Animals that are Attractive but can Kill Humans

Animals that are Attractive but can Kill Humans

There are only a few words that can describe the collective beauty of the animal kingdom. Some of the animals’ beauty is so striking that, at times, it is easy to forget that indeed they are wild animals and we are as much in their world as they are in ours.  There are plenty of cute, cuddly animals in nature that look like they’d be great sources of the warm and fuzzies. Unfortunately, a lot of those adorable animals can also kill us in the most hardcore of ways. Down below, we have listed just a few of the charming animals that also happen to be fully capable of shoving us off the mortal coil. Don’t be fooled by their cute exteriors, because the following critters can be just as vicious and deadly as a pack of Black Friday shoppers who have just found the very last laptop for under $200. Go through and gain some knowledge so that you may know that you have to protect yourself from all things that look cute! Here are some of the ridiculously lovely animals that can kill humans:

Cassowary

	A cassowary appears like a flamboyant ostrich and is often found wandering the rain forests of Australia and New Guinea. It prefers to keep a low profile, but when disturbed this flightless bird can become extremely aggressive and territorial. Capable of running and leaping at high speeds, the cassowary attacks by thrusting its large claws forward with the aim of disemboweling its target.
The cassowary can charge up to 30 miles per hour and leap more than 3 feet in the air, reports Smithsonian. The birds' claws — one curved and two straight as daggers — are so sharp that New Guinea tribesmen put them over the tips of their spears to really make their weapons dangerous.
Poison Dart Frog
	Poison dart frogs wear some of the most brilliant and beautiful colors on Earth. Depending on individual habitats their coloring can be yellow, gold, copper, red, green, blue, or black. Their elaborate designs and hues are deliberately ostentatious to ward off potential predators, a tactic called aposematic coloration. The charismatic colors might catch our eye, but such pizzazz is also nature's
way of telling you to stay away. The poison dart frog is among the most poisonous creatures on Earth. The two-inch-long golden poison dart frog, for example, has enough venom to kill 10 adult men, reports National Geographic. Indigenous American Indians used the toxic secretions to poison the tips of blowgun darts. That's how the frog earned its common name. Scientists aren't sure where the frogs' toxicity comes from. They may gather plant poisons carried by ants, termites, beetles and other prey they eat. Poison dart frogs that are raised in captivity and isolated from native insects don't develop venom.
Blue-ringed Octopus
	Blue-ringed octopuses are among the most dangerous animals in the sea. Throughout their range in Australia and the eastern Indo-Pacific, several humans suffer bites each year. Unfortunately, some of these are fatal. In Australia where blue-rings occur in shallow coastal waters and can be relatively common in areas frequented by beach-goers, there have been dozens of reported bites and several deaths.
Typically, the victim is unaware of the danger and either picks up the innocuous looking octopus or inadvertently contacts it. The bite is slight and produces at most only a small laceration with no more than a tiny drop of blood and little or no discoloration. Bites are usually reported as being painless. Often the victim doesn't even know that he had been bitten. This can make it difficult for emergency and medical personnel to determine the cause of a patient's distress. In cases with prolonged contact, the venom might pass directly through the skin.  The tiny blue-ringed octopus can pack a wallop. It is widely regarded as one of the world's most venomous animals. It lives in tidal regions ranging from Australia to Japan and is frequently encountered by people wading in tide pools. If provoked or stepped on, it will bite. Blue-ringed octopus poison has no antivenom and can kill an adult human within minutes. The name comes from the bright iridescent blue rings that show up when the octopus becomes alarmed. The blue rings are a warning when threatened. If a predator doesn't leave, the octopus attacks by ejecting venom that causes paralysis, and then death. The more common blue-ringed octopus, Hapalochlaena maculosa, carries enough poison to kill 26 adults in just a few minutes.
Gila Monster
	The Gila monster is one of only a few poisonous lizards in the world. The Gila is the largest lizard native to the United States. Their black bodies are covered in beadlike scales with bright spots, blotches, or bands of pink, orange, or yellow, which probably warn other animals to stay away. Their bulky bodies, slow-moving stride, thick forked tongue, and snort-
ting hisses reinforce the name Gila monster. They live in the dry, arid regions such as the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan Deserts of the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico. They are named after the Arizona Gila River Basin, where they were first discovered. This chunky lizard with pink or orange spots, though, is sluggish, the Gila monster is capable of delivering a painful dose of venom when provoked or stepped on. The venom comes from glands in the lizard's lower jaw. The Gila monster has a strong bite and will often not loosen its grip for several seconds, even chewing to help spread the venom deeper into its victim. If you are bitten by Gila monster, the University of Adelaide Clinical Toxinology Resources group suggests you submerge the lizard in water to break free from its strong jaws.
Giant Anteater
	As its common name suggests, the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is the largest of the living anteaters and is instantly recognized around the world. They are strange-looking animals, with the body roughly divided into three equal regions: the long nose and head, the body and the tail. Beneath the skin of the long nose is a bone tube formed by the fusion of the upper and lower jaw.
The nose houses an impressively long, sticky tongue, which can measure up to 50 centimeters in length. You wouldn't know it by looking at it, but this large creature feeds only on ants and termites. Its size is part of what makes it such a dangerous animal, but the true weapons are the powerful, sharp claws. If threatened, an anteater can maul a human and do an incredible amount of damage with just one swipe. Anteaters aren't aggressive, but will fight back fiercely if cornered. A threatened, cornered anteater will rear up on its hind legs, while using its large tail for balance. It will lash out with its claw which can be four inches long. The giant anteater is ferocious enough to fight off animals as aggressive as jaguars and pumas.
Bears
	Bears are large mammals that eat mostly meat and fish, with the exception of panda bears which are herbivores and live also entirely on bamboo.  There are only eight living species of bears and they can be found throughout most of the world. Bears are some of the most lovable large carnivores in the world, often
the subject of childhood tales and treasured as teddy bears. It's a strange association, given that they are also on the shortlist of animals known to hunt and kill humans. Grizzlies and polar bears are the most feared, but all large species of bear can potentially be dangerous — even the vegetarian giant panda.
Leopard Seal
	The leopard seal is named for its black-spotted coat. The pattern is similar to that of the famous big cat, though the seal's coat is gray rather than golden in color.  The leopard seal is at the top of the food chain in its home in the Antarctic, and this is one predator you don't want to swim with.
It is bold, powerful and curious, and it has been known to hunt people, although it usually targets penguins. This seal is sometimes called the sea leopard, and the resemblance is more than skin deep. Like their feline namesakes, leopard seals are fierce predators. They are the most formidable hunters of all the seals and the only ones that feed on warm-blooded prey, such as other seals. Leopard seals use their powerful jaws and long teeth to kill smaller seals, fish, and squid.
Monkeys and Apes
	These animals are most similar to humans, creating a natural bond and some pitfalls as well. Some diseases carried by monkeys and apes can be easily transmitted to humans. Even a small monkey can bite, potentially transmitting a virus like hepatitis C. Larger apes, such as chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas are powerful
animals capable of mauling a human if they feel threatened. Sometimes even chimps kept as pets have harmed their owners.   It could be due to aggressive tendencies, illness or even frustration. In any case, the one thing that can't be underestimated is their brute strength.
Elephant
	Elephants are the largest land animals on Earth. They have characteristic long noses, or trunks; large, floppy ears; and wide, thick legs. There are two species of elephants. The Asian elephant and the African elephant live on separate continents and have many unique features.
There are several subspecies that belong to one or the other of these two main species, though there is disagreement over just how many subspecies there are. The elephant is often portrayed as a lovable giant, and animals domesticated by trainers and zookeepers can be quite peaceful. But if agitated, abused or if encountered in the wild, an elephant can be one of the most dangerous creatures in the world. Elephants experience unexpected bouts of rage and are known to be vindictive. In India, hundreds of people are killed by mistreated or rampaging elephants.
Pfeffer's Flamboyant Cuttlefish
	Pfeffer's flamboyant cuttlefishes are truly amazing animals and well named. A favorite of underwater photographers and videographers, flamboyant cuttlefishes display stunning changing colors and patterns and actually "walk" along the bottom of the sea. It has a maximum mantle (the part behind the head) length of 6-8 cm with 3 pairs of flap-like fleshy papillae and a V-shaped ventral (underside) fleshy ridge, These cuttlefishes also have large vio-
let oblique V-shaped patches on both sides of their dorsal (topside) mantle. Papillae are also present over their eyes. The papillae are used for camouflage to break up the outline of the cuttlefish. Don't try to cuddle this cuttlefish. Though charming and colorful, this aptly named fish's displays are meant as a warning. Like octopuses and some squid, cuttlefish are venomous. The muscles of the cuttlefish contain a highly toxic compound. Although cuttlefish rarely encounter humans, their poison is considered extremely toxic and can be as lethal as the poison of the blue-ringed octopus.