If animals could speak, they would spend most of their time calling us morons to get off their territory. The traits we think of “cute or beautiful” are often tricks animals have developed to get people to throw them food. They are hard wired for survival, and if the heavens made them one of the most adorable, docile looking creatures on earth, that has absolutely nothing to do with this drive. In the animal kingdom, looks can be deceiving. A seemingly hug-gable creature with big brown eyes and fluffy fur could be a deadly killing machine in disguise. Most animals will do whatever is necessary to remain free, procreate, protect their young, keep their territory, and eat a belly full of something scrumptious. Here are 15 animals that you’ll probably want to run away from, no matter how adorable they look on those wall calendars.
Why deadly?
This is one weasel you don’t want to mess with. Its aggressive nature is widely known, thanks to the popularity of the X-Men comics and movies. Armed with powerful jaws, sharp claws and a thick hide, the wolverine has a reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size, with the documented ability to kill prey many times its size.
Why deadly?
You dive and see this magnificent beauty (or even if you don’t see) then don’t dare to touch it because the box jellyfish has been called “the world’s most venomous creature”, though only a few species in the class have been confirmed to be involved in human deaths. It is a sea wasp, the Australian box jellyfish can have up to sixty tentacles, each 15-foot long and with enough venom to kill 60 people.
Why deadly?
It prefers to keep a low profile, but when disturbed this flightless bird can become extremely aggressive and territorial. Often they are kept as pet until they become nearly grown and someone gets hurt. Capable of running and leaping at high speeds, the cassowary attacks by thrusting its large claws forward with the aim of disemboweling its target.
Why deadly?
Don’t try to cuddle this cuttlefish. Though charming and colorful, this aptly named fish’s displays are meant as a warning. Although they rarely encounter humans, its poison is considered extremely toxic and can be as lethal as the poison of the blue-ringed octopus.
Why deadly?
Their bright coloration is associated with their toxicity and levels of alkaloids. Poison dart frogs secrete lipophilic alkaloid toxins through their skin. Alkaloids in the skin glands of poison frogs serve as a chemical defence against predation. Although they won’t be deadly to you but might be deadly to your tiny house pets or if you drink the water they have swimmed in.
Why deadly?
Their aggression is although cute in a way that at most they will try to snatch a sandwich from you at a picnic. Then what exactly I’m talking about deadly is the possibility of harboring a disease. Siberian Chipmunks have been reported as spreading throughout many areas of the world, bringing with them, ticks (Lyme disease) and rabies. Although treatable, if the disease remains undetected and left untreated, heart and neurological problems can ensue, followed by coma and death.
Source: (Link)
Such poise. Such grace. The way they glide effortlessly across the water. That unmistakable curve to their necks that forms a perfect heart when they nuzzle with their mate, who they will stay with for the rest of their lives. The epitome of grace and beauty, the swan is one of the last animals we’d imagine to be anything other than elegant. Tranquil ponds and romantic scenes wouldn’t be complete without a pair of white swans floating peacefully along.
Why deadly?
They are not only relatively gentle creatures in nature, but they are also terrific parents and would protect their young to the bitter end. And here lies the problem. Many birds have an instinct to protect their young when approached by a predator, but they will eventually give up if the predator is too strong or dangerous to deter. The swan however, does not give up. Not only do they attack by flying at perceived threats at full speed and biting them, they’ll also try to drown you if given the chance: They are known to fly up over and try to keep something underwater if they perceive it as threat. Getting chased through a park by a furious bird that will not stop trying to rip your skin off your bones is only funny until it happens to you. (Source)
Why deadly?
Yea you heard me right, they are on a tie with the Killer Whale for the top predator animals. Not so cute? huh? However they prefer a diet of fish and penguins and possibly other small seals but yes a hungry predator can go to any extent and would look at you like Tom looks at jerry as a drumstick when shipwrecked. (Source)
Why deadly?
Dolphins can be violent. Not only have they been known to kill and maim their own young, they also kill porpoises and play with their dead carcass for no apparent reason other than its fun. Male dolphins particularly show aggression towards human males when there’s a female involved. Why? Sexual competition. They may also drown your wife while attempting to steal her away and mate with her. In 2002 CNN reported that an amorous dolphin was targeting swimmers in Weymouth, England. Swimmers were being warned to stay away from the dolphin because “When dolphins get sexually excited, they try to isolate a swimmer, normally female. They do this by circling around the individual and gradually move them away from the beach, boat or crowd of people.” When dolphins get sexually aroused, they become rough. The swimmer may not be able to escape from the 400 lbs animal and drown. And in 1994, a male Bottlenose off the coast of San Paolo, Brazil, that was noted to be fond of female human swimmers attacked a pair of human males that the dolphin apparently considered to be competition and killed one of them. (Source)
Why deadly?
Because they may attack the crap out of you. Raccoons without a fear of humans are a concern to those who attribute this trait to rabies, but scientists point out that this behavior is much more likely to be a behavioral adjustment to living in habitats with regular contact to humans for many generations. Although serious attacks on humans by groups of non-rabid raccoons are extremely rare, at least few such attacks have been documented. Raccoons usually do not prey on domestic cats and dogs, but individual cases of killings have been reported. (Source)
Why deadly?
That adorable little guy with the silly name and the gleam in his eye is, in fact, absolutely nothing like your blessed yellow Labrador-mix that was the only friendly face you saw all day in your childhood. No. That is a wild, as in untamed, as in feral, meaning thoroughly and completely–this is important–a dangerous and unpredictable animal. Wild dogs–are inquisitive, intelligent predators that travel in packs. Which means there are several of them and they all think “fair fight” means “we outnumber the hell out of you”. Dingoes often kill by biting the throat and adjust their hunting strategies to suit circumstances. Do not attempt to pet the dingos. Do not attempt to play with the dingos. Do not throw squeaky toys to the fucking dingos or attempt to sneak scraps of food to the fucking dingos from the dinner table. If a fucking dingo follows you home, you should not keep it. DO NOT LET A DINGO PLAY WITH YOUR INFANT. It took 7,000 years of breeding and training to make your pet dog. This is not your pet dog. This is a dingo.
Why deadly?
Keeping an exotic non-domesticated animal is never a good idea. With all these similarities, however, it shouldn’t be too surprising that they also have the similar traits towards violence. Chimpanzees have been documented as having bloody feuds with each other, resulting over territorial or other differences. Countless “trained” chimpanzee pets have also been known to turn on their owner or friends, causing severe damage, such as mangled hands (torn off in some cases), shredded faces, broken bones, etc. One important difference between a chimpanzee and human, is their skeletal muscle structure. The chimp has as much as 5-times the strength of a human, leaving little hope of defending ourselves should one decide to attack.(Source)
Why deadly?
The polar bear is the largest terrestrial carnivore, being more than twice as big as the Siberian Tiger. It shares the title of largest land predator (and largest bear species) with the Kodiak bear. The polar bear is the most carnivorous member of the bear family, and most of its diet consists of ringed and bearded seals. Although stereotyped as being voraciously aggressive, they are normally cautious in confrontations, and often choose to escape rather than fight but when it comes to danger the polar bear is an enormously powerful predator. Somewhere between 20 to 90 people are attacked each year by the polar bear. With no natural enemy, a male polar bear has been said to have the strength to rip a 12-inch thick seal clean out of a 4-inch hole, as if it were peeling a banana for breakfast.
Why deadly?
Grabbing it for your salt tank might be a deadly mistake. The blue-ringed octopus is 5 to 8 inches, but its venom is powerful enough to kill humans and there is no blue-ringed octopus anti-venom available. They pounce on their prey, paralyze them with venom and use their beaks to tear off pieces. They then suck out the flesh from the body. Once bitten, the fast acting poison leads to loss of sight, taste and touch immediately. Without quick treatment, the paralysis will cause asphyxial death because of respiratory paralysis.
Why Deadly?
Besides being one of the cutest mammals, it is very poisonous and venomous. By poisonous, the Slow Loris produces a toxin on the inside of its elbows through a gland, which if eaten, would give you quite an extreme case of stomach pain. They smear this excretion on their young, to help keep them from being eaten in the wild. Loris bites cause a painful swelling, and the toxin is mild and not fatal. Cases of human death have been due to anaphylactic shock.
15. Wolverine (Gulo gulo)
Source: (Link)
The wolverine is a stocky, thick furry and muscular animal. With short legs, broad and rounded head, and small eyes with short rounded ears, it resembles a cute little bear you would want to cuddle with.Why deadly?
This is one weasel you don’t want to mess with. Its aggressive nature is widely known, thanks to the popularity of the X-Men comics and movies. Armed with powerful jaws, sharp claws and a thick hide, the wolverine has a reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size, with the documented ability to kill prey many times its size.
14. Australian Box Jellyfish
Source : (Link)
Box jellyfish most visibly differ from the “true” jellyfish in that their umbrellas are cubic, rather than domed or crown-shaped. Box jellyfish can not only move more rapidly than other jellyfish due to their slightly different structure but are also significantly more beautiful as they are almost transparent.Why deadly?
You dive and see this magnificent beauty (or even if you don’t see) then don’t dare to touch it because the box jellyfish has been called “the world’s most venomous creature”, though only a few species in the class have been confirmed to be involved in human deaths. It is a sea wasp, the Australian box jellyfish can have up to sixty tentacles, each 15-foot long and with enough venom to kill 60 people.
13. Cassowary
Source: (Link)
A cassowary looks like a flamboyant ostrich and can be found wandering the rain forests of Australia and New Guinea. Young cassowaries are brown and have buffy stripes. They are often kept as pets in native villages [in New Guinea], where they are permitted to roam like barnyard fowl. Cassowaries feed mainly on fruits, though all species are truly omnivorous.Why deadly?
It prefers to keep a low profile, but when disturbed this flightless bird can become extremely aggressive and territorial. Often they are kept as pet until they become nearly grown and someone gets hurt. Capable of running and leaping at high speeds, the cassowary attacks by thrusting its large claws forward with the aim of disemboweling its target.
12. Pfeffer’s flamboyant cuttlefish
Source: (Link)
It is a small beautiful 3.1 inch (8 centimeter) aquatic organism exhibiting radiant charm and velvety appearance. The dorsal surface of its cuttlebone is yellowish and evenly convex. The texture throughout is smooth, lacking bumps or pustules making it one of the most beautiful life forms in marine. It occurrs in tropical Indo-Pacific waters off northern Australia and southern New Guinea.Why deadly?
Don’t try to cuddle this cuttlefish. Though charming and colorful, this aptly named fish’s displays are meant as a warning. Although they rarely encounter humans, its poison is considered extremely toxic and can be as lethal as the poison of the blue-ringed octopus.
11. Poison Dart Frog
Source: (Link)
Unlike most frogs, these species are active during the day and often exhibit brightly-colored bodies. Most of them are beautifuly radiant, displaying aposematic patterns. They are found in a multitude of colours making them the most beautiful frog specie.Why deadly?
Their bright coloration is associated with their toxicity and levels of alkaloids. Poison dart frogs secrete lipophilic alkaloid toxins through their skin. Alkaloids in the skin glands of poison frogs serve as a chemical defence against predation. Although they won’t be deadly to you but might be deadly to your tiny house pets or if you drink the water they have swimmed in.
10. Siberian Chipmunks
Source: (Link)
The idea of a 50 gram cute, tiny and fluffy chipmunk with its adorable curly tail drinking from a baby bottle is enough to warm even the coldest hearts. Chipmunks are small squirrel-like rodents native to North America and Asia. The chipmunk stands about six inches from nose to tail, and has been known to burst suddenly into a harmonious melody if they hear the tickled ivories of a well tuned piano Well how adorable and sweet!Why deadly?
Their aggression is although cute in a way that at most they will try to snatch a sandwich from you at a picnic. Then what exactly I’m talking about deadly is the possibility of harboring a disease. Siberian Chipmunks have been reported as spreading throughout many areas of the world, bringing with them, ticks (Lyme disease) and rabies. Although treatable, if the disease remains undetected and left untreated, heart and neurological problems can ensue, followed by coma and death.
9. The Swan
Such poise. Such grace. The way they glide effortlessly across the water. That unmistakable curve to their necks that forms a perfect heart when they nuzzle with their mate, who they will stay with for the rest of their lives. The epitome of grace and beauty, the swan is one of the last animals we’d imagine to be anything other than elegant. Tranquil ponds and romantic scenes wouldn’t be complete without a pair of white swans floating peacefully along.
Why deadly?
They are not only relatively gentle creatures in nature, but they are also terrific parents and would protect their young to the bitter end. And here lies the problem. Many birds have an instinct to protect their young when approached by a predator, but they will eventually give up if the predator is too strong or dangerous to deter. The swan however, does not give up. Not only do they attack by flying at perceived threats at full speed and biting them, they’ll also try to drown you if given the chance: They are known to fly up over and try to keep something underwater if they perceive it as threat. Getting chased through a park by a furious bird that will not stop trying to rip your skin off your bones is only funny until it happens to you. (Source)
8. The Leopard Seal
Source: (Link)
Seals are cute! They have a sweet kitty cat nose, big dark eyes and those silly flippers that make you think that they might be an interbred of a dolphin, a cat and a calf into a blubbery ball of soft fury cuteness. However they are the wildest predator you can ever met. Why deadly?
Yea you heard me right, they are on a tie with the Killer Whale for the top predator animals. Not so cute? huh? However they prefer a diet of fish and penguins and possibly other small seals but yes a hungry predator can go to any extent and would look at you like Tom looks at jerry as a drumstick when shipwrecked. (Source)
7. Bottlenose Dolphin
Source: (Link)
This cannot be right. These guys save humans. Every other year or so, some diver or something gets lost out at sea, these guys bring them home. Dolphins have been compared to humans on a number of fronts. They are intelligent, communicate with each other, have the ability to learn, do tricks, play jokes, and can almost use their fins as hands. What’s not to love? Some people even believe they have special healing powers. Swimming with dolphins can be a therapeutic and enlightening experience. It may be their eyes, their smiling face, their playful nature or their intelligence, but dolphins have won their way into our hearts.Why deadly?
Dolphins can be violent. Not only have they been known to kill and maim their own young, they also kill porpoises and play with their dead carcass for no apparent reason other than its fun. Male dolphins particularly show aggression towards human males when there’s a female involved. Why? Sexual competition. They may also drown your wife while attempting to steal her away and mate with her. In 2002 CNN reported that an amorous dolphin was targeting swimmers in Weymouth, England. Swimmers were being warned to stay away from the dolphin because “When dolphins get sexually excited, they try to isolate a swimmer, normally female. They do this by circling around the individual and gradually move them away from the beach, boat or crowd of people.” When dolphins get sexually aroused, they become rough. The swimmer may not be able to escape from the 400 lbs animal and drown. And in 1994, a male Bottlenose off the coast of San Paolo, Brazil, that was noted to be fond of female human swimmers attacked a pair of human males that the dolphin apparently considered to be competition and killed one of them. (Source)
6. The Raccoon
Source: (Link)
What a sweet little bandit! Who doesn’t like a raccoon? Sure, they can be a nuisance when they turn over your trash or steal your food while camping, but their adorable little masked faces make up for all that. They seem so pet-worthy; if you could ever get a hold of one you just know you and he’d be friends forever. Seriously, they even smell daisies.Why deadly?
Because they may attack the crap out of you. Raccoons without a fear of humans are a concern to those who attribute this trait to rabies, but scientists point out that this behavior is much more likely to be a behavioral adjustment to living in habitats with regular contact to humans for many generations. Although serious attacks on humans by groups of non-rabid raccoons are extremely rare, at least few such attacks have been documented. Raccoons usually do not prey on domestic cats and dogs, but individual cases of killings have been reported. (Source)
5. Dingo (Canis lupus dingo)
Source: (Link)
Look at him. Look at that fur, those eyes, that playful grin. If that dingo was behind a clear plastic wall at a pet shop, we would take him home in a heartbeat. We’d name him Bandit and put a red bandanna around his neck and we’d take him out to the lake in a pickup truck and he’d hang his head out the window as we drove, howling along to the radio. If we died, he’d lie down on our graves and just howl away for the rest of his life because he’d miss us so much.Why deadly?
That adorable little guy with the silly name and the gleam in his eye is, in fact, absolutely nothing like your blessed yellow Labrador-mix that was the only friendly face you saw all day in your childhood. No. That is a wild, as in untamed, as in feral, meaning thoroughly and completely–this is important–a dangerous and unpredictable animal. Wild dogs–are inquisitive, intelligent predators that travel in packs. Which means there are several of them and they all think “fair fight” means “we outnumber the hell out of you”. Dingoes often kill by biting the throat and adjust their hunting strategies to suit circumstances. Do not attempt to pet the dingos. Do not attempt to play with the dingos. Do not throw squeaky toys to the fucking dingos or attempt to sneak scraps of food to the fucking dingos from the dinner table. If a fucking dingo follows you home, you should not keep it. DO NOT LET A DINGO PLAY WITH YOUR INFANT. It took 7,000 years of breeding and training to make your pet dog. This is not your pet dog. This is a dingo.
4. Chimpanzee
Source: (Link)
They are almost like little people, aren’t they? Chimps have done everything from fly jet planes to sleep in the same bed as a former President of the United States. If you put a chimp in front of a camera with an action star, you have no choice but to prepare for a wild, wacky romp that will tug your heartstrings and tickle your funny bone until you vomit your entire digestive system in pure laugh-a-minute glee. They are the only mammals on the earth, with such obvious similarities as hands (with opposable thumbs), brain function, and facial expressions.Why deadly?
Keeping an exotic non-domesticated animal is never a good idea. With all these similarities, however, it shouldn’t be too surprising that they also have the similar traits towards violence. Chimpanzees have been documented as having bloody feuds with each other, resulting over territorial or other differences. Countless “trained” chimpanzee pets have also been known to turn on their owner or friends, causing severe damage, such as mangled hands (torn off in some cases), shredded faces, broken bones, etc. One important difference between a chimpanzee and human, is their skeletal muscle structure. The chimp has as much as 5-times the strength of a human, leaving little hope of defending ourselves should one decide to attack.(Source)
3. Polar Bear
Source: (Link)
Polar bears are also popular in fiction, particularly in books aimed at children or young adults. The beautiful polar bear has appeared in everything from cartoons, movies and television ads, playing soft, fuzzy, gentle creatures, who are as noble in their allegiance with the human race, as they are adamant in their preference to the taste of Coca-Cola beverages. Polar bears have evolved unique features for Arctic life, including furred feet that have good traction on ice and totally cute and cuddly. While a Polar bear sleeping on an ice berg with its paws clutched around it like a toddler holding their teddy bear is truly cute.Why deadly?
The polar bear is the largest terrestrial carnivore, being more than twice as big as the Siberian Tiger. It shares the title of largest land predator (and largest bear species) with the Kodiak bear. The polar bear is the most carnivorous member of the bear family, and most of its diet consists of ringed and bearded seals. Although stereotyped as being voraciously aggressive, they are normally cautious in confrontations, and often choose to escape rather than fight but when it comes to danger the polar bear is an enormously powerful predator. Somewhere between 20 to 90 people are attacked each year by the polar bear. With no natural enemy, a male polar bear has been said to have the strength to rip a 12-inch thick seal clean out of a 4-inch hole, as if it were peeling a banana for breakfast.
2. Blue Ringed Octopus
Source: (Link)
The blue ringed octopus is tiny and beautiful. Its amazing rings flash a rich fluorescent blue. An individual blue-ringed octopus tends to use its dermal chromatophore cells to camouflage itself until provoked, at which point it quickly changes color, becoming bright yellow with blue rings or lines. Should you run across this tiny vividly colored octopus, you may think to grab it to take home to your salt water tank.Why deadly?
Grabbing it for your salt tank might be a deadly mistake. The blue-ringed octopus is 5 to 8 inches, but its venom is powerful enough to kill humans and there is no blue-ringed octopus anti-venom available. They pounce on their prey, paralyze them with venom and use their beaks to tear off pieces. They then suck out the flesh from the body. Once bitten, the fast acting poison leads to loss of sight, taste and touch immediately. Without quick treatment, the paralysis will cause asphyxial death because of respiratory paralysis.
1. The Slow Loris
Source: (Link)
Never heard of it? Oh, well the Slow Loris is one of the absolute most cute, sweet, and shy mammals on earth. Its simply adorable! This endangered primate can be found in Borneo and the Southern Philippines through Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Southern China and Thailand. It can also be found as a pet, albeit an illegal one. Its big eyes, cute face, tiny little hands and slow nature makes it one of the disguised monsters. Why Deadly?
Besides being one of the cutest mammals, it is very poisonous and venomous. By poisonous, the Slow Loris produces a toxin on the inside of its elbows through a gland, which if eaten, would give you quite an extreme case of stomach pain. They smear this excretion on their young, to help keep them from being eaten in the wild. Loris bites cause a painful swelling, and the toxin is mild and not fatal. Cases of human death have been due to anaphylactic shock.
