The World's Most Dangerous Animals. Kevin Baker Baker

this honeybee's increased aggression when compared to other bees, the Africanized honeybee is not the predator that its 'killer bee' name makes it out to be. This species does not go out each day simply to terrorize people in the surrounding area. They have just adapted to make sure that the hive is safe, and they will go greater distances to ensure that whatever has threatened the hive will not be coming back to do so again. The surprise attacks, the length of the pursuit distance, the higher number of guard bees dispatched to attack a potential threat, means that all these things come together for a more lethal defence of their home, which is what every animal in the wild would want to aspire for.

      10 – Komodo Dragon

      Komodo Dragon in Cincinnati Zoo. Image author: Mark Dumont.

      Few animals have ever been as intimidating and rumoured as the Komodo dragon. Located on the Indonesian Lesser Sunda Islands, the Komodo Dragons had lived for millions of years until they were discovered by humans only a mere century ago in 1910. A WW1 pilot crashed into the Komodo sea and swam to Komodo island where he discovered these amazing creatures. Then, in 1912 a scientific expedition was sent to capture several Komodo dragons to study.

      This giant reptile is an apex predator among these islands and hunts a variety of mammalian prey from deer to pigs, buffalo, and even the occasional human. These dragons are so fierce they will even feed on smaller dragons and reptiles to satisfy their hunger. The dragons of legend are no more amazing compared to these reptilian beasts that have no threat in their natural habitat, instead, they feed on whatever crosses their path and due to innate hunting strategies can take down animals that dwarf it in size.

      As members of the monitor family of lizards, these reptilians are extremely large (they can grow up to 10ft in size and 300 pounds in weight). Not only does their size guarantee their dominance, the Komodo dragon can also move at incredibly high rates of speed that other species can't rival. Their preferred hunting pattern is to lie prone and hide, and then lung at passing prey. They use these combined methods to be effective killing machines. These dragons do not always kill during the initial pursuit of large animals, but instead give them a solid bite and let the bacteria in their saliva do the rest. A Komodo dragon's saliva is deadly and contains over fifty separate bacterial bodies that often can kill a large animal within twenty four hours. This allows them to use their speed to rush to the animal, make contact and bite, and then trail safely behind until the animal dies of blood poisoning. Once the said mammal or reptile has fallen dead, this monstrous monitor will pin down its prey's body with its powerful legs and tear flesh from the carcass.

      A kill attracts surrounding dragons and they often consume the dead carcass as a group. It was once believed that the Komodo dragon actually spewed a type of venom, but researchers now believe that it is the bacteria in their mouth that causes the infections. With razor-blade like teeth, the bacteria finds an easy entrance point into the wound of the animal. These beasts are almost like real life dinosaurs as they have no predators above them and are the dominant species in their region. Not accustomed to humans, these reptiles could very well see one as a potential meal!

      Komodo dragons can live up to 50 years old and are good swimmers. They are able to swim in the sea and sometimes swim from island to island to find mating partners or hunt for a particular type of prey. There are approximately, at the time of writing, around 5,700 Komodo dragons on Earth, located on Komodo island, Rinca island, Gili Motong and some parts of Flores island in Indonesia. They are an endangered species as humans have hunted their prey excessively, thereby reducing the number of original Komodo dragon numbers.

      11 – Leopard

      North China leopard. Image author: Marie-Lan Nguyen..

      The leopard is known to be the smallest of the four big cats. The other big cats are the tiger, lion and jaguar. It is a member of Felidae family. Their scientific name is ‘Panthera pardus’.

      There are nine species of leopard; all of them except for the African leopard can be found in Asia, South Asia and India. Leopards have spots over their bodies, although the spots appear and develop with age. The spots help to camouflage this big cat so that it can blend in with tall grass or jungle. Many leopards are yellowish or tan with blackish spots. However, melanistic leopards are fully black, even though they have spots over their body, as they are so dark that the spots seem to be invisible. To confuse matters even more the black leopard is also commonly known as the 'black panther'. Male leopards weigh around 85 to 200 pounds (37 to 90 Kgs). However, females are about 30% smaller in size compared to male leopards.

      Leopards are carnivores and mainly eat animals such as deer, antelope and pigs. Sometimes they also hunt for certain types of monkeys, rodents and birds. Leopards are known to be excellent climbers and to eat their prey they often bring carcasses up into trees to protect their kill from other predators. Leopards mainly hunt during the night. Since they also feed on livestock, they have been exterminated in many areas and are fast becoming an endangered species.

      During the day time, leopards often rest in trees or bushes, preferring to live alone as they are solitary animals. Leopards are very agile and are also known to be good swimmers. They can run at over 58 miles per hour, jump up to 10 feet high into the air and leap over 20 feet in length. A leopard’s tail is almost as long as its entire body, and this helps a leopard to balance and make sharp turns very quickly.

      When a female leopard is ready for mating she gives off a scent and rubs her body over trees and leaves to attract mates, as well as voicing a particular type of roar. After mating, a female leopard has a gestation period of 90 -105 days, after which she usually gives birth to two or three cubs at a time. When the leopard cubs are around 18-24 months old, they then leave their mother and find their own territory.

      Leopards can be found in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Korea, China, India, Pakistan and Malaysia. They can inhabit mountainous areas, forests, deserts and grasslands.

      Large troops of baboons have been known to attack and eat leopard cubs, and Nile crocodiles have been reported attacking and eating fully grown leopards which have strayed near the water's edge. Leopards sometimes attack dogs and occasionally people. However, leopards generally avoid people.

      When there is a man-eating leopard on the loose it can be a deadly affair, as they will enter areas to hunt for human prey more frequently than a man-eating tiger or lion will. The 'Leopard of Rudraprayag' in India reportedly killed 125 people, and the 'Panar Leopard', again in India, reportedly killed over 400 people. Both of these man-eaters were killed by the legendary hunter Jim Corbett.

      12 – Cone Snail

      Live conus textile cone snail. Image author: Richard Ling.

      Cone shells, or cone snails are marine based snails that inhabitat reef-based environments in tropical and sub-tropical climates. Although they can be found in their greatest numbers in the Indo-West Pacific region. These little creatures, however, on multiple occasions have been the subjects of envenomation reports, often times fatal for human victims.

      The venom from a cone snail differs greatly between individual snails, and between snail species; the venom has evolved to be optimally harmful to the snail’s prey. Cone snails generally utilize peptide toxins as the active venomous ingredient. This permits it to possess paralytic properties, stunning the victims in almost all cases. Of further interest is the injection technique of this venom. The snails possess a long duct in which the venom is produced, this duct often exceeds the length of the snail and as the venom passes through, it is squeezed by a muscular bulb and forces out hollow, spear-like teeth on a harpoon-like proboscis. After having found its prey, the snail impales it with the hollow teeth, squeezes the venom out and effectively paralyses its victim; from here the prey is ingested directly into the stomach, consumed and digested. This extremely