Habitat: The jungles of India, Bangladesh, and Burma
It is not the young Bengal Tiger humans need to worry about, it is the older ones. As the tigers age, their ability to hunt animal prey is limited so they become “maneaters”. To show how brutal the bite of one of these animals is, look no further than Las Vegas illusionist Roy Horn who was mauled by a White Bengal Tiger in 2003. The attack wasn’t even severe because, according to Siegfried and Roy, the animal was just “protecting” him. Well, that kind of protection has left Roy with complications more than seven years later.
2. Electric Eel
Habitat: South America
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the 600 volts the Eel discharges that will kill you(though it will certainly shock you), it’s the respiratory and cardiac problems that ensue. Because you are likely to be in the water when this occurs, drowning because of paralysis is an extreme likelihood. Below you can clearly see a large crocodile convulsing from the shock of the eel. A truly impressive defense mechanism.
3. Red-Bellied piranha
Habitat: Amazon River Basin
Oddly, it was President Teddy Roosevelt who introduced the modern world to flesh-eating piranhas. On a trip to Brazil, local fishermen blocked off the area for days starving the piranhas. When Roosevelt arrived, the fisherman threw a sliced-up cow into the water, and the piranhas left only the carcass minutes later. While that situation was obviously trumped up by the fishermen, the red-bellied piranha is not to be dealt with lightly. A school of hungry piranhas can devour a 180lb man’s flesh in less than five minutes.
4. Nile Crocodile
Habitat: Central and Southern Africa
Its sheer size of nearly six meters and weighing close to a ton can put the fear of God in any sane person. Although they are not “man-hunters” per se, their close proximity to human populations causes frequent problems. If you happen to stray too close to a river bank, the Nile croc is quick enough to snatch you with its 64 teeth, whip you with its tail, and drag you underneath the water within a matter of a few seconds. Estimates vary but the Nile crocodile is responsible for 600-1000 deaths each year in Africa. More than all other crocodiles in the world combined.
5. Malaria
Habitat: Any region in the tropics
250 Million people will get malaria this year and more than one million will die. It’s the most common fear amongst travelers to the tropics. And while most will take preventative medicine, there are a number of people who simply don’t have the resources or sadly, can’t afford it. After getting bit by an infected mosquito, a person will endure nasty flu-like symptoms. Fever, shivering, joint pain, blurry vision and convulsions. More severe symptoms include an enlarged spleen, renal failure, brain hemorrhage, coma and death.
6. The Candiru/Vampire Fish
Habitat: The Amazon Basin
Let this serve as a lesson to those of you who think peeing in the water is harmless. Though the Candiru normally attaches itself to Catfish, it has once been a human parasite…and it entered the man through his urethra while he was urinating in the Amazon. There has never been a recorded death but after watching this video, trust me, a death would be welcomed.
7. The Human Botfly
Habitat: Mexico and Central America
If you thought that mosquito bite you got in Costa Rica last month was harmless, think again. The Human Bot Fly is one of the nastiest parasites you can come across in the jungle. After capturing a mosquito and laying its eggs on it, the mosquito will then bite you allowing the eggs a warm place to hatch and to burrow underneath your skin. They begin to feed on muscle tissue and they have tiny hooks that make them cumbersome to remove. Without surgery for removal, the botfly can cause massive complications including widespread infections and in rare cases, death.
8. Bushmaster Snake
Habitat: Heavily forested areas of Central and South America
The Bushmaster Snake is regarded as the largest pit viper in the world, and certainly the most dangerous snake you can find in heavily forested areas. While its venom is not as potent as say, a Black Mamba, the size of its fangs make it capable of delivering 10 times the amount of any other snake. After the Bushmaster sinks its teeth into you, your circulatory system begins to fail, your organs began to shut down, and the surrounding tissue becomes damaged beyond repair. The Bushmaster leaves you there immobilized until it decides its feeding time
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