Today we're going to look at 9 of the most dangerous animals and teach you some tips
on how to stay alive if you should ever cross paths.
It might not have huge teeth or slashing claws, but the African Cape Buffalo is terrifying
all the same.
Unlike most prey animals, a Cape Buffalo will not run from a fight, choosing instead to
turn and face a threat head-on... or horns-on more accurately.
If faced with a charging buffalo, your best bet is to find the nearest tree and climb
it.
If there are no trees around you, however, and you happen to be armed, you're going to
need nerves of steel.
That's because Cape Buffalo can reach speeds of 35 mph (56 kph) when charging and are so
powerful that nothing short of a shot directly to the brain can stop one mid-charge.
With a 4.5 inch wide brain (12 cm wide), you have to hold your ground and wait until it's
about 65 feet away (20 meters), when a buffalo will typically drop his head in preparation
of goring you with its horns.
This will give you a clear shot straight to the brain, and your only hope of surviving
the attack.
If you're hanging around Cape Buffalo, then it's probably good to know how to handle the
next animal on our list: the lion.
Surprisingly, most predators actively avoid getting into fights or attacking strange prey
because they don't want to risk unnecessary injury, and an unfamiliar prey might have
defenses the predator doesn't know or understand; any injury, no matter how slight, might spell
death for a predator by leaving it unable to hunt.
Therefore, a lion, while still dangerous, will rarely ever actually attack a human.
Instead it will charge at you once or twice in what are known as 'mock charges'.
These are meant to test your nerve; if you run, it will signal to the lion that you are
weak and would make a good snack.
Your best bet is to maintain eye contact with the charging lion and never break it, slowly
backing away and responding to the mock charges by spreading your arms and shouting, making
yourself appear bigger and signaling that you are not afraid and ready for a fight.
More than likely, the lion will break off the attack and try to find something easier
to munch on.
Continuing our tour of Africa leads us to the second most powerful cat of the savannah:
the leopard.
As solitary hunters, leopards are far more cautious than their lion cousins and thus
much less likely to attack you.
In fact, leopards are some of the least aggressive predators because they need to stay in peak
physical condition in order to hunt, and will not take any unnecessary risks that might
injure them.
However, if you accidentally stumble across one as it is feeding or is with its cubs you
can expect the leopard to attack.
In the event of a leopard attack, don't run or back away, instead hold your ground and
make as much noise as possible, clapping your hands and shouting.
More often than not, the leopard will decide you aren't worth the risk and will leave you
alone.
Next up is another African icon, the elephant.
Surprisingly fast runners, elephants can reach speeds of up to 25 mph (40 kph).
While typically pacifists, elephants kill an average of 500 people a year, and the two
times an elephant is likely to attack is if it is with its young, or when a bull undergoes
must, a reproductive phase during which the elephant is flooded with testosterone and
is extremely aggressive.
Much like a lion, elephants will typically do one or two mock charges; it's important
then that you hold your ground and make lots of noise, as running will trigger the instinct
to chase.
Don't try to climb up a tree as elephants are very powerful and will tear most trees
down, though sometimes hiding inside a hollow one or hiding behind it may be enough to discourage
the elephant.
As an absolute last option, play dead while protecting your head with a bag or other item,
the elephant might lose interest, hopefully without stomping on you first.
The next animal on our list is bar-none the most dangerous in all of Africa: the hippopotamus.
Surprised?
Don't be!
Hippos kill more park rangers, hunters, and tour guides in Africa than lions or elephants
combined.
Extremely aggressive and territorial, they may be herbivores but their six-inch long
tusks are able to crush bone and rip flesh apart.
With a top speed of 18 mph (30kph), your best bet if attacked by a hippopotamus is to run.
Once committed to an attack, standing your ground or trying to make yourself seem big
and loud won't scare one off.
These are animals that other apex predators are so afraid of that hippo young are known
to play amongst feeding crocodiles and even nip at them without retaliation; the crocodiles
are fully aware of what an angry mother would do to them.
Dogs are man's best friend, except when they are wild or feral.
Feral packs of dogs can be extremely dangerous, and can be found in a surprising variety of
places, from the streets of Mumbai in India to Dallas, Texas.
In May, 2016, a pack of feral dogs attacked a woman in a Dallas neighborhood, biting her
over 100 times.
As the most likely of all the animals on this list for you to encounter, it's important
to know how to spot an attack and protect yourself.
If faced with a pack, look for the smaller or less aggressive members to start fanning
out around you while the alphas face you head-on.
This signals that the pack is getting ready to attack as they will try to hit you from
multiple angles at once.
Your best bet at this point is to climb something tall, like an electrical box or the roof of
a car.
If you can't get away though, curl up into a ball and make your hands into fists to protect
your fingers, then cover your face and neck with your arms.
Not very likely to kill, the dogs will quickly lose interest and move away.
The Great White Shark- easily the most feared animal in the world, yet the least likely
to ever attack you.
Once known as man-eaters, it is now known that sharks actually dislike humans as prey,
and often attack only due to cases of mistaken identity; a thrashing swimmer or surfer on
a board can often look like a seal from below the water.
Despite their enormous power and size, Great Whites actually kill the least amount of humans,
and almost always give up an attack after only a single bite, when their taste buds
kick in and tell the shark: “yuck, this isn't a seal!”.
If you find yourself face to face with an attacking shark though, your best bet is to
not thrash around, as you'll mimic injured and vulnerable prey.
Instead, make your way to shore calmly and slowly, keeping eye contact with the shark
at all times.
As ambush predators, if the shark doesn't think it can get the jump on you, it might
abort the attack altogether.
If it does decide to attack though, thrash and punch as hard as you can; despite the
popular advice of going for the nose, remember that right underneath that nose is a mouth
full of razor-sharp teeth.
Instead, try going for the gills to avoid putting your hand straight into the shark's
mouth.
As the world's most successful reptile, crocodiles are found almost everywhere that humans are
and attack an average of 2,500 people a year.
Having been around almost as long as sharks, crocodiles seem to have reached evolutionary
perfection all the way back during the age of the dinosaurs, when their distant cousins
were the size of school buses and regularly made a snack of even the mightiest dinosaur!
The best way to survive a crocodile attack is to never be attacked at all.
But if you find yourself in its clutches, you only have one hope: go for the eyes.
With the strongest bite in the world at a mind-blowing 5,000 pounds per square inch,
you would need a hydraulic jack to pry open its jaws, and with a scaly hide thick enough
to deflect lower caliber bullets, even a gun might not help.
Like a fully armored knight, the eyes offer the only weak spot in its armor, and a good
jab will often make a crocodile immediately let go of its prey.
Thanks to habitat loss, outdoor enthusiasts are finding themselves increasingly more often
face to face with aggressive bears.
As you’re not on the menu though, most of the time a bear will prefer to avoid you,
so your best bet to avoid an attack is to make lots of noise as you travel through the
forest, so as to let bears know of your presence.
If you do find yourself dealing with an aggressive bear, don't run or climb; as the old adage
goes: you'll only die tired.
Bears can run up to 35 mph (56 kph) and climb better than any human.
Instead, stay calm and slowly walk away, but if an attack does come immediately, roll up
into a ball with your stomach towards the earth and your hands protecting your neck.
Because bear attacks are not predatory behavior, the bear will only continue the attack as
long as it thinks you are a threat; So, despite your instincts, don't try to fight back.
Instead, continue playing dead and stay that way, even after the bear leaves; Grizzly bears
are known to loiter around an area for up to 20 minutes to ensure a threat is truly
neutralized.
It can be confusing to remember which animals you should try to scare off and which you
shouldn't, so your best bet to avoid a wild animal attack altogether is to stay at home
and subscribe to The Infographics Show for more great videos!
So, which wild animals are you afraid of the most and why?
Let us know in the comments!
Also, check out our other video, bear vs gorilla, who would win?
Thanks for watching and as always, don’t forget to like, share and subscribe.
See you next time!