Profiles of Dangerous Animals

Updated August 17, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

These animals are fascinating, but deadly.

Animals Hippopotamuses, crocodiles, and hyenas Elephants, big cats, and Cape buffaloes Scorpions, bears, and poison-dart tree frogs Sharks, snakes, sea wasps, and blue-ringed octopuses Insects Mosquitos, flies, bees and wasps, and other insects

When Dorothy and her friends marched through the woods to the Emerald City, they worried about lions, tigers, and bears. But they needn’t have been so concerned. Wild animals generally avoid all contact with people. Attacks on humans are rare and usually occur when animals have been provoked or surprised.

Exact figures on how many people are attacked are difficult to determine since many attacks go unreported, or occur in areas of the world where reporting is difficult. Such attacks, however, are believed to be on the rise as people increasingly encroach on nature through outdoor recreation, or by moving into remote areas.

If your own "yellow brick road" takes you to faraway places, here are a few fearsome creatures that you might encounter along the way.

Hippopotamuses, crocodiles, and hyenas