The 10 most dangerous animals...

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by Cr@ckSH0t

in the world...Top Ten Deadliest Animals - Associated Content

...and humans are one of the only species to kill strictly for pleasure.

You might not be so sure of that, if you'd ever seen a chicken coop after a bobcat got into it. They'll kill every chicken in there, and bat the corpses around for a while before taking one home for dinner, if they don't get interrupted.

I've also seen dogs kill a cat for the sheer fun of it, and even other dogs. I think most animals with a hunting instinct will chase down and kill something for fun, even if they aren't hungry; the hunting instinct seems to be separate from hunger and need. I suppose it would have to be, for successful hunting species.

[JohnBlaze]

you ever seen a cat with a mouse? Mine will catch them in the yard and play with them for a long time until they die, and then he just leaves them there.

[Cr@ckSH0t]

I didnt say the ONLY animal, just one of the only animals....plus humans are more nastier when they play with their....FOOD.....

[Father Time]

It would be interesting to see a list of all of the animals and how many people they kill in a year. It would probably change the list we have considerably.

[Coeloptera]

Originally Posted by troy2000

I've also seen dogs kill a cat for the sheer fun of it, and even other dogs. I think most animals with a hunting instinct will chase down and kill something for fun, even if they aren't hungry; the hunting instinct seems to be separate from hunger and need. I suppose it would have to be, for successful hunting species.

Actually, that very much is the case. The set of behaviors for predation don't have as strong a connection to eating as many people think in some animals.

Notice this only tends to happen in very intelligent mammals, especially domesticated ones. Snakes don't kill for fun, raptorial birds don't, sharks, insects...none of them kill for what we'd perceive as "no reason".

Take a look at a housecat. A well-fed cat will still hunt and kill. But watch them when they're done. They don't quite know what to do with their prey once it's dead, since they're not hungry. But the instinct to hunt is still there.

As hunting behaviors become more complex, they become more divorced from the trigger of simple hunger. A dragonfly perceives hunger. It takes to the air and patrols for moving targets. It locates, attacks, then lands and feeds. Once it is no longer hungry, the activity ceases. A dragonfly will not engage in hunting behaviors if it's not hungry. It's all very mechanistic.

Back to the cat. A moving, apparently living object below a certain size will trigger hunting behaviors, whether the animal is hungry or not. The neurochemical "rewards" for indulging this behavior are different than those for just eating. Anyone who's been hunting knows exactly what I'm talking about. Ever see how "proud" they look when they kill something and bring it to you? While their reaction isn't as complex as ours, it is a similar sort of emotion caused by the completion of those behaviors.

So the complexity of the animal's brain matters when you think about killing "for fun". The animal has to be complex enough to be able to manifest play type behaviors. There aren't a lot of those, generally speaking. Mostly it's mammals and a few of the more intelligent birds like parrots and corvids.

- Coeloptera

[lorcin25]

What I wanna know is "How does ANYONE live in Australia?" Whenever the Discovery Channel or anyone else does a 10 Deadliest Whatever list, 9 out of 10 of them are in Australia!

You gotta be crazy to live there.

[billy]

10 Deadliest Animals In United States


Average annual deaths caused by animals, 1992-1997

Horses 219
Deer 130*
Cattle 28.4
Dogs 16 *
Insects 8.4
Birds 5.2
Elephants 1.0
Tigers 0.6
Hogs 0.6
Pythons 0.5

Deer Among 10 Deadliest Animals In United States
Deer pose more danger to people than almost any other animal in the United States
Annually, about 130 people die each year in accidental encounters with deer, usually as the result of traffic accidents
Only horses have a role in more human deaths annually, according to researchers

[TexasT]

More people encounter horses and deer than pythons. If I fell off a horse I'd have a really good chance of living, but if I got bitten by a snake or spit at by a poisonous tree frog I'd probably die on the spot.

[tlarkin]

Billy,

Do you think the horses are after us for making them beasts of burden? Perhaps they are always plotting to accidentally kill us. Hmm, I think I won't be riding horses anymore.

[billy]

Originally Posted by tlarkin

Billy,

Do you think the horses are after us for making them beasts of burden? Perhaps they are always plotting to accidentally kill us. Hmm, I think I won't be riding horses anymore.

that explains why they are always trying to rub me off on trees and stuff.
KILLERS I TELL YA!

[CalifgirlinOk]

Originally Posted by Capt'n Mil Coll

No way. The Worlds Most Dangerous animal is The Overweight Middle Aged White Women who are trying to finish their sales shopping so they can rush home and sit on the couch and watch American Idol and yell at the TV.

If you dont stay out of their way they will trample you into a roadkill flatter than a pancake made by an Albino midget with scoliosis and parkinsons. ($8764.00 on how much is your corpse worth).

Never get in the way of a woman on a shopping spree.And by the way I could spend that $8764.00 in no time!!!

[Marine1]

What about a sincere monkey with a gun?

[Cr@ckSH0t]

I love starting threads like this, i get to see so many interesting viewpoints and different experiences.

[billy]

Originally Posted by Cr@ckSH0t

I love starting threads like this, i get to see so many interesting viewpoints and different experiences.

the scary part?
every single bit of it is the gospel truth!

[Sooner Shooter]

I'm pretty sure it's the manatee. I looked it up!

[CalifgirlinOk]

Originally Posted by Sooner Shooter

I'm pretty sure it's the manatee. I looked it up!

I hate to tell you this but I looked it up also and your wrong.I'm pretty sure that it's kittens...

[Mike Franklin]

You guys must live sheltered lives. The most dangerous animal, scared the snot out of me, is those d*mned flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz!

[TXplt]

That rabbit.....he's a killer he is !

[billy]

[SwedeSteve]

I think it's Bullwinkle in a bend of the highway, and lust in his eyes for your van, LOL !!