When finalizing the list of the most poisonous animals in the world, it is not always the largest animals in the world that are the most dangerous. A fish may look sweet but when you come into contact with a poisonous fish, you would die. Keep that in mind as you check out this list of the 10 most poisonous animals in the world.
1. Mosquitoes
In our list of the most poisonous animals in the world, we count mosquitoes among the deadliest. Although they are so small, they are extremely dangerous to human beings. Scientists estimate that mosquitoes transmit diseases to more than 700 million people which results in 2 to 3 million deaths every year.
2. African Elephant
The elephant is the largest land animal in the world. They can be quite fierce and even so aggressive that they can trample rhinos.
3. Saltwater Crocodile
Sitting on top of the food chain, the sea crocodile or saltwater crocodile is known to eat everything from water buffalo to sharks. To kill its food, it uses a technique called the “death roll”, where it mercilessly knocks its prey back and forth in the water until it drowns and falls apart.
4. Hippopotamus
While these herbivores mostly eat plants, they can also be very aggressive and are considered one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. Hippos have also been known to attack humans without any provocation.
5. Leopard
When most animals are hurt, they run and hide. This is not the case with the leopards. When this predator is injured, it becomes even more dangerous.
6. Komodo Dragon
Like the polar bear, Komodo Dragon is not a picky eater. They will eat whatever they can eat, from birds to water buffalo and even humans; they have even been known to dig bodies out of the shallow ground. They are miraculous hunters who covertly wait for their prey to approach, then attack the throats and retreat until the victim bleeds to death. One reason there are so few human victims is that they only need to eat once a month.
7. Hyena
While the hyena avoids human interaction during the day, the predator’s paradigm changes after sunset. Hyenas have been known to hunt humans throughout history; their behavior increases during times of war. Moreover, disease outbreaks greatly increase their preference for human meat.
8. Puffer Fish
Pufferfish is one of the most poisonous animals in the world. Eating puffer fish is seen as a status symbol in Japan. However, if the dish is not properly prepared it can paralyze you and you can die.
9. Boomslang
Although the tree snake is quite shy and generally does not attack humans, it can be fatal. The venom of a tree snake is very poisonous. This means that the poison attacks the hemoglobin in the red blood cells, destroying the victim’s blood. The poison of a tree snake disables the clotting process of the blood, often causing the victim to die from numerous internal and external bleeding.
10. Poison Dart Frogs
This colorful amphibian has enough poison to kill an army of 20,000 mice. This means that the poison dart frog can stop the heart of a large animal from beating. And to make matters worse, the frog’s venom is on the surface of the skin. So it is best not to touch this brightly colored frog, even though it is very beautiful.
