In his song “Sail away,” Randy Newman sings about how good we have it in America. The land is bounteous and its wild inhabitants are peaceful. “Ain’t no lion or tiger, ain’t no mamba snake, just the sweet watermelon and the buckwheat cake.” Of course, Newman is known for lyrics that intentionally are outrageous contradictions, but in this case, he is mostly right.
North America is blessed with a general paucity of dangerous beasts, and it is very safe to venture into the wilderness and not worry about being eaten or molested by nature, aside from flies and mosquitoes. However, for many, dangerous animals are exciting, and there is much misinformation about the wilds. So, this is the first of a series on the dangerous animals of North America, or at least the ones that often get a bad rap as being dangerous.
I undertook a survey of animals that are known to have caused human death, and worked to separate truth from fiction. Death caused by animals does happen. However, it is a relatively rare event in North America, even if it generates a lot of media interest when it does happen. And the identity of the most dangerous animals might just surprise you. So explore all the dangerous animals.
Posts in the Dangerous Animals Series:
Sharks
Venom, poison, and toxicity
Number of venomous snakebites a year
Venomous snakes of North America
Mountain Lions
Bears
Spiders
Average number of deaths per year caused by various animals
12 Trackbacks / Pingbacks for this entry
July 10th, 2010 on 9:46 AM
[...] is found throughout the animal kingdom and serves a wide variety of purposes. Some of the most dangerous animals are venomous. Venom can help secure food, as in wasps that sting their victims to lay eggs upon for [...]
July 10th, 2010 on 9:08 PM
[...] post is in the dangerous animals series. Check out that post for more [...]
July 11th, 2010 on 7:05 PM
[...] Snakes of North America by Greg under Animals, Snakes This is the latest post in the Dangerous Animals series. Snakes cause some people to have a physical reaction of fear and revulsion, which is too bad as [...]
July 17th, 2010 on 3:20 PM
[...] post is another in the dangerous animals series where we are exploring animals of North America that could be considered a threat to humans. [...]
July 19th, 2010 on 2:18 AM
[...] many people, venomous snakes qualify as real scary animals. While they can be deadly, they are also fascinating creatures. For those who live in North [...]
August 11th, 2010 on 4:24 PM
[...] are Carnivores, and not all Carnivores are carnivores. Got it? Good.) (Also, see the series on Dangerous Animals for additional exciting [...]
September 7th, 2010 on 9:20 PM
[...] as dangerous as they seem, like in Stingray City where they behave like domesticated pets. (See the Dangerous Animals [...]
September 9th, 2010 on 11:59 AM
[...] in a cage or in the wild, bears are undeniably dangerous animals. This is the next in our series exploring dangerous animals. Unlike most of the other species we have looked at whose danger to humans is really more imagined [...]
September 13th, 2010 on 6:53 PM
[...] would run through the woods like frontiersmen, sneaking up on big scary animals (usually squirrels). We practiced using our pocket knives, and later our hunting knives, learning [...]
November 1st, 2010 on 5:37 AM
[...] learn more about dangerous animals, or at least those thought to be dangerous, go to [...]
February 13th, 2011 on 8:31 AM
[...] while sharks might be scary animals, fatal attacks on people are actually very rare. Worldwide there are about 4 deaths a year. Compare [...]
July 8th, 2011 on 5:55 PM
[...] enable me to live longer than those that put themselves at risk of being bitten by some exotically dangerous animal or being knocked out by an out of control kayak. Unfortunately (or fortunately, I’m undecided) my [...]