Did you know cows kill more people than sharks? There are no rules in the animal kingdom. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, a new man killer comes to the fray. Take the following unassuming beasts, for example.
Asian Giant Hornet
![animals you didn't know could kill you, deadly animals, asian giant hornet]()
About: This killer flying fire-poker has been described as a "hot nail being driven into my leg" by one victim. It can grow four inches in length with a wingspan of six inches. In 2013 alone, the Asian giant hornet killed 42 people in China and injured 1,500 others.
Deadly encounter: "The more you run, the more they want to chase you." A humble rice farmer out of Ankang, Chen Changlin, ran 650 feet and was stung for more than three minutes. He was unable to escape this 25 mile per hour death bee (that's faster than Usain Bolt). Two of his fellow harvesters were killed, a woman and a child, and one victim who went to the hospital pissed urine the color of soy sauce.
Leopard Seal
![animals you didn't know could kill you, deadly animals, leopard seal]()
About: The leopard seal is basically an underwater torpedo with fangs. It can weigh up to 990 pounds, and it is notorious for its nasty demeanor. It relies on penguins for food, killing them by first peeling their skin off.
Deadly Encounter:Kirsty Brown was a young biologist studying ice movements in Antarctica. The 28-year-old was snorkeling when suddenly one of these mammoth mammals grabbed her leg and dragged her down more than 200 feet below the surface. "It all happened very quickly," said one of her colleagues. After being tugged down to unimaginable depths and jolted around like a plastic doll, Brown was pulled to the surface and brought to the boat. She was pronounced dead via drowning.
Giant Anteater
![animals you didn't know could kill you, deadly animals, giant anteater]()
About: This lovable-looking, long-snouted bear creature looks like "Those We Don't Speak Of" in the movie "The Village." It can grow up to 100 pounds and eats up to 10,000 ants per day.
Deadly Encounter: On August 1, 2012, a Brazilian hunter and his two sons encountered a giant anteater. The man approached the beast with a knife, not a gun, because it growled at his dogs. The animal stood up on its hind legs, grabbed the man with its forearms, and tore apart his femoral artery. He bled to death. His sons shot the giant anteater to avenge their fallen father.
Cow
![animals you didn't know could kill you, deadly animals, cow]()
About: Cows are grazing, benevolent hunks of beef that are known to casually eat grass and sometimes rocks. They're morons by reputation, though delicious when slapped between two buns. However, they also kill 22 people per year.
Deadly Encounter:Joao Maria de Souza was sleeping with his wife in the small village of Caratinga when in the middle of the night, a 3,000-pound cow crashed through the roof of his home and crushed him. It had apparently climbed on the top of his shanty. "I didn't bring my son up to be killed by a falling cow," his baffled mother said. He died of internal injuries.
Deer
![animals you didn't know could kill you, deadly animals, deer]()
About: They're graceful, peaceful, and kill an estimated 120 people every year.
Deadly Encounter:Rob Dudek of San Diego was tending to his tomato garden one day in September 2005. That's when a giant six-foot buck charged him. It gored him through his cheek and mouth, and within a few hours a blood clot formed in his lung where the stag pierced him. "All I saw was when he came in that door, full of blood," his wife said. He required 220 stitches in the face before he died in the hospital.
Beaver
![animals you didn't know could kill you, deadly animals, beaver]()
About: Nature's hydro engineer usually applies itself to building dams and screwing with civilization. Though cute, its razor-sharp incisors can cut through skin like butter.
Deadly Encounter: It's an extreme rarity to be killed by a beaver, which is why one medical professional said, "The character of the wound was totally shocking for us medical professionals." In 2013, a Belarusian man and his Belarusian friends were driving up to Lake Shestakov when they spotted one of these innocuous, furry creatures beside the road. The man decided to take a picture with it. The beaver, obviously not interested in taking selfies, ripped into his arm and severed a major artery. He died. The beaver then went about its day.
Alligator Snapping Turtle
![animals you didn't know could kill you, deadly animals, alligator snapping turtle]()
About: The heaviest freshwater turtle in the world has a bite that can crush a pineapple. It isn't known to attack humans, but it could definitely kill you if threatened. Human fingers are routinely bitten off.
Deadly Encounter: In the Bavarian Village of Irsee, one eight-year-old boy got the Derrick Rose treatment when a giant snapping turtle cut through his Achilles tendon like a twig. It struck fear into the locals who demanded that the lake be drained, which it was, and they concluded that the marine reptile was an exotic pet, because it is native to the southern United States. They never found the culprit.
Centipede
![animals you didn't know could kill you, deadly animals, centipede]()
About: The Scolopendra subspinipes can grow up to 12 inches and looks like a Guillermo del Toro monster. It has a bite "like a hot soldering iron under [the] skin," according to one victim.
Deadly Encounter: Centipedes are considered sexual stimulants in countries like Thailand, and it is apparent that one Thai man wanted to up his game. Wansadej Kongkul was cutting grass 300 miles north of Bangkok when he was bit by a centipede. In an act of vengeance, he ate it. "After 20 minutes, Wansadej threw up, so his friend made him lie down in a shed. When he came back in two hours, Wansadej was a greenish color and dead," said the police. The 100-foot creepy-crawly critter had pierced either his trachea or stomach with its venomous fangs. Nope.
Vampire Bat
![vampire bat, animals that can kill you]()
About: They're known to straddle cattle and suck their blood, staying away from humans, but in 2010 alone, four children in Peru died after being bitten.
Deadly Encounter: Ironically, this happened in the same place "True Blood" is filmed. A Mexican migrant worker was in Louisiana on a sugar cane plantation when he suddenly fell ill. He was taken to a hospital and diagnosed with a fever of 101.1 degrees. A few weeks earlier, the 19-year-old was sleeping in his hometown of Michoacan, Mexico, when a winged rabies vector bit his foot. He died one day after doctors were able to rule out terminal STDs and test him positive for rabies. It was the first ever vampire bat death in the U.S.
Swan
![animals you didn't know could kill you, deadly animals, swan]()
About: Swans like to look pretty in ponds. But on the inside they're vicious assholes. The Mute Swan, for instance, tends to get aggressive and has even tallied up the following human death on its resume.
Deadly Encounter: Anthony Hensley was a dedicated husband and father when his life was cut short on April 14, 2012. It was his job to take care of swans at Bay Colony condominiums in Des Plaines, IL. He was in the middle of his routine when one swan attacked him. Its eight-foot wingspan capsized his boat and began pummeling his head. Hensley couldn't keep his head above water and eventually drowned in the 50-foot-deep pond. His wife recently sued the complex for negligence in assuming swans were anything but picturesque and passive do-nothings.
Swordfish
![animals you didn't know could kill you, deadly animals, swordfish]()
About: Unlike the movie "Swordfish," swordfish are actually riveting creatures. They can weigh up to 1,500 pounds and dive as deep as 1,800 feet. Swordfish stabbings are rare, but there was a man in Hawaii whose lungs were punctured by a three-foot swordfish bill.
Deadly Encounter: Imagine you're fishing in Borneo. All is well and right with the world until a fish flies out of left field and stabs you in the chest. That's what happened to Azlieman Mantinpan, who faced the wrath of a killer swordfish. It leaped out of the water and stabbed him in the chest. He bled out quickly, dying. It was the second Malaysian swordfish death in five years.
All photos via Flickr Creative Commons
Asian Giant Hornet
About: This killer flying fire-poker has been described as a "hot nail being driven into my leg" by one victim. It can grow four inches in length with a wingspan of six inches. In 2013 alone, the Asian giant hornet killed 42 people in China and injured 1,500 others.
Deadly encounter: "The more you run, the more they want to chase you." A humble rice farmer out of Ankang, Chen Changlin, ran 650 feet and was stung for more than three minutes. He was unable to escape this 25 mile per hour death bee (that's faster than Usain Bolt). Two of his fellow harvesters were killed, a woman and a child, and one victim who went to the hospital pissed urine the color of soy sauce.
Leopard Seal
About: The leopard seal is basically an underwater torpedo with fangs. It can weigh up to 990 pounds, and it is notorious for its nasty demeanor. It relies on penguins for food, killing them by first peeling their skin off.
Deadly Encounter:Kirsty Brown was a young biologist studying ice movements in Antarctica. The 28-year-old was snorkeling when suddenly one of these mammoth mammals grabbed her leg and dragged her down more than 200 feet below the surface. "It all happened very quickly," said one of her colleagues. After being tugged down to unimaginable depths and jolted around like a plastic doll, Brown was pulled to the surface and brought to the boat. She was pronounced dead via drowning.
Giant Anteater
About: This lovable-looking, long-snouted bear creature looks like "Those We Don't Speak Of" in the movie "The Village." It can grow up to 100 pounds and eats up to 10,000 ants per day.
Deadly Encounter: On August 1, 2012, a Brazilian hunter and his two sons encountered a giant anteater. The man approached the beast with a knife, not a gun, because it growled at his dogs. The animal stood up on its hind legs, grabbed the man with its forearms, and tore apart his femoral artery. He bled to death. His sons shot the giant anteater to avenge their fallen father.
Cow
About: Cows are grazing, benevolent hunks of beef that are known to casually eat grass and sometimes rocks. They're morons by reputation, though delicious when slapped between two buns. However, they also kill 22 people per year.
Deadly Encounter:Joao Maria de Souza was sleeping with his wife in the small village of Caratinga when in the middle of the night, a 3,000-pound cow crashed through the roof of his home and crushed him. It had apparently climbed on the top of his shanty. "I didn't bring my son up to be killed by a falling cow," his baffled mother said. He died of internal injuries.
Deer
About: They're graceful, peaceful, and kill an estimated 120 people every year.
Deadly Encounter:Rob Dudek of San Diego was tending to his tomato garden one day in September 2005. That's when a giant six-foot buck charged him. It gored him through his cheek and mouth, and within a few hours a blood clot formed in his lung where the stag pierced him. "All I saw was when he came in that door, full of blood," his wife said. He required 220 stitches in the face before he died in the hospital.
Beaver
About: Nature's hydro engineer usually applies itself to building dams and screwing with civilization. Though cute, its razor-sharp incisors can cut through skin like butter.
Deadly Encounter: It's an extreme rarity to be killed by a beaver, which is why one medical professional said, "The character of the wound was totally shocking for us medical professionals." In 2013, a Belarusian man and his Belarusian friends were driving up to Lake Shestakov when they spotted one of these innocuous, furry creatures beside the road. The man decided to take a picture with it. The beaver, obviously not interested in taking selfies, ripped into his arm and severed a major artery. He died. The beaver then went about its day.
Alligator Snapping Turtle
About: The heaviest freshwater turtle in the world has a bite that can crush a pineapple. It isn't known to attack humans, but it could definitely kill you if threatened. Human fingers are routinely bitten off.
Deadly Encounter: In the Bavarian Village of Irsee, one eight-year-old boy got the Derrick Rose treatment when a giant snapping turtle cut through his Achilles tendon like a twig. It struck fear into the locals who demanded that the lake be drained, which it was, and they concluded that the marine reptile was an exotic pet, because it is native to the southern United States. They never found the culprit.
Centipede
About: The Scolopendra subspinipes can grow up to 12 inches and looks like a Guillermo del Toro monster. It has a bite "like a hot soldering iron under [the] skin," according to one victim.
Deadly Encounter: Centipedes are considered sexual stimulants in countries like Thailand, and it is apparent that one Thai man wanted to up his game. Wansadej Kongkul was cutting grass 300 miles north of Bangkok when he was bit by a centipede. In an act of vengeance, he ate it. "After 20 minutes, Wansadej threw up, so his friend made him lie down in a shed. When he came back in two hours, Wansadej was a greenish color and dead," said the police. The 100-foot creepy-crawly critter had pierced either his trachea or stomach with its venomous fangs. Nope.
Vampire Bat
About: They're known to straddle cattle and suck their blood, staying away from humans, but in 2010 alone, four children in Peru died after being bitten.
Deadly Encounter: Ironically, this happened in the same place "True Blood" is filmed. A Mexican migrant worker was in Louisiana on a sugar cane plantation when he suddenly fell ill. He was taken to a hospital and diagnosed with a fever of 101.1 degrees. A few weeks earlier, the 19-year-old was sleeping in his hometown of Michoacan, Mexico, when a winged rabies vector bit his foot. He died one day after doctors were able to rule out terminal STDs and test him positive for rabies. It was the first ever vampire bat death in the U.S.
Swan
About: Swans like to look pretty in ponds. But on the inside they're vicious assholes. The Mute Swan, for instance, tends to get aggressive and has even tallied up the following human death on its resume.
Deadly Encounter: Anthony Hensley was a dedicated husband and father when his life was cut short on April 14, 2012. It was his job to take care of swans at Bay Colony condominiums in Des Plaines, IL. He was in the middle of his routine when one swan attacked him. Its eight-foot wingspan capsized his boat and began pummeling his head. Hensley couldn't keep his head above water and eventually drowned in the 50-foot-deep pond. His wife recently sued the complex for negligence in assuming swans were anything but picturesque and passive do-nothings.
Swordfish
About: Unlike the movie "Swordfish," swordfish are actually riveting creatures. They can weigh up to 1,500 pounds and dive as deep as 1,800 feet. Swordfish stabbings are rare, but there was a man in Hawaii whose lungs were punctured by a three-foot swordfish bill.
Deadly Encounter: Imagine you're fishing in Borneo. All is well and right with the world until a fish flies out of left field and stabs you in the chest. That's what happened to Azlieman Mantinpan, who faced the wrath of a killer swordfish. It leaped out of the water and stabbed him in the chest. He bled out quickly, dying. It was the second Malaysian swordfish death in five years.
All photos via Flickr Creative Commons
