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Worlds Most Dangerous AnimalS Volume 1
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Ta b l e o f Contents 2 This countdown analyzes the top 10 most dangerous animals in the world. From the jungles of Africa to the mountain peaks of North America. There are a number of animals that go overlooked on the food charts. Not only will you learn who is the king of the jungle, but also the deadliest of them all.
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Introduction Countdown 10-2 5-13
14-15 The Worlds most
Dangerous Animal
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Australian Box Jellyfish
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he Indo-Pacific or Australian box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) is the most poisonous marine animal known to mankind, and its sting can kill a human.
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hippopotamus
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ippos are usually found in Africa and are responsible for more human fatalities on the continent than any other large animal. Male and female hippos tend to have different reasons for attacking. A male hippo will defend its territory, which runs along the bank of a river or lake, whereas the female becomes aggressive in defending her young. A hippo can weigh as much as 8,000 pounds, with an average weight of about 3,500 pounds. It can run at speeds of 20 miles per hour, and its mouth can open up to 4 feet high. Its mouth can be used to crush like a sledgehammer.
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It can be found in Australia’s northern oceans and throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific. It has up to 60 tentacles, each growing as long as 15 feet. The tentacles are covered in cnidocysts, and each cnidocyst is equipped with a tiny needle and a load of toxin that, added together, could kill 50 people. Most people survive an encounter with this jellyfish, but the pain is excru-
ciating. It can stop a person’s heart or paralyze the person and cause drowning. Reports say this creature causes over 100 deaths a year, but records are sketchy. Reporting jellyfish deaths is not required by many countries, and many areas don’t want to publicize the presence of deadly
jellyfish for fear of affecting tourism. Their venom is considered to be among the most deadly in the world, containing toxins that attack the heart, nervous system, and skin cells. It is so overpoweringly painful, human victims have been known to go into shock and drown or die of heart failure before even reaching shore. Survivors can experience considerable pain for weeks and often have significant scarring where the tentacles made contact.
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Grizzly Bear
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Size: Grizzly bears weigh upwards of 700 pounds. The males are heavier than the females and can weigh up to 1,700 pounds. A large female will weigh up to 800 pounds.
G r e at w h i t e Shark
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Averaging 15 feet long, with rows of up to 300 sharp serrated teeth inside powerful 4-foot-wide jaws, the great white shark is comfortably at the top of the food chain. It eats a wide variety of species and isn’t too picky, but humans are not preferred, being leaner and bonier than its favorite prey—the fattier seals and sea lions. Research shows that sharks explore objects with their mouths and will normally “test bite” something to see what it is. Many attacks on humans are thought to simply be these test bites. In the majority of cases, after the initial bite, the shark will retreat, though unfortunately, that first bite can often kill a person. Of the more than 100 shark attacks every year, one-third to one-half are by great whites, and most of these are not fatal. Great white sharks are built for speed. Their torpedo-like shape and powerful tails help them swim at speeds up to 15 mph (24 kph). They can propel their bodies completely out of the water when pursuing prey. Their attack strategy involves a fast, surprise attack from below before inflicting a powerful and potentially fatal bite.
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The grizzly bear is a color variation of the brown bear of North America. Grizzlies can reach a weight of 400 to 800 pounds, with the male being nearly twice as heavy as the female. When standing on its hind feet, it can reach up to 8 feet tall. Despite its huge size, it can run at speeds up to 35 miles per hour. The most common reason for a grizzly attack is a female fearing for her cubs. Hungry or ill bears may also attack humans.
Diet: Grizzly bears are omnivores. The most commonly eaten plants are the fleshy roots of some plants, fruits, berries, grasses, and forbs. If grizzly bears are on the hunt, their prey can include fish (especially salmon), rodents like ground squirrels, carrion and hoofed animals like moose, elk, caribou, and deer. They are especially good at catching the young of these hoofed wildlife species. Grizzly bears can also target domestic animals like cattle and sheep and cause economically important losses for some ranchers. NWF has a program on National Forest lands surrounding Yellowstone Park to prevent attacks on domestic livestock by purchasing the grazing allotments from ranchers. Typical Lifespan: Grizzly bears
can live to be 30 years in the wild, but most die before age 25.
Habitat: Grizzly bears can be found in woodlands, forests, alpine meadows and prairies. In many habitats they prefer riparian areas along rivers and streams.
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Cape Buffalo
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The Cape buffalo, found in Africa, is sometimes called “black death,” being one of the most dangerous animals on land. It is extremely aggressive and unpredictable. It can weigh between 900 to 1800 pounds, and except for some lone bulls, this bovine species is very gregarious. Herd members are quick to defend each other from lions, crocodiles, or hunters, by ramming the predator with their sharp horns. Sometimes a wounded bull will circle around to ambush its hunter from behind. This species kills over 200 people a year.
Elephant
The elephant, the largest land mammal, lives in Africa and some parts of Asia. Normally viewed as friendly, elephants have sometimes been known to exhibit unpredictable behavior and attack without warning. Occasionally there have been reports of a captive elephant that, after years of affectionate behavior toward a keeper, will suddenly attack the person. An elephant’s legs, trunk, and weight can crush just about anything, and one moment of anger can be lethal. Wild elephants sometimes enter villages and do damage or crush people, and a person can also be trampled inadvertently by a herd moving past. Around 500 people die by elephants every year.
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African Lion The African lion has amazing speed, razor sharp claws, and teeth to attack its prey. It hunts in groups and stalks its prey before attacking, running in bursts of up to 50 miles per hour. The females usually do the hunting and stalk zebras, wildebeest, and Cape buffalo. The male rarely joins the hunt, being too busy protecting the pride. This dangerous animal has attacked people on farms and in cars at African Safaris; it has attacked trainers in circuses, zookeepers, and people keeping lions as pets. Lions cause hundreds of fatalities a year.
4 Salt Water Crocodile
The saltwater crocodile is the largest reptile in the world. The saltwater and Nile crocodiles are the most dangerous, killing hundreds of people a year. The crocodile lives throughout the tropics of Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Australia in slow-moving rivers and lakes. It eats a wide variety of animals, living and dead. Its eyes, ears, and nostrils are located high on the head, which Natinal Geographic Countdown vol. 1
allows a crocodile to see and hear its prey. It ranges from 5 to 20 feet long. The saltwater crocodile is powerful and fast, and its jaws can apply 3,000 pounds of pressure per square inch. Crocodiles kill up to 800 people every year.
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This species produces on the average of about 18 mg of dry venom by weight, with a recorded maximum of 72 mg. It may inject as much as 12 mg, whereas the lethal dose for an adult is estimated to be only 5 mg. Envenomation results in local symptoms as well as severe systemic symptoms that may prove fatal. Local symptoms include swelling and pain, which appear within minutes of a bite. In very bad cases the swelling may extend up the entire affected limb within 12–24 hours and blisters form on the skin. The venom yield from individual specimens varies considerably, as does the quantity injected per bite. The mortality rate from their bites is about 20%, and due to the availability of the anti-venom, deaths are currently quite rare.
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Carpet Viper
Many species of snakes are dangerous to humans. More than 450 species are venomous, and 250 are capable of killing a person. Most venomous bites occur in Africa, Asia, and North America. The Carpet Viper causes most of the snakebite deaths worldwide. Its poison can keep the victim’s blood from coagulating, and the person can bleed to death. The Taipan or fierce snake is the most venomous snake in the world, but there have been no fatalities. Antivenom is available, and the “fierce snake” is actually rather docile and reclusive, and lives in a remote area in Australia where few people encounter it. This snake is usually anywhere from 14.96 to 23.62 inches (38 to 60 cm) in length, but can occasionally be as long as 31.5 inches (80 cm) long. The head of a carpet viper is somewhat wider than the rest of its body. It is also flat on top with a slightly rounded snout. Scales cover the head and belly of the animal.
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The Mosquito
In other areas of the world, mosquitoes transmit malaria and Dengue fever. In the United States, mosquitoes can spread West Nile virus. For about 80% of people who are infected, this virus causes no symptoms. But in some people, West Nile virus can cause severe illness and even death. Those more at risk for getting sick from West Nile virus are people aged 50 and older.
Serious symptoms that require a doctor's care: High fever Muscle weakness Vision loss Neck stiffness Disorientation or stupor Tremors, convulsions, numbness, paralysis
Mosquitoes make number one on the list of deadliest animal in world. This small blood-sucking insect kills over a million people each year worldwide. It can spread diseases, most notably malaria. It can also spread elephantiasis, yellow fever, and West Nile virus. Mosquitoes are found in abundance in tropical areas and can also survive the winter in countries with lower temperatures such as Canada. According to the World Health Organization, mosquito bites result in the deaths of more than 1 million people every year. The majority of these deaths are due to malaria. The World Health Organization estimates that between 300 and 500 million cases of malaria occur each year -- and a child dies from malaria every 30 seconds.
Yearly Statistics Over half a million (627, 000) people die from malaria each year, mostly children younger than five years old. There are an estimated 207million cases of malaria each year. Although the vast majority of malaria cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa, the disease is a public-health problem in more than 109 countries in the world, 45 of which are in Africa. 90% of all malaria deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria costs an estimated $12 billion in lost productivity in Africa. When insecticide-treated nets are Natinal Geographic Countdown vol. 1
used properly by three-quarters of the people in a community, malaria transmission is cut by 50%, child deaths are cut by 20%, and the mosquito population drops by as much as 90%. It is estimated that less than 5% of children in sub-Saharan Africa currently sleep under any type of insecticide-treated net. It is estimated that a child dies every minute of malaria
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