Sharks, lions and spiders get all the rep. But you should be afraid of these ‘cuddly’ creatures too.
Swan.
For all the lofty associations - ballet, literature, the Queen - the swan is actually one of the most volatile and dangerous birds about.
As recently as 2012, a man was kayaking along a pond in Chicago when one knocked him out of his boat and then prevented him from swimming to safety. That man drowned. Although 'death by swan' is an extremely rare way to go, low level attacks are common, such as the case of notorious Cambridge swan "Mr. Asbo" whose attacks against rowers along the River Cam became so frequent, he had to be removed.
Terror scale: 4/10
Getty
Via: youtube.com
Hippopotamus.
In Britain, hippos are used in children's story books, chocolate cereal adverts and as the harbinger of prizes in darts-themed 1980s game shows.
In sub-Saharan Africa their reputation is slightly different. These 'river horses' kill more people per year than any other mammal, either by stomping them into the ground with their 2-ton bulk or mauling them to death with their milk bottle-sized teeth.
Terror scale: 5.5/10
Via: Getty
Platypus.
The evolutionary equivalent of throwing all the leftovers in your fridge together and hoping it works out, the platypus is a creature so fundamentally ridiculous-looking they called it a platypus.
But whatever you do, don't laugh in this semiaquatic Aussie mammal's face: they have spurs on their legs, and the males pack a venom so potent it will leave you writhing on the floor in a state of muscle-spasmed agony.
Terror Scale: 6/10
Via: images.nationalgeographic.com
Slow loris.
Despite a face so innocent it makes Bambi look like a washed up old cynic, South Asian primate the slow loris is actually one of the only poisonous mammals in the world - and therefore one of the most dangerous.
Stashing its venom in its elbows, the usually placid loris is capable of getting annoyed, mixing the toxin with its saliva and then administering it to you via its teeth - a combination that can cause death by anaphylactic shock.
Terror scale: 6.5/10
Via: upload.wikimedia.org
