Over time, some animals like black widows, sharks, and stingrays developed a notorious reputation of being dangerous and deadly for humans. However, the truth is that most of these species are peaceful unless provoked or attacked and contribute to a surprisingly low number of human fatalities.
In an attempt to address some of these common misconceptions, we decided to compile a list of 10 animals that are a lot less dangerous than you think. So, let’s get started.
Vampire Bat
Vampire bats are believed to be dangerous for humans because they feed by sucking blood and are known to carry rabies. However, they rarely consider humans as a food source and usually attack cattle and similar animals. Also, less than one percent of vampire bats actually has rabies.
Alligators
People often mistake alligators and crocodiles due to their similar appearance, but actually, these two reptiles are a lot different in terms of behavior. Crocodiles are not picky about their pray and are more likely to attack humans.
Alligators, on the other hand, are timid towards humans and don’t see them as a pray, as they hunt smaller animals. Upon an encounter with a human, they usually tend to run away.
Black Widows
Black widows are believed to be one of the most poisonous animals in existence, but they are in fact not a real threat for humans. Even when provoked, this spider is unlikely to bite. Also, in case a person gets bitten by a black widow, the bites can be easily treated and are not fatal.
Stingrays
Ever since zookeeper and TV personality Steve Irwin died after a stingray attack, these sea creatures are believed to be extremely dangerous for humans. The truth is, however, that stingrays are not aggressive at all and that they will choose to run away if they feel threatened. They usually account for one or two deaths per year, with most of them being accidents.
Sharks
Movies like Jaws and Deep Blue Sea contributed to the fact that humans perceive sharks as lethal creatures that often attack swimmers. This, however, isn’t the case, as only 12 out of 500 shark species are a threat to humans. Also, shark attacks are responsible for six deaths on average every year, which means that you are a lot more likely to die from a cow attack.
Coral Snakes
Coral snakes are considered to be among the most poisonous snakes in the world, so they must be quite dangerous, right? Well, surprisingly, they are not. These snakes spend most of their time buried beneath the ground and come out on the surface only when it’s time to mate.
Their poison, while deadly, takes several hours to take full effect. Also, official records say that the last coral snakes-related death in the United States happened back in the 1960s.
