas. They have thick, scaleless skin and sharp teeth that enable them to inflict serious wounds on their prey, including humans, when disturbed. People eat Moray eels in some areas of the world, but their flesh can be toxic and cause illness or death if not prepared properly.
Its cousin, the electric eel, discharges 300 to 650 volts when it feels threatened. Human deaths by both eels are extremely rare but can happen.
34. Golden Poison Frog
:quality(80)/granite-web-prod/0e/42/0e420c652f4b4abd9eb1978493f3c434.jpeg "Golden poison frog")
Humans Killed Per Year: Unclear
Where They Can Be Found: Colombia
Notable Features: Bright yellow coloring
The golden poison frog is considered one of the most toxic animals on Earth. To put it in perspective, it packs enough venom to kill 10 adults. It’s unclear how many humans have died from an encounter with a poison dart frog. But its venomous characteristics make it one of the world’s deadliest animals.
It gets its name from the indigenous people of Colombia who tipped their darts and blowguns with its venom before hunting. For an animal to be considered poisonous, it must be toxic to eat. The golden poison frog keeps its toxins in glands beneath its skin, so any human or animal that takes a bite would be in serious trouble.
33. Stonefish
:quality(80)/granite-web-prod/7e/58/7e5838ffcd0146cf9c3a8701e8871f85.jpeg "Stonefish")
Humans Killed Per Year: 0
Where They Can Be Found: Coastal waters of Australia, Indonesia and India as well as a few species in the Caribbean and Florida Keys
Notable Features: Have similar looks to a rock or part of a reef
Stonefish are the world’s most venomous fish. They fool their prey (humans included) by camouflage as they blend in with reefs and the bottom of the ocean floor. They have 13 spines along their back, and each spine has a gland that holds venom.
If a person steps on or kicks a stonefish, the venom is released, and the person (or other aquatic enemies) is up for a painful and sometimes fatal ride. Stonefish are particularly dangerous to divers and swimmers in Australia. These days, there is a stonefish anti-venom, so there haven’t been many deaths per se by stonefish in recent years.
32. Blue-Ringed Octopus
:quality(80)/granite-web-prod/26/04/26045958010a4d688f42f074806972be.jpeg "Blue-Ringed Octopus")
Humans Killed: 3 people (in total that have ever been recorded)
Where They Can Be Found: Australia, Japan, Philippines and India
Notable Features: Blue rings on its body
While most octopus squirt ink as their line of defense, the blue-ringed octopus dispenses a deadly poison — enough to kill 26 humans within minutes. Despite its power, this marine creature is only the size of a pencil and can be spotted by the noticeable blue rings on its body.
If you were to hold it in the palm of your hand (please don’t!), it would bite you and inject tetrodotoxin, a deadly toxin also found in pufferfish. It’s unlikely that you’ll encounter these killers as they tend to hide in dark crevices about 165 feet underwater.
31. Komodo Dragon
Humans Killed: 4 people (in total that have ever been recorded)
Where They Can Be Found: Komodo Island and Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia
Notable Features: Shark-like teeth, clawed feet, 10 feet in length
:quality(80)/granite-web-prod/6a/fd/6afd64a93154419fa913ed58558985d2.jpeg "Komodo dragons fighting")
Komodo dragons are the world’s largest lizards, growing 10-feet long and weighing about 150 pounds. In recent years, komodo dragons have become somewhat of a tourist attraction in Indonesia. Komodo National Park invites tourists to see this large lizard in its natural habitat. But these prehistoric monsters look as vicious as they are — komodo dragons have killed four people over the past 33 years. The last fatal attack occurred in 2009.
Komodo dragons have a powerful bite packed with venom that delivers toxins that inhibit blood clotting. Trauma from the bite, bacteria from the komodo dragon’s mouth and rapid blood loss contribute to their ability to kill prey (humans included).
30. Cone Snail
:quality(80)/granite-web-prod/f8/40/f840dda7813a4b228832ff68040792f2.jpeg "Cone snail")
Humans Killed: About 36 people (in total that have every been recorded)
Where They Can Be Found: Tropical, warm waters
Notable Features: A cone-shaped shell with blotchy orange coloring
The cone snail may look harmless, but it is a deadly marine mollusk to humans and fish. It has a fatal venom that’s not intended to harm humans, but when it does, it starts with paralysis, then induces a coma and eventually leads to death.
Deep-sea divers know of the hazards of an innocent-looking cone snail, as their habitats are the tropical and colorful waters of the Red Sea, Caribbean Sea and the Indian Ocean. The cone snail has killed about 36 people over the years.
29. Alligator
Humans Killed Per Year: 0-1
Where They Can Be Found: Florida
Notable Features: A long body with thick scales and bony plates
:quality(80)/granite-web-prod/71/78/7178612d4ae04caa8233b3625a72edab.jpeg "Alligator")
Alligators look feisty, yes, but they don’t kill as many humans as you may think. While Florida averages about seven unprovoked alligator attacks per year, there have been only 25 fatal alligator attacks since 1948, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
If you see an alligator, don’t feed it. Not only is it illegal, but it teaches them to associate people with food. We don’t want that!
28. Hyena
:quality(80)/granite-web-prod/23/fc/23fc297997d947ca937ecde23c277908.jpeg "Hyenas")
Humans Killed Per Year: 0-2
Where They Can Be Found: Africa
Notable Features: High-pitched laugh
No one wants to encounter a hyena, and they generally avoid humans. But in certain parts of Africa, hyenas have been known to attack villages.
Hyenas are scavengers known for their high-pitched laugh and dog-like features. They’re vicious mammals that invoke a mixture of fear and aversion in some folks (likely thanks to “The Lion King”).
27. Bear
:quality(80)/granite-web-prod/3a/45/3a45dd53039f474a917896155fa270c2.jpeg "Brown bear fishing")
Humans Killed Per Year: About 1-3
Where They Can Be Found: Every continent except Australia
Notable Features: Extra-large, furry animals that walk on all fours
Bears are not as scary as they may seem. OK, they are scary-ish (come on, they’re kinda cute), but not as deadly as other animals. In fact, many are skittish and have been compared to giant squirrels.
26. Pufferfish
:quality(80)/granite-web-prod/63/10/6310e60dc70845b4a179bb7865b9ddc8.jpeg "Pufferfish")
Humans Killed Per Year: 2-3 (although this number is decreasing due to increased regulations on eating pufferfish)
Where They Can Be Found: Warm waters of the Indian, Pacific and the Atlantic oceans
Notable Features: A body that inflates with spikes when agitated
Pufferfish, blowfish and fugu fall under the same category of a fish that puffs up with spikes and stings you. But let’s talk about fugu, a particular kind of pufferfish in Japan that contains a toxin more poisonous than cyanide!
25. Spider
:quality(80)/granite-web-prod/c3/3f/c33f309e5c334f28aae7d58eeb5df447.jpeg "Spider")
Humans Killed Per Year: About 6 (in the U.S.)
Where They Can Be Found: Worldwide
Notable Features: 8 legs
Snakes and spiders seem to compete for fear in humans. Both have species that bite and inject a deadly venom. And both are silent killers.
There are more than 43,000 species of spiders around the world, but less than 30 species are known to kill humans. Spider venom is typically only lethal against small animals, not humans. And when it does kill a human, it’s usually the result of an allergic reaction.
24. Shark
:quality(80)/granite-web-prod/26/24/262491e271514382b31df71574c70914.jpeg "Caribbean reef shark")
Humans Killed Per Year: 6
Where They Can Be Found: Every ocean on the planet
Notable Features: Sharp teeth and a tall dorsal fin
Shocked that sharks are only at No. 24 on this list? While “Jaws” instilled an understandable fear of sharks in humans, fatal shark attacks are pretty rare.
Only about 12 species are considered dangerous to humans. Great white sharks are the deadliest of all the sharks in the ocean, with 300 sharp teeth that can rip right through you.
23. Wolf
:quality(80)/granite-web-prod/de/d3/ded3e3f898a3431ca450830710252668.jpeg "Pair of wolves")
Humans Killed Per Year: 10
Where They Can Be Found: North America, Europe, Asia and North Africa
Notable Features: Resembles a dog, minus the puppy-dog eyes
The strength of the wolf lies in the pack. These cliquey animals are ferocious, fast and territorial. They’re most common in the woods of North America.
It’s unlikely that you will actually ever confront a wolf, as they don’t usually roam on walking trails. In fact, they’re scared of humans!
22. Horse
:quality(80)/granite-web-prod/32/c7/32c78f15b6e049d0b2b7ddcbeaa07594.jpeg "Horse")
Humans Killed Per Year: 20
Where They Can Be Found: Worldwide
Notable Features: A long mane of hair on top of the neck
People love riding horses, but unfortunately, there are about 20 horse-related deaths each year.
It’s usually from people falling off the massive animal. Horses and cows killed about 77 people from 2008 to 2017 in Australia alone.
21. Cow
:quality(80)/granite-web-prod/f1/e5/f1e5c9e9f3a24c01b6462bbbd1dd2fd1.jpeg "Herd of cows")
Humans Killed Per Year: 22
Where They Can Be Found: Worldwide
Notable Features: Black and white coloring
Cows kill more people than sharks. There. We said it.
Cows kill about 22 people each year by kicking or trampling, which makes sense for those who have ever worked with cows on a cattle farm.
20. Ant
:quality(80)/granite-web-prod/70/af/70af3c9a71a5446792fd888e95f21535.jpeg "Fire ants")
Humans Killed Per Year: About 20-50
Where They Can Be Found: Around the world but most commonly found in the southeastern United States
Notable Features: Fire ants are usually a light brownish-red, but their aggressiveness is their most striking difference to regular ants.
Don’t underestimate ants. There are about 12,000 species, and they all come with personality. There are 280 fire ant species around the world, and a sting from one of these killers may cause fatal anaphylaxis to people who have an allergic reaction. But most people won’t react that way.
A fire ant bite is noticeable as it starts to itch immediately and then turns into a red welt.
19. Hornet
:quality(80)/granite-web-prod/63/c4/63c429e3ca6b4a75908be82a57b39ee3.jpeg "Hornet nest")
Humans Killed Per Year: About 30-50
Where They Can Be Found: Europe, Africa and North America, but the giant hornet is in Asia
Notable Features: The Asian giant hornet is about 1.5 inches in length.
Deaths from a hornet sting are usually grouped with wasp and bee stings. But in China and Japan, something called an Asian giant hornet is a killer. As its name implies, giant hornets are, well, giant. They’re roughly the size of a human thumb and usually invade schools or farm workers.
There are an estimated 30 to 50 deaths each year in Japan from hornet attacks. Most deaths are due to an allergic reaction to the sting.
18. Tiger
:quality(80)/granite-web-prod/55/5a/555ac84b06f844bdb2f9075168e2ebcc.jpeg "Tiger")
Humans Killed Per Year: About 40-50
Where They Can Be Found: Asia
Notable Features: Orange and black stripes
If we learned anything from “Tiger King,” it’s that there are about 3,900 tigers left in the wild. Most of the wild tigers live in India. Tiger attacks are rare as they don’t deliberately kill humans. Yet they kill about 40 to 50 people each year. Tiger attacks are a problem in India as a large population impedes on their natural habitat.
17. Jellyfish
:quality(80)/granite-web-prod/9a/15/9a1554b1f5304bfba037980f4339b079.jpeg "Jellyfish")
Humans Killed Per Year: 40+
Where They Can Be Found: Every ocean
Notable Features: Long tentacles
Jellyfish may not have brains, but they can kill. There are about 2,000 different types of jellyfish, about 70 of which can hurt you. For instance, the box jellyfish is a vicious killer lurking in tropical seas. It strikes with a harmful venom that causes headaches, vomiting, rapid heartbeat and pulmonary edema.
It’s estimated that the box jellyfish account for 20 to 40 deaths each year in the Philippines alone.
Ending this one with the Jellyfish.The countdown will continue next week. make sure you dont step on something like a rock which laters turs on to be a threath!! Have a safe week.
So interesting!!!
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