MOST AGGRESSIVE ANIMALS

Aggression in Animal Species

In animals, aggressive behavior can be attributed to several provocative factors, and offensive reaction to intruders, maternal instincts of protection and sexual competition are just few of these provocative factors. Sometimes you get to see two members of a particular species take on each other (combativeness), and sometimes you get to see one species take on another (predation). Irrespective of which of the two cases you refer to, any physical behavior by the species involved which is intended to cause pain or harm to the other qualifies as aggression. One of the best examples of combative aggression in animals is wherein two bighorn sheep rams take on each other during the mating season. On the other hand, one of the best examples of predatory aggression is a cheetah hunting an antelope for food.

Top 10 Most Aggressive Animals in the World

So how do you determine which are the most dangerous or aggressive animals in the world? There being no specific measure to determine how aggressive an animal is, determining which animal is the most aggressive becomes a bit difficult. Many people believe that the number of fatalities attributed to a particular species is an apt attribute of its aggressive behavior - which is not necessarily so. While the great white shark is an aggressive fish, it will not be responsible for the number of human deaths as people don't come in direct contact with it. Now that is one important fact which you need to take into consideration when you try to compile a list of the most dangerous animals on the planet. Given below is a list of top ten most aggressive animal species on the planet.

Rank     Animal     Description
10     African Elephant     Even though elephants are considered to be quite friendly in nature, their aggressive behavior is something that you need to watch out for, especially the male elephants - who are quite aggressive during the mating season. With their strong tusks and long trunk, the African elephants kill as many as 300 - 500 people every single year.
9     Box Jellyfish     The Box jelly fish is notorious for the 15 odd tentacles that it sports - each of which has enough venom to kill 50 adult humans. That explains a significant amount of human deaths attributed to this marine creature.
8     Rhinoceros     A contender for the most aggressive animal in Africa, the rhino is widely known for its unpredictable behavior. Even though it seems to be a lazy animal, it can clock up speeds of 30mph when charging at the intruder.
7     Hippopotamus     Even though a hippopotamus looks quite lazy, it is known as one of the most aggressive animals on the planet - especially when it comes to protection of its young ones. More importantly it is quite fearless in nature, and won't hesitate to take on anyone that comes in its way.
6     Cape Buffalo     Weighing 1.5 tonnes, the Cape buffalo is feared by lions and humans alike. It is one of those animals which doesn't like to see intruders in its territory and if it sights you it will seldom think twice before charging at you. The number of humans killed by Cape buffalo has a major chunk in the total number of animal attack deaths in Africa.
5     Polar Bear     You may not hear many cases of polar bear attacks on humans, but that is not because they are docile but because their habitat is far-off from human inhabited regions. In the true sense, these bears are quite aggressive in nature and that explains why they are found at the top level of the Tundra food chain.
4     Great White Shark     No other marine species can match the great white shark when it comes to ferociousness. Even though they don't come in direct contact with humans, the great white shark - with its huge jaw and sharp teeth, is considered to be one of the most aggressive animals you will ever come across.
3     Saltwater Crocodile     The saltwater crocodile is not just threatening for humans, but for several other animals with which it shares its habitat in the wild. With its enormous strength, this crocodile can take on an animal as large as the water buffalo with great ease.
2     Western Diamondback Rattlesnake     If you happen to stay in Mexico or USA, you don't need an introduction to the rattlesnake or its aggression. It is responsible for a major chunk of snakebite deaths in these two nations every year.
1     Black Mamba     Other than its amazing speed, a black mamba is also known for the copious amount of venom that it injects in its prey. Both the qualities make it the most aggressive snake, and put it at the numero uno position in our list of aggressive animals.