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What are the Most Dangerous Animals in the World?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Travelers in countries such as Africa and Australia are often concerned about attacks by animals such as venomous snakes, crocodiles, big cats, and dangerous ocean-dwelling animals. A number of animals are in competition for the top spot on a list of the world's most dangerous animals, and some of the inhabitants of such a list might surprise you. Luckily, in general, unpleasant encounters with most of these animals can be avoided with the use of common sense and basic precautions.

Animals can be made dangerous by a variety of factors. Many dangerous animals are classified as a threat to humans because they carry venom which can injure or kill people. Others are physically dangerous: fast runners or swimmers with strong teeth and a fearless attitude. Still others are dangerous because of the diseases they carry. Some nations also have more predators than others: Australia, for example, has some of the most dangerous animals in the world, including taipans and salt water crocodiles.

Dangerous snakes like the Indian Cobra kill with venom.
Dangerous snakes like the Indian Cobra kill with venom.

Most venomous animals are snakes or spiders. Some jellyfish also carry dangerous chemical compounds which can kill: the box jellyfish and Portuguese Man O'War are two examples. Most venomous snakes and spiders will not bother people unless they feel threatened. Examples of venomous snakes include African mambas, American rattlesnakes, Southeast Asian taipans, Indian cobras, and an assortment of vipers. In the arachnid world, black widow and brown recluse spiders cause hundreds of deaths worldwide each year. Another venomous animal is the scorpion, which causes an untold number of deaths each year thanks to its distribution in remote areas without ready access to medical treatment.

The hippo is Africa's most dangerous animal.
The hippo is Africa's most dangerous animal.

Physically dangerous animals are those that most people are most familiar with. These animals include the big cats, sharks, and bears. In addition, elephants, hippopotami, and buffalo are extremely dangerous due to their protective nature and physical agility. The hippopotamus is actually Africa's most dangerous animal, because it is highly aggressive. Most early African explorers recorded unfortunate encounters with these animals, which have been known to overturn boats and savage their occupants for entertainment.

Big cats are physically powerful and dangerous to humans.
Big cats are physically powerful and dangerous to humans.

However, the world's most dangerous animals may come as a surprise: houseflies and mosquitoes. Both animals are classified as highly dangerous because of the diseases that they carry. Two to three million deaths each year are caused by mosquito borne illnesses such as malaria, yellow fever, and dengue fever. Houseflies carry over 200 pathogens including viruses and bacteria, and are ubiquitous enough to spread them all over the world along their daily rounds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which animal is considered the most dangerous to humans?

Bears are very dangerous.
Bears are very dangerous.

The mosquito is often cited as the most dangerous animal to humans, not due to its size or strength, but because it is a vector for deadly diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and Zika virus. According to the World Health Organization, malaria alone caused 627,000 deaths in 2020, predominantly in Africa.

What is the deadliest land animal?

The hippopotamus is recognized as one of the deadliest land animals, responsible for more human fatalities in Africa than any other large animal. Despite their herbivorous diet, hippos are highly territorial and aggressive, leading to fatal encounters with humans who inadvertently encroach on their space.

Are sharks the biggest threat to humans in the ocean?

Crocodiles can be very dangerous.
Crocodiles can be very dangerous.

While sharks are often portrayed as the greatest oceanic threat to humans, they are not the leading cause of ocean-related fatalities. Box jellyfish, with their potent venom, cause more deaths annually. Shark attacks are relatively rare, with the International Shark Attack File reporting 57 unprovoked attacks worldwide in 2020.

What is the most venomous animal in the world?

Houseflies carry lots of pathogens.
Houseflies carry lots of pathogens.

The box jellyfish is considered the most venomous marine animal. Its venom is highly toxic and can cause heart failure, paralysis, and death within minutes. Encounters with the box jellyfish, particularly the species Chironex fleckeri, have been responsible for numerous fatalities in the waters of the Indo-Pacific.

How do snakes rank in terms of danger to humans?

Mosquitoes are known to spread a number of serious diseases.
Mosquitoes are known to spread a number of serious diseases.

Snakes are among the top threats to humans in terms of venomous wildlife, with the World Health Organization estimating that snakebites cause between 81,000 and 138,000 deaths annually. The saw-scaled viper is particularly notorious, accounting for more deaths than any other snake species, largely due to its prevalence in densely populated areas.

Can small animals also be extremely dangerous?

The Black Widow is a poisonous spider.
The Black Widow is a poisonous spider.

Yes, size does not always correlate with danger. The poison dart frog, for instance, carries enough poison to kill 10 grown men, but its bright coloration serves as a warning to potential predators. Human fatalities are rare since the frogs are not aggressive and the poison is only dangerous if ingested or enters the bloodstream.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a AllThingsNature researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a AllThingsNature researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon264764

Everyone has the right idea but the wrong reason. We are the most dangerous, but not because of intelligence, but because of attitude, ego, pride, jealousy.

The reason we kill and destroy and use up natural resources is not because we are smart. It's because we don't work within nature. We force it to do what we want. If we were smart (as a species) we would live with nature and maintain our world, but hey, why do that when we could do whatever we want to make things how we want and damn the consequences?

Our mentality that the world belongs to us is why we are so dangerous.

anon166230

Humans are the most dangerous living creature on Earth. We have an ultimate weapon called a brain which allows us to create things and be really strong, but humans are greedy, and that's very bad. That is the problem of the world. Humans live in countries and speak different languages but animals live according to their race which is very good. Too bad humans don't have it.

anon146915

If you want the most poisonous/deadly creature, it would have to be a box jellyfish. There is no antivenin, it is basically invisible to the naked eye while in deep water, and its sting, although not designed to kill quickly, is supposedly so painful, most "fit" humans will go into cardiac arrest and drown and finally, they have been known to hunt in swarms. There is only one things more deadly than a box jellyfish, and that's a million of them. Just think of them as floating mines of extreme pain.

anon140299

Australia has more deadly animals than any other place, and I bet the most dangerous one is there.

Did you know we are the only creatures who kill for an intellectual reason?

But also, humans are very weak without weapons. Put any person out in the middle of nowhere with heaps of animals. Won't survive a week.

anon137149

The most dangerous animals in the world are sicarios from Mexico.

anon131765

@49: I'm going to tell you how wrong you are. Ants enslave other ant colonies. Plenty of animals practice animal cannibalism. Two examples are chimps and lions. They kill each other to preserve their biological blood lines. I'm talking adults killing kids.

Your argument is very misleading and often the argument of those who have no desire to see what the other side has to say. The only point I will give you is the reason humans are on top is because of our brain and our ability to learn. But I will say this: other animals learn pretty well too and there are plenty of humans who don't. Oh, I have a BS in biology, but if that's not good enough for you, feel free to look all the information up. It's pretty well documented.

anon125313

Look, humans are the deadliest creatures. We are the only animal in existence that captures and study animals. We are the only creatures that kill for fun!! And when people say that without weapons, we will be useless, that's a lie.

Think about it, with our brains we can adapt to any situation. Normal animals make take days, months or even years to adapt, while it just takes us a couple of minutes. That is why we are so deadly. We are able to think more then one thing at a time.

anon123390

humans are the deadliest animal on the planet as we have one weapon that can beat all the others: our brains.

Given a few basic tools, we can kill animals many times the size of ourselves and given technology we can kill just about anything on the earth and we are even starting to kill that as well.

anon120372

We are the most dangerous, never known a lion to have nuclear weapons or wars.

anon119328

Dolphins are aware of their existence. so are killer whales and elephants.

anon113309

Humans are more like a virus than an animal. Animals adapt, and they change to survive in their environments. Humans go to an area and multiply then we consume every possible resource and once everything has been used up, we move on to the next location and repeat the process. We can be more closely compared to Anthrax than to any animal. In that aspect, humans are the deadliest organism, but not the deadliest animal.

anon111348

definitely, the most dangerous and deadliest animals on earth are humans. who will want to dominate others by all means?

anon110440

without man, life on earth would flourish. I'd think that says it all.

anon106475

We are the most dangerous animals, because of our intelligence, so people who are saying that we are not so dangerous without weapons, think about this: intelligence is part of what we are! we evolved to be intelligent and other animals are evolved to have canines and be very big. 100 percent we are most dangerous.

anon106474

the animals most dangerous to us are other humans. humans kill more humans than all the other animals combined!

anon103297

Humans are the most dangerous animals on earth.

anon98462

Its clear that the butterfly is the deadliest animal because they scare you to death.

anon88572

humans are adaptable, making us the most dangerous creatures on earth. think about it: we drive animals out of their habitat every 10 seconds, we cause invasive species to move to other habitats, we try and destroy plants just for building and land area which causes pollutant, loss of habitat, death, floods, etc. also, we kill each other in war.

Think about it: what animal kills more humans than anything else? humans. "dog eat dog."

anon85623

number 20: the intelligence we used to create guns and knives are defenses that we evolved because we were bested in every other aspect of survival.

anon83843

the blue ringed octopus it is small but deadly.

anon78706

Humans aren't animals because we reason and are aware of our existence. Animals are too busy to survive to realize this and have no time to stop and think and this why I enjoy watching and studying them.

But we are at the top of the "food chain" and we have the power to destroy our surroundings due to greed and ignorance. However, no matter how annoying this may to me, mosquitoes are animals and they are the *most* dangerous animal in the world, thanks to their ability to spread disease with alarming efficiency.

Best known for spreading deadly malaria, mossies also spread elephantiasis, yellow fever, dengue fever and West Nile virus, which was recently introduced to the US and is now prevalent in all states.

On top of that, insects altogether take up over 80 percent of the earth so if you think about it they could very well have wiped out the human race along with the bacteria they carry if they wanted to. Next in line I would choose city rats.

anon71685

Humans are the most dangerous animal. spiders don't have AK-47's and the thing that causes the most pollution other than humans are most likely cow farts.

anon71240

Wow! I'm shocked at all the misinformation.

If we are talking what animal kills the most people, then humans top the list by far.

Organism would fall on bacteria and viruses. Wild animals: snakes kill more people than any other. Combination mosquito with the help of several micro-organisms.

Mosquitoes kill the most, depending on the climate of the year, maybe even more than humans, but if you account for all that we do not only to each other but ourselves, e.g., smoking, drinking and other risky behavior, we are by leaps and bounds the most dangerous animal to ourselves and all other species.

anon65678

Mosquitoes are quite clearly the most deadly creature on earth, considering that 50 percent of all deaths, not just animal related deaths, were due to malaria.

Other than that the hippo is the biggest killer of humans. However, I can't understand how they kill more than any other animal. Who in their right mind would go swimming with the beasts?

anon61652

Everyone is saying Humans and that isn't 100 percent true. Most humans kill with guns, or knives or some form of weapon.

Based on our own natural defenses and without any kind of weapon, a human is not a terribly dangerous animal. Think about it, all the other animals have only their own natural defense to rely on.

I bet you a monkey or any mildly intelligent primate could learn to shoot a gun, or wield a knife reasonably well. So all other things being equal and based on natural defenses. Humans are way down on the list and hippos get my vote.

anon60357

since when are fish and insects known as animals?

anon60138

are humans dangerous?

anon57954

oh, shut up, shut up. stop telling people wrong information guys. the most dangerous animal is human and the deadliest is the tick. The tick can suck up to 600 times it's weight! and humans don't kill for no reason, we kill to survive, we kill to learn, maybe killing can help us learn how to study an animal without killing it. :)

anon57173

obviously a shark can bite you in half. Some are 20 feet long.

anon55242

After many years traveling this planet as an observer, I often find the human species to be the most dangerous as they need no provocation to commit mayhem.

We, as a species, are the most dangerous of all creatures. Most animals have a specific agenda, which is a food source. Whereas humans kill their own children for pleasure and amusement. Read any local paper as it espouses this very degradation, and a majority of people cannot understand these issues and yet they are willing to commit them as well.

As a superior race we're not doing very well.

anon55185

can a shark bite you in half?

anon55174

its all about the mosquitoes. they carry a lot of tropic diseases, including the no. 1 killer: malaria.

anon50592

The hippo and its 21/2 foot tustk and mosquitoes carrying malaria and yellow fever.

anon49074

Hippos dude!

anon48663

mosquitos win definitely. The diseases that they carry kill about 2 million people a year.

anon47918

Komodo dragon.

anon47611

i think you're all wrong. clearly the ant is the most deadly.

anon36983

Dangerous and deadly are two very different things. I nominate the mosquito as the most dangerous after man.

Australia's Inlad Taipan snake can kill (allegedly) 150 adult humans with the venom in a single bite. However, they live in remote areas where few people live. The Saw Scaled Viper Family, which includes the Carpet Viper and Russel's Viper are very aggressive, and they kill more people every year than all other snakes together.

anon27945

i see a comment/question below that asks about humans...duh. humans have a way of killing, catching, and studying anything.

anon19406

yes in fact i have heard that they are the most dangerous.

anon3199

are humans dangerous?

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    • Dangerous snakes like the Indian Cobra kill with venom.
      By: Matthew Cole
      Dangerous snakes like the Indian Cobra kill with venom.
    • The hippo is Africa's most dangerous animal.
      By: sattapapan tratong
      The hippo is Africa's most dangerous animal.
    • Big cats are physically powerful and dangerous to humans.
      By: Mariusz Blach
      Big cats are physically powerful and dangerous to humans.
    • Bears are very dangerous.
      By: roblan
      Bears are very dangerous.
    • Crocodiles can be very dangerous.
      Crocodiles can be very dangerous.
    • Houseflies carry lots of pathogens.
      By: emer
      Houseflies carry lots of pathogens.
    • Mosquitoes are known to spread a number of serious diseases.
      By: hjschneider
      Mosquitoes are known to spread a number of serious diseases.
    • The Black Widow is a poisonous spider.
      By: peter_waters
      The Black Widow is a poisonous spider.
    • An elephant's protective nature makes it dangerous.
      By: tiero
      An elephant's protective nature makes it dangerous.
    • Some jellyfish carry potentially lethal chemical compounds.
      By: vilainecrevette
      Some jellyfish carry potentially lethal chemical compounds.
    • Scorpions are venomous creatures known to live in remote areas.
      By: StanOd
      Scorpions are venomous creatures known to live in remote areas.
    • Because it is territorial and willing to charge even large vehicles, the hippopotamus is Africa's most dangerous animal.
      By: Uryadnikov Sergey
      Because it is territorial and willing to charge even large vehicles, the hippopotamus is Africa's most dangerous animal.
    • Brown recluse spiders are considered to be very dangerous.
      By: Jason Ormand
      Brown recluse spiders are considered to be very dangerous.
    • The American buffalo can be dangerous due to its size, protective nature, and physical agility.
      By: Jeffrey Banke
      The American buffalo can be dangerous due to its size, protective nature, and physical agility.