The animal world is filled with creepy crawlies and predators that stalk the night. But how many of them are actual threats to our safety? One could argue that, given our superior technology and numbers, we are actually the most dangerous animals on the planet.
Maybe it’s that animal instinct that takes over when we fear these creatures, but when you think about it, they don’t actually pose much of a threat to us.
1. Milk snakes get a bad rep mainly because they closely resemble the very poisonous coral snake. They are actually completely venom free. To tell the difference between the two, just remember, “Red next to black is a friend of Jack; red next to yellow will kill a fellow.”
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2. The aye-aye of Madagascar are said to be harbingers of death by locals. These trolls do, in fact, look like the last things you’d see on Earth or the first thing you see in hell. But they are actually perfectly tame and don’t even have claws.
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3. Naked mole rats are one of the most hideous animals on the planet. However, these alien-looking nightmares rarely appear above ground. If they do, they probably can’t even see you anyway.
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4. Tarantulas are the biggest spiders in the world, and have the biggest fangs. They are actually very passive towards humans. Unlike small, hyper-poisonous spiders, if a tarantula were to bite, it would be slightly less painful that a wasp bite.
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5. Known for their fangs, their suspicious relationship with the night, and their allegiance with blood-sucking Trannsylvanians, vampire bats actually prefer the blood of cows and goats over humans.
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6. Vultures, forever a symbol of decay, should not be feared at all…unless you’re already dead.
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7. The atlas beetle is not exactly something you’d want to share a bed with. However, those horns are actually used to battle other atlas beetles and not to attack humans.
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8. Giant African millipedes are some of the largest millipedes in the world. They look like they want to feast on you from the inside out, but they’re actually quite friendly and are fairly popular as pets.
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9. Gharials look similar to crocs and alligators. That’s where the comparison ends, though. Their mouths are so tiny that human flesh is not worth the work required to chew. They mostly prefer fish and frogs.
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10. Manta rays often get confused with their stingray cousins, who have barbed stingers. In reality, even though they are far bigger than most other rays (up to 25 ft across), they are gentle giants.
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11. Basking sharks may look like something the Millennium Falcon might mistakingly get swallowed up by, but they actually prefer to eat plankton. They’re also quite playful in nature.
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This is not necessarily going to make me want to hang out with tarantulas anytime soon. However, it’s nice to know they aren’t actively trying to hunt me down like I assumed they were.
