# What is the most Vicious animal on the planet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 30, 2002, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456 "2002-07-30T00:16:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/41 "2002-07-30T15:08:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ratty \* > \*\*As a side note to whomever nominated snakes: snakes are in fact very shy and retiring creatures who want nothing more than to be left alone. A warm spot to curl up in, a meal every few weeks or months, as the case may be. They much prefer to retreat in the face of danger; it has been said that the snake is “a coward first, and then a bluff, and a fighter last of all.” Trouble occurs when the snake feels threatened and has no means of escape, such as when it’s stepped on suddenly, or grabbed by some would-be ‘Crocodile Hunter’-type. \*\* This is mostly true but not always. One of my uncles was stationed in Africa during WWII and told me that teh Black Mamba scared them more than the Germans did. He told me he was walking patrol once and turned around to see a Black Mamba coming up the path behind him. The Mamba wasn’t pursing my uncle so much as just following him but he said it was only about ten feet behind him. Given that the snake itself was close to ten feet long that didn’t seem like much especially considering that Black Mambas are also lethally venomous. Here’s another story that indicates the fearlessness of Mambas ( [http://www.seniority.co.uk/content/archive/travel\_africa\_ripley\_one.html](http://www.seniority.co.uk/content/archive/travel_africa_ripley_one.html) ). I won’t go so far as to say that Black Mambas are the most aggressive of all animals but they are certainly among the most aggressive of snakes. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/42 "2002-07-30T15:56:08Z")
I’ll agree that it’s pretty much unanswerable, but that won’t stop me from nominating the praying mantis. I once had a teacher who remarked that if mantises were the size of dogs there would be nothing left alive on the planet. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/43 "2002-07-30T16:04:14Z")
I think fer-de-lances are aggressive snakes too. _shudder_ ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/44 "2002-07-30T16:25:29Z")
Shouldn’t number 3 on the list be the fearsome “Hi Opal”? ---
**Author:** ![scifioo7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@scifioo7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scifioo7)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/45 "2002-07-30T16:26:14Z")
I’ve heard that, pound for pound, the clawed shrimp is the most aggressive animal on the planet. It, apparently attacks everything no matter what it’s size (often divers). I’m not sure what it’s proper name is, something like ‘ninja shrimp’ or something like that. anyway, it’s pretty darn aggressive, and no, i’m not making it up ; ) ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/46 "2002-07-30T16:39:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by don’t ask \* > \*\*According to the top 10 at [this site](http://www.deadsquirrel.com/) it’s the squirrel. I had never realized what a threat to mankind the squirrel is. Thank God for the internet. \*\* Haven’t you seen the commercial where the squirrel tries to make the car run off the road, then high-5’s his little squirrel friend? Bastards, I’m aiming for them from now on. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WSLer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@WSLer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WSLer)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/47 "2002-07-30T22:45:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Silentgoldfish \* > \*\* > > Yes so let’s all join that extintion society. :rolleyes: > > We’re just more efficient at it than anything else. You think a group of bipedal cats with opposable thumbs would be any less vicious? \*\* Quite possibly the 2nd stupidest response to a post i’ve seen on this board. Your comment about bipedal cats with opposable thumbs is irrelevant, not to mention illogical. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/48 "2002-07-31T00:06:43Z")
Maybe not YOUR cat, but mine is definitely in the competition! \ ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/49 "2002-07-31T00:28:08Z")
I’d read somewhere that it was the polar bear, which was reporter to be the only animal to attack without provocation. But then I also read that it needs a lot of food, and doesn’t get much up there, so anything that moves sets its brain to “Hey! Zat food? Lemme see!” So maybe being really hungry isn’t the same as vicious. From watching Steve Irwin, I gather the answer would be crocodiles. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/50 "2002-07-31T00:29:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by WSLer \* > \*\* > > Quite possibly the 2nd stupidest response to a post i’ve seen on this board. > > Your comment about bipedal cats with opposable thumbs is irrelevant, not to mention illogical. \*\* Well if ya gotta be remembered for something… I’m just saying, there’s plenty of cruelty in nature. Lots of animals kill for fun. To say humans are any more vicious than other animals just cause we’ve got the tech to do it on a wider scale is kinda dumb. ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/51 "2002-07-31T00:48:29Z")
Bill Gates. ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/52 "2002-07-31T01:54:05Z")
My understanding is that older male water buffalo, solitary after losing their herd, are prone to hyper aggressivness and are considered the most dangerous animals to encounter on safari. According to this site > **[Fascinating facts about the Hippo](https://www.didyouknow.cd/animals/hippo.htm)** > > Hippos have killed more people than any other animal and although they are the third largest of land animals they can easily outrun humans. Hippos have killed more people than any other animal, but I’d bet the flea, mosquito and maybe bee would all beat the overall hippo’s body count. In any event, Hippos are more in the spirit of the OP and I think truly kill more folks, on purpose, than other African animals. I think the OP is wrong about Mountain lions. One reason this site [http://virtual-markets.net/vme/ARNHA/graph3.html](http://virtual-markets.net/vme/ARNHA/graph3.html) shows that by far the most vicious animal to a \*\* car\*\* is a deer ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/53 "2002-07-31T17:15:34Z")
Elephants during ‘must’ are extremely aggressive. Has anyone mentioned Rhinos. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/54 "2002-07-31T17:30:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scifioo7 \* > \*\*I’ve heard that, pound for pound, the clawed shrimp is the most aggressive animal on the planet. It, apparently attacks everything no matter what it’s size (often divers). I’m not sure what it’s proper name is, something like ‘ninja shrimp’ or something like that. anyway, it’s pretty darn aggressive, and no, i’m not making it up ; ) \*\* I think you mean [mantis shrimp](http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/). They’re mean little bitches. They scare me more than sharks. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/55 "2002-07-31T18:55:54Z")
I’m surprised nobody has yet nominated the chimpanzee. Horribly nasty, aggressive creatures. Probably not as bad as the hippo, but they’re in the running for Top 10. ---
**Author:** ![Zweistein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/54ee81/32.png) [@Zweistein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zweistein)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/56 "2002-07-31T21:14:39Z")
The female anopheline mosquito… This small insect has killed billions of people. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/57 "2002-07-31T21:25:40Z")
ratels (honey badgers) are supposively pretty viscious and ornery. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/58 "2002-08-01T00:57:56Z")
billions of people? ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/59 "2002-08-01T01:22:57Z")
I’m thinkin’ it’s a hint at malaria. Pity that quinine water isn’t a naturally occurring fluid. Or, is it? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rockford](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@Rockford](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rockford)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456/60 "2002-08-01T07:08:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RickJay \* > \*\*I’m surprised nobody has yet nominated the chimpanzee. Horribly nasty, aggressive creatures. \*\* Not only that, but chimpanzees are disturbingly strong (they can lift hundreds of pounds more than the average person) despite being only 4 or so feet tall. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-vicious-animal-on-the-planet/121456.md?page=4)