Recent arguments have begun to transpire as to whether Australia truly is the pinnacle danger continent of the world, or if it is just a guise of deception created by these creatures for travel to even more deadly locales. Even so, the 30 creatures in this list are the most deadly out of every continent in the world, and most of their locations will be quite chilling to those who will be most surprised to discover that they may not be as safe as they think. Will Australia attain the most points and remain the reigning danger champion, or will your continent take first prize?

30. Great White Shark

Location: North and South America, South Africa, Australia and Madagascar, and parts of Asia. 

As the ocean’s widely known apex predator, great whites can jump up to ten feet above the water surface in a technique known as breaching. In addition, spy hopping is a term also used to describe the way the sharks come to the surface and “spy” on prey by looking over the water. Strangely enough, the great white shark’s tongue is absolutely worthless, as it serves no particular purpose to the shark. Scientists are curious of this phenomenon because of the fact that they are 400 million years old, and are perfect evolutionary creatures in every way except this, especially in the mouth department.

Africa – 1 Point

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 1 point

Australia – 1 point

Central America – 0 points

Europe – 0 points

North America – 1 point

South America – 1 point

29. Champawat Tiger

Location: Asia

The infamous Champawat Tigress is a female Bengal tiger who assumedly killed over two hundred people in Nepal, and only stopped killing people in the country when, having multiple hunters failed to kill her, the Nepalese army was mobilized for the sole reason of hunting this one tiger. And even they failed to kill her, but they did manage to frighten her out of Nepal and into India. There, she killed more than two hundred people until she was finally brought to justice.

 

Africa – 1 Point

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 2 points

Australia – 1 point

Central America – 0 points

Europe – 0 points

North America – 1 point

South America – 1 point

28. Gray Wolves

Location: North America, Asia, and Europe

The largest of the dog family, wolves historically populated much of Eurasia, North Africa and North America. The gray wolf inhabits a immensely reduced fragment of its former range due to widespread destruction of its territory. Recently endangered, they rarely attack people in North America or Europe, however they do run down the occasional agricultural worker in Asia because the two come into contact much more often. Looks like Asia is in the lead with 3 points!

 

Africa – 1 Point

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 3 points

Australia – 1 point

Central America – 0 points

Europe – 1 point

North America – 2 points

South America – 1 point

27. Black Mamba

Location: Southeast Africa

Black mambas were given their name not due to the color of the snake, but the inside of its mouth. Having been seen up to 14 feet in length (4.2 meters), black mambas usually grow to 8.5 feet (2.6 meters) and can slither 12.5 mph (20.1 kmh), instead of biting once, they strike numerous times quickly, over and over.

 

Africa – 2 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 3 points

Australia – 1 point

Central America – 0 points

Europe – 1 point

North America – 2 points

South America – 1 point

26. Deathstalker

Location: Africa and Middle East

These gnarly looking fellows are easily the deadliest scorpions in the world, and with 5,000 deaths by scorpions annually, they contribute to 75% of them. If you’re up to the task of looking for one of these fiendish creatures, Deathstalkers can be found in the dry desert areas and shrub-ridden parts of northern Africa and the Middle East. That’s another point for Africa! 

 

Africa – 3 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 4 points

Australia – 1 point

Central America – 0 points

Europe – 1 point

North America – 2 points

South America – 1 point

25. Africanized Honey Bee

Location: North, South, and Central America

This type of bees is the absolute worst species for multiple reasons. Primarily, the main cause of deadliness is because of the fact that when a killer bee releases a stinger into a victim, a chemical pheromone is released into the air, which signals every single drone in the hive to move to their position. They build hives in the ground, and get extremely agitated when nests are destroyed, so you should avoid doing that. Also, even though they were created to produce more honey, they produce 5 times less honey than other species. These buckos began in Brazil, but have now spread all over Central and North America. 

 

Africa – 3 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 4 points

Australia – 1 point

Central America – 1 point

Europe – 1 point

North America – 3 points

South America – 2 points

24. Rhinos

Location: Southeastern Africa

Rhinos are beautiful creatures, and are poached at wide varieties for their horns, which are posed as a figure of success and wealth in Asian countries. They have continuously become more aggressive towards humans over recent years, and who can blame them? Although they are a tremendous 5,100 lbs (2313 kg), they are able to run up to 30 – 40 mph (48 – 64 kmh), so if you find yourself being charged in southeastern Africa, scale a tree ASAP.

 

Africa – 4 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 4 points

Australia – 1 point

Central America – 1 point

Europe – 1 point

North America – 3 points

South America – 2 points

23. Cone Snail

Location: Australia, South Africa, and Asia

Carnivorous, with a complex concoction of hundreds of different toxins that has no cure, cone snails are the epitome of the beautiful but deadly phenomenon in nature. Found in the Indian and Pacific oceans, the Caribbean and Red seas, and along the coast of Florida, brightly colored shells, appealing to curious collectors, shine with attraction to unsuspecting victims. The sole (extremely moderate) treatment exists to only to keep victim alive until the toxin wears off.

 

Africa – 5 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 5 points

Australia – 2 points

Central America – 1 point

Europe – 1 point

North America – 3 points

South America – 2 points

22. Stonefish

Location: Australia

These puppies may look slow, but as all other things in Australia that look harmless usually prove otherwise, so does the stonefish. Burrowing themselves into the sand, camouflaged perfectly through years of evolution, this speed demon swallows fish in an astounding 0.015 seconds. They can survive 24h out of water, so don’t think you can escape them by never going in the ocean; they’ll find you.

 

Africa – 5 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 5 points

Australia – 3 points

Central America – 1 point

Europe – 1 point

North America – 3 points

South America – 2 points

21. Fire Ants

Location: North and South America, Asia, and Australia

The term “fire ant” actually lacks a representation of a single species of ants. In fact, the name is used to refer to at least 280 different species, with varieties found throughout the entire world. Though it is given its name due to the reddish color of its skin, the fire ant’s sting is extremely painful, the feeling experienced compared to that of fire.

 

Africa – 5 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 6 points

Australia – 4 points

Central America – 1 point

Europe – 1 point

North America – 4 points

South America – 3 points

20. Cassowary

Location: Australia

This enormous bird is similar to an ostrich, but believe or not much more ornery. The cassowary has even been described as “a turkey fused with a velociraptor.” It even has the protection of its casque, which is a hard helmet on the top of its head made of a spongy material covered in keratin. They enjoy eating leaves and keeping to themselves, when they aren’t having kick fights with inanimate objects, or you.

Africa – 5 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 6 points

Australia – 5 points

Central America – 1 points

Europe – 1 point

North America – 4 points

South America – 3 points

19. Cape Buffalo 

Location: South and East Africa 

Even residing in a safari tour jeep, you still would not want a confrontation with a cape buffalo. When two 1800lb (816 kg) African buffalo bulls charges each other, the head-on the impact is equivalent to a car hitting a wall at 30 mph (50 kmh). Even so, these creatures usually travel in a pack, and even when they wander alone, lone rangers are even more aggressive because of the vulnerability of not having the safety of the herd.

 

Africa – 6 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 6 points

Australia – 5 points

Central America – 1 point

Europe – 1 point

North America – 4 points

South America – 3 points

18. Poison Dart Frog

Location: Central and South America

If traveling in the rainforest, or potentially any untainted nature locations, avoid bright colors at all costs. Although it is a confusing concept on account of the attraction it has to observation, these cute little guys carry enough poison to kill 20,000 mice, which is equal to 10 grown men. There is speculation as to where the dart frog attains this potent poison, but it is possible they saturate themselves with plant poison through eating the insects that carry them, such as beetles and ants.

Africa – 6 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 6 points

Australia – 5 points

Central America – 2 points

Europe – 1 point

North America – 4 points

South America – 4 points

17. Polar Bear

Location: Arctic Circle (Alaska, Canada, Russia, Norway)

Being the stealthy swimmers they are, polar bears must be camouflaged well to stalk the seals they need to sustain. Their fur may look white, but it is actually transparent. It only seems to appear this way because it reflects visible light. Oddly enough, polar bear skin is actually black under their fur. They are also one of the only known predators to actively hunt and eat humans if they are hungry.

Africa – 6 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 7 points

Australia – 5 points

Central America – 2 points

Europe – 2 points

North America – 5 points

South America – 4 points

16. Box Jellyfish

Location: Australia

These crustacean eating creatures are incredibly venomous, and can grow 15 tentacles from all corners of the body, each reaching 10 feet in length. The big box jellyfish is the most venomous on the planet, being so venomous it will kill you within two minutes of a sting. The tentacles are sometimes left on the skin if stung, and must be removed quickly, safeguarded by protective gear.

 

Africa – 6 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 7 points

Australia – 6 points

Central America – 2 points

Europe – 2 points

North America – 5 points

South America – 4 points

15. African Lion

Location: East and Central Africa

These big cats are just that, sleeping for up to 20 hours a day. Lions do not have molars that grind food, instead, their back teeth, called carnassals, work like scissors to cut meat. They tear off pieces big enough to swallow, and can ravage 10 to 25 pounds of food per day. They used to live in most warm countries, but now, through human disruption, only live in a select few places on earth.

Africa – 7 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 7 points

Australia – 6 points

Central America – 2 points

Europe – 2 points

North America – 5 points

South America – 4 points

14. Boomslang

Location: South Africa

Though most snakes lack adequate vision, boomslang have amazing eyesight, able to detect even a motionless chameleon. A man once bitten by a boomslang on his thumb by one fang of a boomslang claimed to feel fine as rear fanged snakes were seen as not dangerous, but hours later he had passed away from respiratory arrest. Unlike other rear-fanged snakes, boomslang has very large fangs and it can stretch its mouth for 170 degrees during an attack. 

Africa – 8 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 7 points

Australia – 6 points

Central America – 2 points

Europe – 2 points

North America – 5 points

South America – 4 points

13. Puffer Fish

Location: Everywhere

Although a fairly happy looking fish, the puffer fish is not one which should be trifled. There is enough toxin in one puffer fish to kill 30 adult humans, and there is no known antidote to this poison. This toxin that almost all puffer fish contain is called tetrodotoxin, and it is 1200 times stronger than cyanide. Even so, some restaurants serve it as a delicacy, but only the most experienced of culinary artists can prepare it properly.

Africa – 9 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 8 points

Australia – 7 points

Central America – 3 points

Europe – 3 points

North America – 6 points

South America – 5 points

12. Hyena

Location: Africa

The infamous barking of hyenas is usually attributed to their excited temperaments, but there is more to the barks than what meets the ear. The pitch and the note frequency (or tone) of a hyena’s laugh can give an indication of its age and social status, and is a factor of who gets first dibs during dinner. 

Africa – 10 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 8 points

Australia – 7 points

Central America – 3 points

Europe – 3 points

North America – 6 points

South America – 5 points

11. Komodo Dragon

Location: Asia

Komodo dragons have had an immense variety of different false attributions labeled upon them. Contrary to popular belief, the saliva does not contain an animal deteriorating bacteria, but instead they actually have venom glands found in the mouth that cause paralysis, extreme blood loss due to inadequate clotting, tissue damage, and excruciating pain.

Africa – 10 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 9 points

Australia – 7 points

Central America – 3 points

Europe – 3 points

North America – 6 points

South America – 5 points

10. Tsetse Fly

Location: Africa

Found in the place between a sleeve and an arm, tsetse flies are among the toughest in the world to tackle. Two species of tsetse fly can transmit parasites that induce sleeping sickness in humans, a disease which kills 250-300k people per year. 

Africa – 11 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 9 points

Australia – 7 points

Central America – 3 points

Europe – 3 points

North America – 6 points

South America – 5 points

9. Leopard

Location: Africa and Asia

Leopards are among the most impressive cats, and can carry the weight of a giraffe up a tree, which is equal to that of a human carrying 250lbs (113kg) in their mouth. They are very adaptable hunters, and can sustain themselves in any environment; the snow leopard proves this, along with the fact that black panthers are just leopards modified with melanism (the opposite of albinism). 

Africa – 12 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 10 points

Australia – 7 points

Central America – 3 points

Europe – 3 points

North America – 6 points

South America – 5 points

8. Dogs

Location: Delightfully everywhere

“The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies” – Anonymous. With 25,000 people being killed annually by dogs, man’s best friend isn’t as vicious as this statistic may look, seemingly as if dogs are going for the throat. But these figures are due to over 90 percent of rabies infections in humans worldwide being caused by dog bites, most of the cases being in India and not in the West where there are copious amounts of medicine.

Africa – 13 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 11 points

Australia – 8 points

Central America – 4 points

Europe – 4 points

North America – 7 points

South America – 6 points

7. Saw-Scaled Viper

Location: Africa and Asia

 This snake is considered the most dangerous of the species for multiple reasons, but mostly the fact that it is the origin of the resulting 50% of fatalities caused by the Big Four (Indian cobra, common krait, Russell’s viper, and the Saw-Scaled viper).

Africa – 14 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 12 points

Australia – 8 points

Central America – 4 points

Europe – 4 points

North America – 7 points

South America – 6 points

6. Brazilian Wandering Spider

Location: Central and South America

These ground gliding guys are called wandering spiders because they do not build webs, but rather wander the forest floor at night, actively hunting prey. They currently hold the world record for the most venomous spider, and when threatened, will rear up on their hind legs to make themselves appear larger.

Africa – 14 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 12 points

Australia – 8 points

Central America – 5 points

Europe – 4 points

North America – 7 points

South America – 7 points

5. Blue Ringed Octopus

Location: Australia

Surprisingly, there are many species in the world that seem like they would not contain venom, but pack a punch stronger than most snakes ever could. A good example of this is the blue ringed octopus, possessing enough venom to kill 26 people within minutes. If traveling to a foreign country, make sure to be aware of all potential threats, no matter how silly they may sound.

Africa – 14 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 12 points

Australia – 9 points

Central America – 5 points

Europe – 4 points

North America – 7 points

South America – 7 points

4. Hippopotamus

Location: Africa

Although a very close relative of the whale, hippos cannot swim in the water they so often reside. Instead, they bound off the ground floor, propelling themselves through the water at tremendous speeds. In addition, hippos may seem like slow creatures due to their weight and short legs, but hippos can run at 15mph (24kmh), and in short bursts of speed can even reach 30mph (63 kmh).

Africa – 15 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 12 points

Australia – 9 points

Central America – 5 points

Europe – 4 points

North America – 7 points

South America – 7 points

3. Saltwater Crocodile

Location: Australia and Asia

Another ancient predator, a large crocodile is strong enough to crush the skull of a fully grown cow between its jaws and can drag a water buffalo weighing over a ton into the water. Being the largest reptile in the world, it is no surprise that it has survived for over 200 million years, and has caused various human deaths for quite some time. 

 

Africa – 15 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 13 points

Australia – 10 points

Central America – 5 points

Europe – 4 points

North America – 7 points

South America – 7 points

2. African Elephant

Location: Africa

Elephants are among the smartest creatures on earth, their brains being the largest of any other land mammal’s, weighing in at 11lbs (5kg), and their tusks are actually incisors that grow from their mouth. They also have genetic memories, which is the reason why elephants are the only species able to go in and out of the Ngorongoro crater, while every other species never migrates. 

Africa – 16 Points

Antarctica – 0 points

Asia – 13 points

Australia – 10 points

Central America – 5 points

Europe – 4 points

North America – 7 points

South America – 7 points

1. Mosquito

Location: Literally everywhere

Insects are never appealing to any person, but mosquitos possess a particular ability to be revolted on another level. Many of them carry Malaria, which infects around 250 million people each year worldwide and kills about 1 million. Some scientists say it wouldn’t be bad to eliminate mosquitos completely among debates of the opposite, but even the thought of being able to walk outside without being swarmed is an idea far too perfect to refuse.

1st place: Africa – 17 Points

2nd place: Asia – 14 points

3rd place: Australia – 11 points

TIE 4th place: North + South America – 8 points

6th Central America – 6 points

7th place: Europe – 5 points

And the safest place on earth:  Antarctica – 0 points

It is now clear as to who the true champion of danger truly is, and although Australia may have the most venomous and scariest looking creatures, the facade has been obstructed and the statistics are prevalent. Just because a venomous creature has the ability to annihilate a person does not necessarily mean they will do so on a large scale. Bigger animals, however, may not be so kind to an unwarranted visitor. The law of the land remains: the biggest animals are the alpha, and with size comes confidence. This is why a rhinoceros will always beat a human, in their mind, that is.