Up next in 10
From Nile crocodiles to ticks, the animal kingdom is full of dangerous animals. Today, we're exploring the most deadly animals in the world. Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: https://www.youtube.com/@MentalFloss?sub_confirmation=1 About Mental Floss: Mental Floss is where curious people come for trivia-tastic information. Mental Floss produces lists of fun facts, debunks common misconceptions, and tells untold stories from history, science, culture and more. Website: http://www.mentalfloss.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mental_floss Facebook: https://facebook.com/mentalflossmagazine Discord: https://discord.io/mentalfloss Copyright Notice: This video and YouTube channel contain dialog, music, and images that are property of Mental Floss. You are authorized to share the video link and channel, and embed this video in your website or others as long as a link back to this YouTube Channel is provided. 2025 Mental Floss 22 Dangerous Animals You Don't Want To Mess With | Mental Floss https://www.youtube.com/@MentalFloss
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
In 1987, a dangerous killer named Gustav began stalking Burundi. He hunted the area for decades
0:06
claiming upwards of 60 victims before vanishing at some point in the 2000s
0:10
Gustav was no human serial killer. He was a Nile crocodile. These reptiles live in freshwater
0:15
habitats throughout the Nile Basin, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Madagascar. They're the largest
0:20
crocodile species on the continent, and the most dangerous. It's estimated they attack at least
0:25
300 people every year. They can take down a buffalo or a wildebeest, so a human, especially
0:30
a small child, is an easy target. Nile crocodiles can weigh more than 1,500 pounds and have as many
0:36
as 68 razor-sharp teeth. It's incredibly hard to fight one off once an attack has begun
0:41
especially if they bust out their death roll, where they grab their victims and spin around
0:45
underwater, drowning them. And even if the surface of a lake or river looks calm, a person can never
0:50
truly tell if there's a killer croc lurking below the surface. They can stay underwater for
0:55
over an hour. The animals aren't just in Africa now either. They've popped up in Florida in recent
0:59
years. Fun. Hi, I'm Erin McCarthy, editor-in-chief of Mental Floss, and this is The List Show
1:05
The terrifying Nile crocodile is just the first of many wild animals you really
1:08
really don't want to mess with we're going to cover today. Let's get started. Giant pandas couldn't hurt you, right? I mean, look at them. They're soft and cuddly and only
1:24
eat bamboo, and they're so incompetent in all things that they can't even reproduce
1:29
Except almost all of what I just said isn't actually true. The why will have to wait for
1:33
an episode of Misconceptions, but it's easy to forget that panda bears are bears. And yes
1:39
they are bears. The notion that they're giant raccoons has been disproven
1:43
People with sturdy stomachs can check out the paper Three Cases of Giant Panda Attack
1:47
on Human at Beijing Zoo, which has pretty graphic pictures of the aftermath of giant
1:51
panda attacks on humans, including one drunk visitor who leapt into an enclosure to try
1:56
to pet the bear. And while they are exceedingly rare, there are accounts of wild giant pandas attacking humans
2:01
Though like most bears, many of them are probably cornered and scared, or protecting their cubs
2:06
And about that only eating bamboo thing. According to giant panda expert Bill McShea, Chinese villagers report pandas breaking into
2:12
livestock pens and consuming goats and sheep. In China, we recently photographed a giant panda feeding for several days on the carcass
2:20
of a takin, a large goat-like ungulate. So remember, giant pandas are cute and a great
2:25
symbol for conservation, but if you want a pet one, get a stuffed animal at the zoo gift shop
2:30
There are a bunch of species of ticks crawling around the Earth, and many of them are capable
2:35
of spreading dangerous diseases. The tiny black-legged tick, commonly called the deer
2:39
tick, is infamous for spreading Lyme disease. They also carry the parasite that causes babesiosis
2:45
which infects a person's red blood cells. American dog ticks can spread Rocky Mountain
2:49
spotted fever, and the lone star tick can make people develop an allergy to red meat
2:53
which depending on your diet could either be insignificant or an absolute nightmare
2:58
Mosquitoes like ticks are another common pest that can really, truly suck. Sure, their bites
3:02
are itchy and annoying, but they can also be fatal. The Centers for Disease Control and
3:06
Prevention calls mosquitoes the world's deadliest animal. Mosquitoes can transmit terrible diseases
3:11
like malaria, the Zika virus, yellow fever, the West Nile virus, and dengue viruses. According
3:17
According to one estimate, the insects have spread illnesses that have killed 52 billion
3:21
people throughout history. That's almost half of all the humans who have ever lived
3:26
The geography cone is a type of snail that lives in reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific region. They only grow to be about 6 inches long, and live in beautiful reddish and white
3:34
shells. But don't let their pretty appearance and small size fool you. These snails are
3:38
the most venomous type of cone snail They inject toxins into their victims via what National Geographic describes as a harpoon tooth The toxins are powerful enough to kill a person and there currently no anti that can help anyone who has been stung
3:52
The best doctors can do is try to keep someone alive long enough to let the toxins dissipate
3:57
Tigers are the world's largest wild cats. The animals are endangered and elusive
4:01
so the average person's chances of encountering a wild one are slim. That said, tigers do kill between 40 to 50 people each year. Humans aren't usually their
4:09
first choice when it comes to food, but shrinking habitat has driven them closer to human settlements
4:14
Old wounds or illnesses may also cause a tiger to hunt humans. Famous man-eating tigers
4:19
like the Chompawat tiger, which was blamed for the deaths of more than 400 people in
4:23
the early 20th century, and the tiger of Sigur, which killed five people, had injuries that
4:27
prevented them from going after their usual prey. Cassowaries have been dubbed the world's most dangerous bird. These winged beasts can
4:34
reach upwards of 5.5 feet tall, and while not that aggressive on their own, if something
4:39
goes wrong, they'll do more than just peck their opponent. Cassowaries will also headbutt
4:44
But what a person really has to watch out for is their feet. They are equipped with
4:48
sharp claws that can fatally slash another animal, and their signature downward kicks
4:52
are powerful enough to break bones. In the 1920s, a teenager died after a cassowary pinned
4:57
him down and slit his neck. Ostriches are the world's largest bird. They can get aggressive
5:03
and their kicks can cause some painful damage. Country singer Johnny Cash learned this the hard way when Waldo, an ostrich he kept at
5:10
his Tennessee home, turned on him. Waldo jumped into the air and struck Cash with his clawed foot
5:15
As Cash recalled in his autobiography, he made contact. I'm sure there was never any question he wouldn't, and frankly, I got off lightly
5:22
All he did was break my two lower ribs and rip my stomach open down to my belt
5:26
If the belt hadn't been good and strong with a solid buckle, he'd have spilled my guts exactly the way he meant to
5:31
Fortunately, the musical legend was then able to fend the angry bird off with a stick
5:35
Sadly, Cash also credited the incident with worsening his addiction to painkillers
5:40
Saw-scaled vipers aren't the most venomous type of snake. That honor goes to the inland Taipan of Australia
5:45
But the saw-scaled viper, which lives throughout parts of Asia and Africa, is widely considered the most dangerous
5:51
According to Britannica, across their range, they're thought to kill more people than every other type of snake combined
5:57
These vipers are highly excitable, unpredictable, and aggressive. The snakes usually come out to hunt around twilight, and their brown and gray colors allow them to blend in a little too well with their surroundings
6:08
This unfortunately makes it easy for unsuspecting people to accidentally get too close to one
6:13
A saw-scaled viper's venom isn't always lethal if anti-venom is administered, but in impoverished places, many people aren't able to access medical treatment in time
6:21
Kangaroos have sometimes been called the white-tailed deer of Australia, because they're as common there as the ungulates are in North America
6:28
But Bambi, they are not. There's a reason these marsupials have also been called vegetarian gladiators
6:34
They hop quickly, swim well, and can wallop the heck out of a person with their powerful
6:37
hind legs. They also have sharp claws and are not afraid to throw a punch
6:41
Also, red-male kangaroos get disturbingly swole. I get freaked out just looking at them
6:46
Seriously, I hate it. Anyway, kangaroos are similar to white-tailed deer in one dangerous way
6:53
They share the same unfortunate inclination to cross in front of moving vehicles, which
6:57
can be bad news for both parties. Polar bears are the planet's largest species of bear. According to the American Bear Association
7:04
they're actually the largest terrestrial carnivore. They mainly eat seals, so they've
7:08
also been known to chow down on walruses and small whales. Fun fact, they've been spotted using rocks
7:13
and other blunt objects as tools to help them kill walruses. But when hunting conditions are
7:17
tough and food is scarce they will turn to humans According to a 2017 report there were 73 known polar bear attacks between 1870 and 2014 Most of the attacks happened in the Northern Hemisphere summer when sea ice levels were the lowest It makes sense
7:32
Most of the attacks were predatory, and low sea ice makes it harder for bears to hunt seals
7:36
so they have to look for other sources of food. Unfortunately, climate change is drastically reducing the amount of sea ice floating around
7:42
the Arctic, which is driving polar bears onto land and into areas that are full of people
7:48
Setsea flies aren't just any ordinary fly. They can carry the parasite that causes African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness
7:55
An infected fly will leave behind a very painful sore, and the sleeping sickness causes fevers
8:01
headaches, muscle aches, extreme fatigue, and other highly unpleasant ailments. The disease is fatal if left untreated
8:07
And unfortunately, there's no preventative medication or vaccine a person in sub-Saharan
8:12
Africa can use to protect themselves. If you see a box jellyfish while swimming around Australia or elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific
8:19
go anywhere near it. These aquatic creatures have the most dangerous venom in the world
8:24
Their tentacles are covered with what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
8:28
calls biological booby traps, that are essentially little darts full of venom. The Australian
8:33
box jellyfish in particular is the most dangerous of them all. Anyone who gets stung by one
8:38
can become paralyzed, go into cardiac arrest, or die in mere minutes
8:42
If you were on Twitter in 2019, you may have found yourself wondering how you would protect
8:46
your small kids from a horde of 30 to 50 feral hogs running into your yard. At least one Twitter
8:51
user was. His tweet went viral, but feral hogs are no joke. The invasive swine are super destructive
8:58
They travel in large herds and can get aggressive towards people and their pets. They also carry a
9:02
ton of different diseases and parasites. Raccoons may look like the cute, cuddly
9:06
burglars of the animal world, but these trash pandas are deceptively dangerous. They have sharp
9:11
teeth and claws, and in rare cases will attack a human. And because they're a rabies vector species
9:16
meaning they can carry the disease, any sort of human-raccoon interaction is risky
9:21
Rabies doesn't begin to show symptoms until it's too late to do anything about it, and the disease is fatal without the vaccine. So anyone who comes in contact with a raccoon
9:29
whether they suspect the animal is rabid or not, should check about getting their rabies shots
9:33
ASAP. Raccoon poop is also something you really don't want to mess with
9:37
The animals like to do their business in the same spot. These community latrines are full
9:42
of a mix of old and new poop from several different raccoons, and they may contain more
9:47
than just poop. They could also be harboring a particular species of roundworm, a type
9:51
of parasite that sheds its eggs and raccoon feces. If a person accidentally ingests these
9:55
eggs, it could cause eye problems, brain or spinal cord damage, or death. Kids in particular
10:01
are at risk of getting into trouble with raccoon latrines, as they're more likely to accidentally eat contaminated soil. Bullet ants probably won't kill you, unless you
10:09
happen to be allergic to them, but they will really, really hurt you. Their stings are rated
10:14
a level 4, the highest rating, on the Schmidt Sting Pain Index, which is a totally real thing
10:19
I promise. It isn't a quick ordeal either. The effects of being stung by a bullet ant can last
10:24
for 12 hours. The ants release toxins that target a victim's sodium channels and prevent them from
10:29
closing, which makes the pain more intense and long-lasting. Who wouldn't want to hug a slow
10:34
loris. They look like big-eyed fuzzy monkeys, though they aren't actually monkeys. But you
10:40
shouldn't get too close to one of these adorable primates, and not just because they're wild
10:44
animals that don't belong in the pet trade. Slow lorises are one of the planet's few venomous
10:48
mammals, and their bite is downright nasty. They go about dispensing their venom in a pretty goofy
10:53
way. First, the animals lift their arms up so they can lick the glands that secrete the venom
10:59
which combines with their saliva and allows the venom to gather in their teeth. Then they sink
11:03
those chompers which are sharp enough to slice bone into their victim Oh and did we mention that their venom causes necrosis meaning it make your flesh rot Good luck sleeping tonight Any animal that inflates itself into a giant spiky
11:16
ball is one you should probably know to stay away from. Just a single one of these fish contains
11:21
enough poison to kill 30 full-grown people. The type of poison they contain is called tetroditoxin
11:26
or TTX, which causes paralysis and death. There's unfortunately no known antidote
11:32
But that doesn't stop people from eating puffer fish. They're on the menus of restaurants
11:35
throughout Japan, though chefs need to pass a thorough exam to prove they're able to
11:39
safely cook it. Chefs have to remove the liver, kidneys, ovaries, testicles, intestines, brain, eyes, and skin
11:45
without contaminating what remains of the fish with the toxins its organs contain
11:49
So if you do decide you want to taste pufferfish, make sure you or whoever is cooking it knows
11:53
how to prepare it. There's no way that something this pretty could be bad for you, right? Right? Wrong
12:01
Blue-ringed octopuses are tiny sea creatures that can be anywhere from 5 to 8 inches long
12:05
But they can do a lot of damage. Like pufferfish, blue-ringed octopuses also contain TTX
12:11
If someone eats one, they'll suffer the same fate as if they'd eaten an improperly prepared pufferfish
12:16
Blue-ringed octopuses have also killed people by injecting them with their venom
12:19
The bite itself won't hurt, but it won't be long before their victim is paralyzed and dying from respiratory failure
12:24
A blue-ringed octopus may give you a warning before they strike. Their blue rings change color quite dramatically when they feel threatened
12:31
So if you see one sporting a series of extra colorful spots, make sure you give it a lot
12:36
of space. It can be difficult to conceptualize how big moose are, but they are big
12:41
Among the largest lamb mammals in North America, a male moose can be 6 feet tall at the shoulder
12:46
sport antlers that can be just as wide, and weigh 1400 to 1500 pounds
12:51
So it's probably not surprising that moose injure more people in Alaska each year than bears do
12:55
These massive ungulates can get aggressive if someone harasses them. Male moose also get particularly feisty during rutting season, and females will attack anyone
13:03
who gets too close to their calves. If a moose does charge you, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game advises hiding behind a tree
13:09
or running inside a car or building. If you aren't able to seek shelter in time and you find yourself getting trampled, it's
13:15
best to curl up in a little ball and protect your head from its kicks and stomps until
13:19
the moose has moved on. Drivers need to be careful too. Hitting a moose will probably hurt the animal, but it will also do a lot of damage to the
13:25
car, and the passengers inside. Any incident that sends a 1500-pound animal crashing through your windshield is no good
13:33
Speaking of massive ungulates, stay away from bison. Tourists have a terrible tendency to get a little too close to them while visiting national
13:40
parks like Yellowstone. Their encounters don't end well. Bison may charge a person, and being on the receiving end of their horns is no way to
13:47
spend a summer vacation. These 2000-pound animals have sent people flying through the air and gored them with
13:52
their horns, resulting in serious injuries. Bison are actually responsible for more animal-related injuries in Yellowstone than any of the other
13:59
beasts, including wolves and brown bears, that live there. There is nothing silly about a goose
14:05
Sure, they may star in nursery rhymes and decorate the vintage cookie jars in your grandma's
14:10
kitchen, but these birds have a mean streak. Adults get aggressive during their breeding season, and will go after people who get too
14:16
close to their nests or babies. One quick YouTube search will reveal so many videos of geese chasing kids who didn't back
14:23
away in time. The birds will whack someone with their powerful wings, and even though their bites may not
14:27
break bone, they're still painful. All the poop that geese leave everywhere can also carry harmful bacteria and illnesses
14:34
What menaces! Thanks for watching this episode of The List Show. While these animals are all pretty intense, don't forget that most creatures, including
14:42
a lot of the ones listed here, don't really want to hurt you. If they hurt someone, it's usually because they're scared
14:47
I get it, I'm scared all the time. Don't forget to subscribe to Mental Floss to learn literally thousands of more fun facts
14:52
to pull out at parties. I'll see you next time
#education