You think lions or bears are the scariest things mother nature has to offer just because they can chew your face off? Well, you haven’t seen anything yet. If there’s anything you should know, it’s that mother nature can be just as frightening as it is beautiful. Lions and bears are dangerous, yes, but they’re certainly not the only animals that you should pay attention to, just because they’re carnivores.
If you want to know what I mean, then read this article to see how dangerous some animals are.
Elephants
Elephants are generally peaceful creatures and aren’t prone to aggression against humans. Still, when you’re looking at a behemoth the size of a truck, you know very well to stay out of its way, no matter how nice and docile it may seem.
As you can already imagine, there are multiple ways that an elephant can kill you. One of which is simply stepping on you or goring you for getting in its way. These aren’t theoretical examples either, as there have been numerous reports of elephants raiding villages and croplands in South Asia, killing everyone that gets in their way.
Oh, but that’s not the end of it. See, we know that we should pay extra attention to our distance against animals like these, but in an elephant’s case specifically, we don’t know how much. Why, you ask? Because of their trunks.
As it turns out, elephants are projectile throwers, throwing whatever they can wrap their trunks around and carry when aggressive or frustrated. This has resulted in many an injury, and even the death of a 7-year-old girl in Morocco.
Deer
A surprising contender on this list, isn’t it? After all, deer are the ones being hunted by the hunters, not the other way around, right?
Well…
Deer are still herbivores, so of course they aren’t searching for human meat to feast on.
But that doesn’t mean that they won’t just attack you if they deem you a threat.
Normally speaking, deer are shy and timid animals. Their first reaction to something unexpected is to run away from the threat instead of standing their ground and fighting back. But on rare occasions, they may turn around and face their aggressors. Being cornered with no way out is one of them, where they would switch to fight mode as it means life or death for them.
Another such occasion is during mating season, where bucks are especially dominant as they look for mates. They have been known to attack humans with no warning and will use their horns as weapons to gore you.
Moose
Like deer, moose are generally docile and peaceful creatures that prefer to be left alone. However, they can be agitated by a number of things. Harassment from humans or other animals is one thing that you should be careful about, as this can cause a moose to become aggressive and charge, putting you in danger.
But there are also other ways that a moose can do harm to you: At least 500 traffic accidents involving moose happen each year in northern New England. This seems much smaller than traffic accidents with deer, which can breach over the thousands, but make no mistake. Deaths or grave injuries from moose accidents are much more common. This is because vehicles impact a moose’s legs from their front, sending the bulk of its body crashing onto the windshield and the hood of the vehicle. Considering that a moose weighs somewhere between 800 to 1300 pounds and can be standing as tall as 6 feet and 6 inches at the shoulder, it’s like being hit by an animal version of a wrecking ball.
Hippopotamus
You would be forgiven if your first impression of a hippo is that being of a slow and sluggish herbivore that simply enjoys lazing about in muddy waters. After all, when you see something that looks as ridiculous as a hippo, with its giant body attached to its small, stubby legs, you can’t help but chuckle at how cute it looks.
But as you’ve probably learned from all the animals in this article, looks can be deceiving, and the hippo is one animal you never want to underestimate.
You see, hippos are actually anything but gentle. They are remarkably territorial, with teeth and tusks the size of bowling pins. To make things worse, the hippo’s seemingly ridiculous body structure betrays how fast they actually are, clocking in at least 30 miles per hour. That’s well beyond even the fastest human on earth, Usain Bolt’s, speed, so you’re not going to be outrunning this angry hulking mass of an animal, no matter how hard you try.
In fact, while hippos aren’t suited for a carnivorous diet, they can still and will scavenge from impala and buffalo. Sometimes these are their own kills as well, and they even have no qualms about cannibalizing their own species.
All that said, hippos are regarded one of the most dangerous animals in the world because of their aggressive and unpredictable nature, killing as much as 500 people per year in Africa.
Oh, and like an elephant, make sure you don’t ever find yourself under it. Considering that they can weigh up to 2750kg, which is almost as much as an elephant, you will find yourself crushed to death fast.