Contents
A series of accounts of the more dangerous creatures on the planet, including the animals with the worst claws or teeth imaginable. However, persona and character can play an even greater role in assessing the danger posed by an animal. In this unsettling account, we take a new perspective on animal danger by reviewing the species with the worst personalities and greatest predilections towards absolutely ferocious behavior. We discover the most bloodthirsty carnivore, Earth’s most hostile snake species, and more to come in this article.
1. The Northern Goshawk
This is the largest of the bird eating forest hawks, with a wingspan of 4 feet. Fierce red eyes, dark grey feathers and massive talons to take down large prey add to its terrifying appearance. It has extremely territorial behavior presents danger and incredible displays of feathered ferocity. If a human appears to be a threat to the Goshawk’s nest, this ferocious raptor will swoop down and deliver scalp ripping blows. The Northern Goshawk is a species at risk in some jurisdictions due to persecution and habitat loss, but their tendency to turn on anything presenting the slightest threat proves they are still very skilled in self defense. Even more disturbingly, Goshawks often begin eating large prey items such as ducks while they are still alive.
2. Wild Boar
Just as the Gray Wolf remains as a fully wild version of our domestic dogs, the Wild Boars that gave us our domestic pigs present a stark and at times exceedingly dangerous contrast to the domestic animal. Wild Boars are located across Europe and Western Asia, inhabiting a range of woodland and farmland habitats. While our habit of eating pigs causes us to think of them as prey items, the Wild Boar is a hunter in its own right, and may even bring down deer. These animals frequently place humans on the run with their extremely bad temper and tendency to attack in a ferocious flurry of razor sharp tusks. Wild Boar charges may at times be fatal due to the power and mass of the enraged animals, which may respond with force to any perceived invasion of territory.
3. The African Honey Bee
Africanized honey bees, or killer bees, have become one of the most feared creatures on earth because they attack in a swarm. During the attack, thousands of bees sting a victim to death. The killer bee’s sting is no more dangerous than a regular sting, but the combined venom of thousands of stings can lead to a painful death. Africanized bees are particularly frightening because they look like regular honey bees. They also have the nasty habit of invading and taking over the hives of regular honeybees, which they wipe out. In South Africa, they have all but wiped out regular bees.
4. Hippopotamus
It is hard to believe, but hippos are one of the most vicious, aggressive, and dangerous animals in the world. When they are not attacking other species, male hippos fight each other. Hippos are also one of the few animals that will attack people with no provocation. Each year dozens of people are killed in Africa when hippos sink their boats. Hippos are particularly frightening because they are the third largest land animal in the world. Incredibly, they are also herbivores that mainly eat grass.
5. Black Mamba
Cloaked in the color of death and measuring over 14 feet in length, the Black Mamba is regarded as one of the most vicious snakes in the world. It’s also one of the most venomous. The Black Mamba is a habitat generalist, which means it can appear in any environment within its vast African range, including swamps, grasslands, and even villages. Unlike many animals, which simply have an anger problem, Black Mambas are driven by an extreme form of fear-based aggression. Being exceedingly nervous, the slightest sense that the snake’s escape route is compromised may unleash an attack of unparalleled ferocity. As if that wasn’t enough, at 20 km (12.4 miles) per hour, the Black Mamba is also one of the world’s fastest serpents.
6. Shrew
Shrews resemble mice, but are in fact related to hedgehogs as a member of the insectivore group. Shrews distinguish themselves by their incredibly high metabolism, which gives them an extraordinarily high strung and vicious disposition. Shrews must eat constantly, and in order to sustain themselves, they savagely attack prey twice their own size, including mice, fish and frogs. Shrews can inject venom when they bite, but they normally kill by crushing the base of the skull. Shrew aggression is extremely hazardous to any animal that approaches, but the tiny beasts are so high strung that they have been known to drop dead from the stress of surprise before they can savage their adversary.
7. Great White Shark
Perhaps the movie “Jaws” is at least partly responsible for the perception that great white sharks are one of the most aggressive animals on the planet, but there is no doubting that they are capable of extreme aggression towards humans. Found in the coastal surface waters of all the worlds’ major oceans, the great white shark is considered the ocean’s apex predator. With mature individuals reaching over 6.5 meters in length and capable of speeds of up to 56 kilometers per hour, it’s no wonder that humans come off second best when confronted by an aggressive great white shark. Although humans are not considered a natural source of prey, marine biologists speculate that great whites will, at times, mistake a human for a seal and this is what leads to devastating attacks. Whatever the reason, it is undisputed that great white sharks are responsible for more fatal attacks on humans than any other species of shark.
8. Grey Wolf
The Wolf has been featured in a range of widely exaggerated legends attesting to its alleged ferocity throughout history. A backlash of information promoting the peaceful elements of the lupine personality has overtaken the fearful drama of the past. What has been lost from sight is the true ferocity of the wolf that conspired to create the legends in the first place. To bring down large prey such as moose, wolves attack in packs, attaching themselves to the muzzle and tear pieces off, causing the prey to bleed to death. The wolves may begin feeding before the prey is dead. Humans are not entirely safe from wolves and attacks, though rare in North America.
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