Not every animal is made the same. Of course, you already know that, but just think of it - some of them are seemingly only there to make our eyes tear up from cuteness, others were made to scare us, and then there are some who’d be loved only by their mothers (talking to you, sea cucumbers, you certain part of human anatomy-shaped beasts). However, there’s also another category that certain animals fall into - tough. Yup, some of them are pretty ruthless when it comes to surviving in the great outdoors, and that’s precisely why they’ve found their way into our fancy little list dedicated to the toughest animals out there.
Now, our list opens with the one and only, the legendary honey badger, the absolute toughest animal in the world, and we’d prefer it to stay that way. And if it’s your first time hearing about this little rascal, just wait until you read the description under its photo (disclaimer - it eats bees as if they were potato chips). Then the list continues with some adorable animals which you’d probably never categorize as tough, like the emperor penguin, but just wait until you read about the conditions they live in. We wouldn’t wish them even on sea cucumbers! And if these two cool animals aren’t tough enough for you, just wait until you read about polar bears, Cape buffalos, and Tasmanian devils. By the way, the latter’s name is pretty self-explanatory in the scale of ruthlessness, we think.
So, ready to take a look at some of the scary animals that roam the face of the earth? Be warned that some of them just might look cute, but it would be a whole ‘nother story to meet them eye to eye! We would absolutely not recommend that. Anyway, scroll down below, check out the dangerous animals, rank them the way you like (except for honey badger, leave it where it is), and share this article with your friends!
#1 Siberian Tiger
Between 350 and 700 pounds, Siberian and Bengal tigers are around the same size, but the Siberian prevails because it lives in a harsher environment. These cats are skilled hunters, and to find prey, they will explore vast territories covering hundreds of miles through various terrain.
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#2 Hippopotamus
Hippos kill more people in Africa than any other animal, but not because they are inherently hostile or violent (though they can be both). Due to their size and preference for sitting submerged in rivers where people fish, bathe, and play. Hippos frequently cause trouble by accident, surfacing under boats, throwing people overboard, and inciting panic that can turn violent when a 3,000-pound animal with 20-inch teeth can move well in the water and run up to 20 miles per hour becomes startled.
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#3 Gorilla
The gorilla is highly sociable animal with prominent families, complex communication systems, and the capacity to create and use tools. They are not tough; instead, they are formidable. An adult silverback is at least six times and possibly as much as twenty times stronger than a person, according to scientific estimates.
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#4 Polar Bear
Polar bears are the biggest carnivorous bears in the world and the most prominent land carnivore overall. Instead, polar bears spend a large portion of the winter months on the Arctic pack ice, occasionally traveling tens of thousands of kilometers in a year in search of their preferred food, seals. Polar bears have been known to swim up to 100 miles through the icy Arctic seas in search of prey when hungry.
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#5 Saltwater Crocodile
A maximum length of a saltwater crocodile is 17 feet and a weight of 2,000 pounds. They also have the most substantial bite ever observed in a laboratory, with the ability to sever a cow's skull in a single chomp. Due to their size, aggression, and natural habitats in dense populations of people (such as India, China, Bangladesh, and Malaysia), saltwater crocodiles occasionally pursue humans as prey, but the actual number of deaths each year is still relatively low.
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#6 Jaguar
The jaguar is the most skilled predator in South and Central America. Jaguars are solitary creatures who hunt covertly, startling their prey before outrunning it with a remarkable combination of speed and strength. Jaguars can pull a 500-pound deer up into a tree while climbing and have the most substantial bite of any large cat. They are also outstanding swimmers.
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#7 Grizzly Bears
These massive animals weigh hundreds of pounds (at least one has been found to exceed 1,500 pounds) and have four-inch claws and terrifying jaws. Despite their massive size, they move at incredible speeds, reaching up to 30 miles per hour. These creatures are usually content to feed themselves on berries, roots, nuts, and leaves, but if you come across one, keep your distance.
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#8 Grey Wolf
It has a cold tolerance of -40 degrees and a top speed of more than 40 miles per hour. Its biting force can reach 1,500 pounds per square inch. Furthermore, if you come across a large group, you could be sure that you will not get bitten just once.
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#9 Mountain Goat
The best rock climber in the world. Their cloven hooves have a cushioned sole to grip snow, ice, and particularly rock faces, even those that seem impossible. Mountain goats can jump 12 feet, are used to high-altitude and low temperatures, and are more closely related to antelopes than goats. They also sport stylish beards.
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#10 Honey Badger
They eat everything (literally everything), they use tools, they're always on the lookout to make a fight, they have teeth strong enough to bite through metal locks, and their skin is as tough as buffalos (which is like a fifty times larger animal). So yup, the tiny little honey badger is not to be messed with, and they will fight lions and hyenas if need be. Tough little fellas!
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#11 African Elephant
The African elephant, which can reach heights of up to 13 feet at the shoulder and weighs around 14,000 pounds, is the largest living terrestrial animal. Elephants often treat their habitat terribly, tearing down trees and consuming more than 500 pounds of leaves and branches in a single day. Elephants can gallop at 15 mph and quickly flip a car or truck when angry or scared, making them the most hazardous animal living. Its trunk can raise 700 pounds by itself.
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#12 Lion
The Sub-Saharan African grassy savannahs are the lion's natural environment. Since they hunt in packs, lions are the undisputed apex predators of the continent. They ambush antelopes, zebras, warthogs, and pretty much everything else with four legs that isn't an elephant, rhino, or hippo, as well as cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas, which they will kill to eliminate competition. Fortunately, the majority of the prey that lions enjoy eating are lazy cats. They enjoy naps more than anything and can sleep for up to 20 hours every day.
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#13 Slow Loris
Because of its prominent eyes and long limbs, this nocturnal primate can resemble an adorable stuffed animal. If it lowers an elbow be cautious since these animals have toxin-producing glands in their upper arms that they lick to deliver poison into their mouths before attacking their prey.
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#14 Komodo Dragon
The world's largest lizard, which roams some of the Indonesian archipelago's islands and hunts anything it can capture and bite with its enormous, bacteria-filled jaws, is the closest thing we have to a dinosaur. Komodo dragons may grow up to 10 feet long and weigh 150 pounds, giving them full reign of these islands with no predators.
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#15 Spotted Hyenas
In an unexpected encounter with a person, these carnivores are likely to have the upper hand. They attack the face, neck, and spine, inflicting damage to soft tissue and internal organs. Their bite has a 1,000-pound-per-square-inch force.
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#16 Rhinoceros
Rhinos have massive horns that can gore any animal that makes the foolish decision to stage an attack, weigh at least 2,000 pounds and occasionally as much as 4,000 pounds, and have thick, almost armored skin. Adult rhinos don't have any natural predators, with the exception of hunters. Rhinos are among the most endangered creatures on earth due to the demand for their horns in Asia, with the African species disappearing incredibly quickly.
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#17 Weta
One of the largest insects in the world, this New Zealand pest resembles a dinosaur grasshopper. Wetas aren't highly violent, but they will bite and scrape with their sharp legs if they feel threatened. The fact that the weta looks like it belongs in a science fiction book, instead, is what makes it such a fearsome creature: The Mountain Stone Weta can be submerged in ice for several months before returning to normal as soon as it thaws. How? Because of a protein that prevents ice crystals from forming in its blood-like fluid.
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#18 Wolverine
While weighing only 20 to 50 pounds, they outweigh their size by preying on squirrels, beavers, bison, moose, and mature deer, killing creatures several times their own size.
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#19 Giant Anteater
Giant Anteater has those enormous claws which are capable of more than just disturbing insect nests. Researchers have discovered multiple instances in which the furry animal attacked people, killing one hunter in northwest Brazil (after he attempted to kill it with a knife) and slicing the femoral artery of a hunter in his seventy-fives in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso.
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#20 Tasmanian Devil
The creature that only exists on the Australian island of Tasmania, can legitimately claim to be the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world. A study found that the Tasmanian devil possesses the most substantial bite of any creature on the planet. The typical weight of a devil is around 20 pounds, yet they have a "Bite Force Quotient" of 181, which is roughly twice as strong as a hyena and about 60 points higher than a lion. It's sufficient to bite through metal traps and even break bones.
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