Some animals can get pretty unpredictable. That’s fine if there are no people around them, but what happens when they get aggravated while someone’s with them? Well, bad things happen. People get injured or killed. We bring you 15 most unpredictable animals in the world.
Table of Contents
1. Black Mamba
The black mamba is a skittish and wildly unpredictable snake. This makes them extremely dangerous because they are so venomous. These snakes live in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and it is the second-largest venomous snake in the world.
When they feel threatened, they will retreat into a hole or a nearby bush, and they will expose their dark mouth and flick their tongue. If this does not scare off their predator, they will hiss and spread their neck flap. At this time, any sudden movements may cause the black mamba to attack, which will lead to severe envenomation- just two drops of their venom can kill an adult human.
READ ALSO: 10 Animals That Can Get You High
2. Blue-Ringed Octopus
The blue-ringed octopus may look innocent due to its small size and pretty psychedelic coloring, but they are deadly. This octopus is found in the sandy bottoms of coral reefs and shallow tide pools in the Pacific Ocean region.
Even though all octopuses are venomous, this specific type of octopus is in a league of its own – it has enough venom to kill 26 humans in only a matter of minutes. That is because they are packed with a neurotoxin known as “tetrodotoxin.” If this animal is cornered or handled by humans, they may attack out of fear for their safety.
3. Bull Shark
The bull shark is specifically known for its unpredictable behavior. They are also aggressive creatures, which makes their unpredictability even more concerning.
These two traits, plus the fact that they like to live in shallow waters and near tropical shorelines, makes them one of the most dangerous creatures in the ocean- they are one of the three sharks that are most likely to attack humans (the other two being great white sharks and tiger sharks).
When there is a bull shark attack, the shark has been reported to attack without any cause or just out of pure curiosity.
RELATED: Do Sharks Eat Turtles? (Aren’t They Too Hard?)
4. Cape Buffalo
The Cape buffalo, also known as the African buffalo or “black death,” is highly dangerous due to its size and unpredictability. Cape buffalos have killed more hunters than any other big game animal. Males often reach up to 1,750 pounds, but the largest one on record actually weighed 2,200 pounds!
Cape buffalos are so unpredictable because they get angry easily, which is when they are the most dangerous. Expect a cape buffalo to be at its most aggressive when wounded or if one of their herd’s calves is under attack. They can also charge 35 miles per hour.
RELATED: Are There Buffalos in America?
5. Chimpanzee
Chimpanzees are brilliant wild animals, and they are one of the most popular exotic animals that people keep as pets. This is problematic because chimpanzees are highly unpredictable, and they have a bit of a violent nature. They have been known to attack humans out of the blue.
For example, in 2009, a pet chimpanzee named Travis attacked a woman leaving her in critical condition. When Travis’s owner tried to stop the attack, she was also injured and required hospitalization. Chimps are also powerful animals which makes their unpredictable behavior even more worrisome.
6. Dolphin
Even though dolphins are one of the smartest animals globally and can be trained to do tricks and perform in shows with humans, they are still wild animals, which makes them highly predictable. People who have swum with dolphins have reported bruises, scrapes, abrasions, bites, and even broken bones due to the unpredictability of these animals.
Additionally, all dolphins have different personalities- some dolphins are inquisitive and friendly towards people, while others are skittish and show signs of fear around people. Wild dolphins you may see off the shore or while boating is even more unpredictable than trained dolphins found at aquariums or parks.
RELATED: Are Beluga Whales Dangerous?
7. Driver Ants
Driver ants are ferocious insects that live in central and eastern Africa. While you may not think of an ant as being an unpredictable or dangerous creature, these creatures, also known as safari ants, will change your mind! Driver ants have powerful cutting jaws that they use to attack everything in their path – from plants like trees and shrubs, to animals like birds, mammals, and snakes, to even humans.
Another thing that makes these ants so scary is the size of their colony. These insects are nomadic and they move to a new place every day, traveling in their colony- which can contain more than 20 million (yes, million!) ants at any given time.
RELATED: Do Ants Have Brains? (Are they intelligent?)
8. Elephant
While any elephant can be unpredictable, male elephants (aka bulls) are highly unpredictable and dominate animals. Bulls will test each other’s strength through sparring and play fighting and will even show off their strength by pushing over trees.
The unpredictable behavior and they want to show off how strong they are leads elephant bulls to be dangerous to humans. Elephants can run at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour, and due to their large size (they can weigh up to 13,000 pounds!), they can trample anything in their path. In fact, most humans killed by elephants were trampled.
9. Hippopotamus
Believe it or not, hippopotamuses are considered by many experts to be one of the most dangerous animals in the world. This is because of their highly unpredictable and violent nature. Many people believe that hippos are slow, sluggish, and gentle creatures that keep to themselves, but that could not be further from the truth.
They are very agile and aggressive and will occasionally kill other animals such as impalas, kudus, and buffalos, as well as humans. Plus, when hippos yawn or appear to be laughing (a sign that humans take as happiness), that is a warning sign that the hippo is getting ready to attack.
10. Indian Cobra
The Indian cobra has a diet of mostly rats and mice (and getting rid of pesky rodents is beneficial to humans), but this places them near humans. There are many occasions when an Indian cobra is hunting rodents, and they encounter a person by accident.
Then, because these snakes are so unpredictable, the human may get bit. This is a problem because the Indian cobra is highly venomous, and many people die each year in this snake’s home range (they live in parts of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan) bites each year.
11. Orca
Orcas, or killer whales, are wild, strong, and unpredictable ocean mammals. This is evident from the number of captive orcas who have killed or seriously injured their trainers. These animals are brilliant and social, and they do not do well in artificial environments (such as in captivity).
When they live in captivity, they often act impulsively and unpredictably. When incidents of a captive orca attacking take place, experts find it almost impossible to figure out why the orca attacked when it did. On the flip side, though, there has never been a recorded incident of a wild orca fatally attacking a human.
12. Saltwater Crocodile
While you may think that sharks are the biggest threat to people in the ocean, the saltwater crocodile is even more dangerous! Saltwater crocodiles are unpredictable, opportunistic, and aggressive. Crocodiles attack hundreds to thousands of people every year- and up to half of these attacks are fatal.
And unlike sharks, who do not like the taste of humans and often attack out of curiosity or by accident, crocodiles will hunt, kill, and eat a human if they want to. There is a crocodile named Gustave who is found in the African country of Burundi who is known as a man-eater- he is rumored to have killed up to 300 people!
13. Brown Bear
While most bears behave predictably, brown bears are the exception. Brown bears, who are also known as grizzly bears, have a highly unpredictable temperament. Brown bears will attack if they feel threatened or if they are taken by surprise.
But the most aggressive brown bear is a female with cubs- in fact, brown bear sows (sows are females, while boars are males) with cubs are responsible for most of the injuries and fatalities from bears in North America.
Brown bears who have been
14. Wild Boar
Believe it or not, wild boars are considered to be unpredictable, strong, and aggressive. There has been an increase in wild boar attacks in recent years because they are growing in population and getting closer to where people may be (such as public parks, roads, and even residential areas).
At first, these animals may seem shy and calm, but their behavior is often noted as unpredictable. They are very protective of their young, and they are very easily provoked. They are dangerous animals because they can run so fast, can weigh well over 200 pounds, and the males have dangerous canine teeth that stick out and can cause serious injuries.
15. Wolverine
While wolverines look small and cuddly, they are among the most ferocious and aggressive predators in the wild! They are aggressive carnivores and can change their behavior quickly and unpredictably. While there have been no documented attacks of these animals on humans, they have been known to kill livestock and small mammals, as well as the occasional moose.
Another reason that makes them unpredictable is that they are fairly hyperactive and are always on the move- they can just go and go, no matter what time of the year it is.