1. Mosquito
With all these strong, sharp-toothed animals in the list it’s amazing that the deadliest creature award should go to something that’s tiny enough to squash in your hand. But the mosquito carries deadly diseases with it, such as malaria and so is the most dangerous animal in the rainforest. If it bites you, it can pass the disease directly into your bloodstream and, if you’re not vaccinated, it can kill you pretty quickly.
What’s worse is they’re becoming cleverer. A repellent called Deet, which is widely used by tourists to ward them off, is no longer as repellent as it used to be, thanks to the mosquito evolving a resistance to it. So, on your next trip to the Amazon, avoid the jaguars, don’t swim too close to the caiman and most importantly pack your mosquito net!
2. Jaguar
You’ve got to love an unfussy eater. And the jaguar is certainly unfussy – its diet consists of 87 different animals, from deer to mice and it’s safe to say it’s opportunistic in its hunting habits. It would definitely try and kill any human that wandered across its path.
It’s a rare type of feline in that, along with the tiger, it enjoys swimming. So don’t think that jumping on the nearest boat and rowing away will help – it’ll just follow. They like to live in the rainforest and are the biggest cats in the Western Hemisphere (in the world, only lions and tigers are bigger). So, they’re big, merciless and utterly carnivorous. Yet, they look so beautiful and it’s tragic that they are nearing threatened status because of the destruction of their habitats. Efforts should be made to save the rainforest jaguar from extinction, even if they would never choose to spare your life.
3. South American Rattlesnake
The Amazon is teeming with all kinds of snakes, but the rattlesnake is one of the deadliest to humans. Rattlesnakes are said to be responsible for 9% of all serious snakebites in Latin America and the look of the bites varies according to the species of snake, which has led to at least one death after Southern-Brazilian doctors failed to recognize a Northern-Brazilian snakebite (cited in Mark O’Shea’s book ”Venomous Snakes of the World“). They live in the savannah regions of the Amazon, as well as other parts of South America. One native that’s probably best avoided…
4. Brazilian Wandering Spider
This creature has the distinction of being the world’s most venomous spider (in the Guinness Book of Records) but the edge is taken off its scariness slightly but the fact that there’s an effective antivenom available to counteract the very, very toxic venom. So as long as it bites you near the antivenom, you’re fine! In fact, one study suggested that in a third of all bites, it doesn’t even deposit the venom and in another third, it only deposits a small amount. Practically a teddy bear, then!
Although it’d be hard to explain that to the British grocery clerk who found one in a box of bananas in Gravesend in 2008. The store was closed until animal officers arrived to take the spider away and humanely put it down. It was deemed “too dangerous” to go near photographers. Poor thing clearly wandered that bit too far!
5. Poison Dart Frog
One of the most distinctly “Amazon”-looking creatures, and one of the deadliest. Their bright colors are specifically designed to ward off predators and look unappetizing. The name “poison dart frog” comes from the use of their poison on blowdarts by humans, although only a small proportion of frogs are used for that purpose.
The frogs are tiny but deadly. One type – the golden poison dart frog – is only 2in long, but contains enough poison to kill 10 men. Attempts are being made to synthesize the poison for medicinal uses, but so far it’s not available commercially. One day, we might just see poison dart frog venom painkillers on the shelves though!
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