17 Surprisingly Dangerous Animals That You Don't Want To Mess With, Even If They're Cute
When we're out in nature, we like to imagine that we're Snow White, and that every animal will come to us, sing with us, and love us forever. But, our imagination doesn't always line up with how things work in the real world, and it's good to know which animals to sing with, and which animals to stay away from. Now, you might think you know which animals to stay away from, but you would be surprised! Although some of these animals may be cute and cuddly, they can be actually quite dangerous!
What about an anteater? They're cute, fluffy, and they eat ants, so we can cuddle with them, right? Wrong! They have razor sharp claws, which they use to break open tough rocks and find more ants. They've been known to un-alive a human with one swipe. Yikes! Okay, what about squirrels? They're cute and fluffy. Wrong! They've attacked humans before, and they'll do it again! So, we think you might benefit from reading this list. It might save your life!
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1
Squirrels
Squirrels are adorable little fuzzballs that just want to eat nuts and play all day right? Well, for the most part, yes. But there have been stories of rogue squirrels attacking people and pets. In Florida, a three-year-old boy was attacked by a squirrel and he had to be hospitalized after receiving nine bites. In California, an elderly couple was sent to the hospital after being scratched and bitten by a crazed squirrel that had previously attacked at least six other people. While no humans have been offed by squirrels (that we know of), in Russia, eight of them worked together to kill a stray dog that was barking at them - according to the newspaper report, "they are said to have scampered off at the sight of humans, some carrying pieces of flesh." If that doesn't leave you with a whole new image of the fluffy-tailed rodents, we don't know what will.
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2
Swans
They're beautiful and elegant, but they can actually be incredibly dangerous - and in rare instances, deadly. Swans are highly territorial and will attack, aggressively flapping their strong, bony wings and snapping their beaks at people. In one unbelievable story, a canoer was drowned after a swan knocked him from his boat and then stopped him from being able to swim to shore. The man's widow even sued the lake for housing such violent and dangerous birds.
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3
The African Spur-Winged Goose
If you think death-by-swan is scary, then just wait until you learn about the African spur-winged goose, one of the most dangerous birds in the world. This strong bird has spurs on its wrists that it uses while attacking, which can actually be poisonous. They aren't always poisonous, but those that feed on a specific blister beetle carry the toxin in their spurs. As little as 10 mg of this toxin can kill a human. The bird's flesh is also deadly if they have been eating the beetles.
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4
Cassowaries
Widely considered the most dangerous bird in the world, the cassowary is also the third largest bird. There are all sorts of rumors of the birds using their sharp nails to gut a person, but that much isn't true. They still can kill with those talons though and the most recent death occurred in 1926 when a cassowary kicked a 16-year-old in the neck, causing him to bleed to death. In the bird's defense, the teen was trying to club it to death. Cassowaries are solitary animals and should be left alone or they may start defending their territory violently. Most attacks occur when people attempt to feed the birds, so please, if you see a giant dinosaur bird, leave it alone.
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5
Beavers
These creatures are territorial and defensive and have been known to bite, though deaths are pretty unheard of. The bottom line: if you see a beaver in the wild, just leave it alone.
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6
Deer
Oh sure, they look like helpless, innocent icons of a simpler time and every kid grows up crying when Bambi loses his mother to heartless hunters, but deer can be surprisingly aggressive. Generally speaking, deer will run away when they sense danger, but during mating season males can attack humans the same way they would charge another buck and once babies are born, mothers will risk their lives to save their offspring. Deer have even been known to fight back after they are wounded by hunters. In recent years, people have been attacked and killed by deer in California, New Hampshire, Maine, and Georgia and even more people have been hospitalized by the animals. Even when they aren't trying to hurt anyone, deer are still the most dangerous animal in the US based solely on the number of deaths they cause. Every year an average of 130 people die in car accidents from hitting deer. That's right, you're statistically way more likely to hit a deer with your car and die than you are to get fatally attacked by a shark or bear - and that's when the deer doesn't want to attack you.
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7
Cone Snails
You probably don't think of snails as dangerous whether they live on the ground or under the sea, but cone snails all carry venom that is injected with a harpoon-like tooth that punctures its prey before paralyzing it. Most small cone snails are no more dangerous than a bee, but the larger versions and some more venomous varieties can kill a human. There is still no antivenin for cone snails and the larger ones can even puncture through protective gloves. Symptoms of a bite include pain, swelling, numbness, vomiting, muscle paralysis, changes in vision, and respiratory failure that can result in death.
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8
Slow Lorises
This might just be the cutest, sweetest-looking critter ever, but no matter how much you might want to grab one and cuddle it - don't. The slow loris though is actually one of the only poisonous mammals on earth. It produces the toxin in a gland in its armpit and the critters often rub their arms in the gland and rub the toxin on their young to protect them from predators. You might be thinking to yourself, 'yeah, but I have no intention of eating a slow loris, baby or not,' but the animal isn't just dangerous to animals stupid enough to take a bite. The primate can suck the poison into its mouth and then inject it into an enemy while biting. This poison can cause an allergic reaction in many animals (including humans) and result in death from anaphylactic shock.
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9
Leopard Seals
They're so cute, but they sure aren't cuddly. Leopard seals are appropriately named in that they are the stealthy predators of the Antarctic, hunting penguins fish, and other seals. In 2003, a leopard seal actually killed a biologist studying in Antarctica, dragging her under the water and holding her there until she drowned.
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10
Pufferfish
What a cute face…OF DEATH. It looks like the worst thing this cutie could do was prick your finger. But he's actually the second most poisonous vertebrate on earth. Touch him and his tetrodotoxin poison will paralyze your diaphragm and suffocate you.
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11
Mosquito
Mosquitos kill millions of people every year by spreading diseases like malaria, yellow fever, and dengue. That's a pretty impressive hit list considering each mosquito only lives for around two weeks.
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12
Giant Anteater
Hug him, we dare you, but he's more likely to disembowel you with his claws. These guys have been known to kill humans with one swipe. Even pumas and jaguars don't mess with these guys.
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13
Pfeffer’s Flamboyant Cuttlefish
How dangerous can something be if it doesn't even appear to have any teeth? Really, really dangerous as it happens. Its poison will kill you instantly if you're unlucky enough to encounter one of these off of the coast of Australia or New Guinea.
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Surprisingly dangerous animals
You have to go to Africa to encounter these guys, but it may be the last confrontation of your life. These aggressive ants attack en masse and they've killed thousands of people – especially babies and people too weak or injured to run away.
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15
Dogs
This is pretty self-explanatory, dogs can be dangerous when aggressive and not trained properly. Although there are few fatal dog-related incidents, the amount of injuries per year is quite high.
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16
Rats
Rats account for thousands of injuries around the world per year, and they carry lots of diseases with them. Let's not forget the one that wiped out nearly ? of humanity only a few hundred years ago.
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17
Ticks
These tiny bugs are difficult to find, and difficult to remove! They're known for one thing, Lyme disease! Thanks to modern medicine, if diagnosed and treated promptly Lyme disease is not fatal, although that wasn't always the case!
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