Meet The 5 Deadliest Predators
Nature, as the millennia have passed, has devised rather elegant and large killing machines. The vast majority of them – like dinosaurs to give an example – have gone down in history. If you are interested in these creatures, we introduce you to the deadliest predators in the world today.
Top of the food chain
The food chain is a notion that human beings have developed to better understand the environment that surrounds us. Many people can say that we are at the top of it, when the truth could be very different.
The world is full of creatures with different functions in the food chain. There are animals that serve as sustenance for others, which we call prey; These serve as food for other carnivorous animals, which are armed with different ‘tools’ to achieve this end.
There are some (like us humans) who use their intelligence to deceive their victims. Others require more aggressive means, such as the use of claws and poisons to be effective in hunting. However they do it, the animals we present to you are the deadliest predators today.
Meet the deadliest predators!
In the list that we present to you, we do not have a preference for these animals to appear there. That is, there is no order on the lethality scale for each of them.
1.- The sea wasp
We are sure you are surprised that a jellyfish appears in this table. The sea wasp is one of the deadliest creatures that exist in our world and we will explain why.
The box jellyfish – as it is also known – can measure up to three meters in length when its tentacles are fully stretched out. We all know that a sting from a jellyfish can be painful, but a sting of this species can cause death.
In Australia, its waters of origin, it is recurrent that accidental deaths occur because, being translucent, swimmers and surfers do not observe it in time. Its venom can kill in five minutes. Although it feeds on bacteria, we wanted to place it on this list for its powerful man-killing venom.
2.- The African lion
We all know lions, perhaps the largest cats in the world that run the African savannah. They can be found sleeping most of the time, between 16 and 20 hours a day, which is why they can be considered as one of the laziest animals in the world.
The African lion appears on this list of the deadliest predators due to its incredible effectiveness. It is true that they do not have a venom like the previous species, but they make up for it with incredible speed and imposing claws.
And, as if that were not enough, lions travel in packs, since they know that strength lies in numbers. When a herd coordinates their attacks, they can knock down even the largest elephants. Also, there is a myth that if a lion tastes human flesh, it cannot feed on anything else.
3.- The poison dart frog
We make it very clear to you. Never try to kiss a frog in the hope that your dream prince will appear; much less if this frog is brightly colored, as it is a clear sign of impending danger.
The poison dart frog is endemic to the jungles of Central and South America, and includes more than 150 species in its family. As we mentioned before, these frogs have very striking colors as a means of defense against predators.
Its skin secretes a poison that is extremely lethal to almost all creatures in the world. But the truth is that they do not produce their poison; they synthesize it from their prey, which are usually different arthropods and, the more colorful they are, the worse the poison.
4.- Sea snakes
Think about the matter a bit. If a snake, be it poisonous or not scary, now imagine it in the water and poisonous. Species of the hydrophiinae family spend most of their lives in aquatic environments, both salty and sweet.
The largest species can reach about four meters in length and have a paddle on the tail for greater mobility. The truth is that these snakes are not very aggressive unless provoked; if provoked, they proceed to sting their aggressor with their venom five times more powerful than that of a cobra.
5.- The hippopotamus
As the last representative of these deadliest predators in the world, we have left the hippopotamus, which perhaps will not surprise some. Hippos inhabit much of the African continent and parts of the Asian regions.
Although they look very calm and not threatening, hippos are very territorial and aggressive animals against those who dare to threaten their authority. Even crocodiles have perished under the jaws of these animals and, as if that were not enough, they do not tolerate human presence.
