72 Dangerous Animals Africa (My Version)

Inspired by one of my favourite shows (72 Dangerous Animals series) and also @OstrichMania 's post, I decided to write my own 72 Dangerous Animals list. Looking at the series, I was very surprised to see there is no 72 Dangerous Animals for Africa, despite the notoriety of the dangerous faunas living there. So I decided to make one myself, but it's honestly not very easy to list 72 dangerous animals. I can easily do 20, 30, or even 40, but 72 is a tall order. So some of these animals may look like scraping the bottom of the barrel, so my apologies for that. But anyway, here's the look of all 72 of the participants I managed to find.

1. African Crested Porcupine
2. African Elephant
3. African Rhinoceros
4. African Rock Python
5. African TIgerfish
6. African Wild Dog
7. Army Ant
8. Baboon
9. Banded Mongoose
10. Black-backed Jackal
11. Black Mamba
12. Black-necked Spitting Cobra
13. Blue Shark
14. Boomslang
15. Bull Shark
16. Button Spider
17. Camel
18. Cape Buffalo
19. Cape Cobra
20. Cape Coral Snake
21. Caracal
22. Cheetah
23. Chimpanzee
24. Congo Floor Maggot
25. Deathstalker Scorpion
26. Desert Crocodile
27. Driver Ant
28. East African Honey Bee
29. Egyptian Cobra
30. Emperor Scorpion
31. European Wasp
32. Forest Buffalo
33. Forest Cobra
34. Freshwater Snail
35. Gaboon Viper
36. Giraffe
37. Goliath Frog
38. Goliath Tigerfish
39. Gorilla
40. Great White Shark
41. Green Mamba
42. Hippopotamus
43. Honey Badger
44. Lappet-faced Vulture
45. Leopard
46. Lion
47. Lionfish
48. Marabou Stork
49. Migratory Locust
50. Mosquito
51. Mozambique Spitting Cobra
52. Needlefish
53. Nile Crocodile
54. Nile Monitor
55. Ostrich
56. Puff Adder
57. Pygmy Hippopotamus
58. Red Spitting Cobra
59. Rinkhal
60. Secretary Bird
61. Six-eyed Sand Spider
62. Slender Snouted Crocodile
63. Spotted Hyena
64. Tiger Shark
65. Tse-tse Fly
66. Violin Spider
67. Vundu Catfish
68. Warthog
69. Weeverfish
70. West African Carpet Viper
71. Wildebeest
72. Zebra

Like the series, I will post an episode every day to reveal a group of six randomized animals and how I'd rank them (feel free to give an opinion about it). In the end, I will also reveal the final 20 of the top list.

 

Good, looking forward to participating!

 

For the first group of animals, I present:

1. Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta)


This predator is very well known to be a fearsome animal due to various of reasons. That includes the aggressiveness, the sheer power of its bite and the pack hunting behavior makes it able to take down a prey as large as a buffalo. Attacks on humans are also documented, although rather rare, it's often can be fatal due to how easy it is to overpower one and break their bones.

2. Mozambique Spitting Cobra (Naja mossambica)


This snake is incredibly defensive and dangerous. It can spit its venom within a blink of an eye. Speaking of eyes, if the venom gets into your eyes, it will certainly blind you if you didn't get treatment. The bite of these snake are also dangerous, as it results in rapid tissue lost causing you to lose a finger, an arm, or even a leg. This snake are also often gets into human populated areas, causing the encounter with this snake incredibly dangerous and sometimes fatal.

3. Lappet-faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotos)


Known to be one of the most famous scavengers on the planet, this bird is certainly ugly, from the appearance to the behavior. This vulture is known to be the most aggressive of all the vultures, and even known to feed on small live prey. Although this bird prefers not to attack humans, it's definitely best not to mess around it.

4. European Wasp (Vespula germanica)



Despite the name, this wasp is actually native to northern parts of Africa, but also have been introduced to the southern parts of Africa. Like any other wasps, they are aggressive to anyone who disturbs their nests, and can sting multiple times, causing swelling, and if you are allergic, it can also be fatal.

5. Weeverfish (Echiichthys vipera (lesser weever))


This small fish may not seem threatening at first glance, but don't be mistaken. Those spines on the back of the fish can penetrate even leather boots. And the result of the sting is incredibly painful. It can cause swelling, infection, and even death due to complications on the venom. And the fact that it is small and easily camouflaged among the sandy and murky waters of the beach can easily cause accidental stings to humans.

6. Green Mamba (Dendroaspis angusticeps (eastern green mamba), Dendroaspis viridis (western green mamba))



This snake is easily one of the most venomous among the arboreal snakes in Africa. They are generally shy and prefer not to contact with humans, but the bites are often fatal. The symptoms includes pain, swelling on the bite area, dizziness, nausea, difficulty of swallowing and breathing, irregular heartbeats, convulsions, and if untreated, death.

Here's how I ranked them:

1. Mozambique Spitting Cobra
2. Spotted Hyena
3. Green Mamba
4. Weeverfish
5. European Wasp
6. Lappet-faced Vulture

Reasoning: I put Mozambique Spitting Cobra on top due to not only it is incredibly dangerous, but also frequently interacts with humans due to how easily they get into human populations. Spotted Hyenas are just below them due to lesser human interactivity, but still very, very aggressive and dangerous. Green Mamba placed on third because of despite the deadliness of the venom, it prefers not to interact with humans too much and prefers to stay on trees. Weeverfish is at 4th because of the severeness of the venom, though clearly not interested at interacting with humans. European Wasp is on 5th due to their venom aren't as severe as the previously mentioned creatures, but still aggressive nonetheless. And finally, Lappet-faced Vulture placed in the very last place due to generally not aggressive to humans at all despite the notoriety,

And for current top ten position:
1. Mozambique Spitting Cobra
2. Spotted Hyena
3. Green Mamba
4. Weeverfish
5. European Wasp
6. Lappet-faced Vulture
7. -
8. -
9. -
10. -

This is just the first episode so the top 10 list still looks like this. But stay tuned for the next episode of 72 Dangerous Animals: Africa!

 

Welcome back to the second episode 72 Dangerous Animals: Africa, and for today, here's our second group of animals for today:

1. Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)


This fearsome predator of the Nile River has every reason to be feared. The powerful jaw of this crocodile and their signature death roll can easily take down a prey larger than their size. It can easily disguised itself underwater and can wait for hours, days, and even weeks to perfectly ambush their prey. And unfortunately, humans are also often a victim to these crocs due to close proximity to human population living near the rivers of Africa, which resulted in estimated 500 deaths per year.

2. Lionfish (Pterois mombasae (african lionfish))


This fish is well known for the beautiful coloring and also the venomous spines on its back. The sting, while rarely fatal, can cause extreme pain, dizziness, nausea, and breathing difficulty. Which makes this fish feared by animals and humans alike. But most of the time, this fish is passive to humans and only attack if they are provoked.

3. Rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus)


This spitting cobra is rather rare compared to its cousins, but still a one to watch. Like other spitting cobras, Rinkhals can spit its venom accurately, and will certainly cause blindness if untreated. Although this snake prefers to escape rather than attack, it will defend itself if cornered.

4. Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas)


This apex predator of the sea is among three sharks that are considered to be the deadliest to humans. This shark can tolerate freshwater, which means it can swim up to the rivers and canals. The way this shark hunts is also unique, by using bump and bite technique, this shark use it to detect prey and bite it. And this shark prefers shallow waters, so interactions with humans are rather frequent and sometimes fatal.

5. Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus (common warthog))


This pig is smaller than their cousin Wild Boars, but they can be as stubborn as them. This pig is armed with a set of tusks used for digging and also fighting. One slash from the razor sharp tusks can seriously injure any predator that dares to attack them, and there are also records of them attacking humans as well. Although it's rather rare and they prefer to stay away if they can.

6. Cape Coral Snake (Aspidelaps lubricus)


This venomous snake is nocturnal, which means it's primarily active at night. This makes their interaction with humans rather infrequent, so bites from these guys are rather rare. However, because they are so rare, there is no known antivenom if you get bitten by this snake. The bite can cause vomiting, repiratory failure, and even death.

Here's how I ranked them:

1. Nile Crocodile
2. Bull Shark
3. Rinkhal
4. Cape Coral Snake
5. Lionfish
6. Warthog

Reasoning: It's obvious as to why Nile Crocodile sits on the very first place. The sheer power, aggressiveness, and overall an apex predator that should be feared and respected by us. The Bull Shark comes in close second due to being slightly less dangerous to humans than crocs, but still a fearsome predator of the sea. The Rinkhals is on third place due to being dangerous even though encounters are rarer, while Cape Coral Snake is on fourth due to being even more rarer than Rinkhals. Lionfish is on 5th place due to despite its notoriety, its rather passive and the sting usually isn't fatal, although still dangerous. Warthogs sits on last place due to they are not very well known to be really aggressive towards humans, although shouldn't really be messed with.

Top 10:
1. Nile Crocodile
2. Bull Shark
3. Mozambique Spitting Cobra
4. Spotted Hyena
5. Green Mamba
6. Rinkhal
7. Cape Coral Snake
8. Weeverfish
9. Lionfish
10. European Wasp

As you can see, both Nile Crocodile and Bull Shark has taken the first and second spot respectively, pushing all of the others down two spots. Rinkhal and Cape Coral Snake also pushes Weeverfish, European Wasp, and Lappet-faced Vulture even more spots, before Lionfish gets in and overthrows Lappet-faced Vulture out of the list. But what would be the next contender? Stay tuned for the next episode of 72 Dangerous Animals: Africa!

 

Is there another episode im just not seeing?

 

Nothing ‘dangerous’ about Lappet-faced (or any) Vulture or Secretary Bird.

 

I suspect they were either running out of animals or they were trying to mirror the show to an advanced degree, i.e. including species that one may think is dangerous to humans (e.g. vultures, given their sharp talons and intimidating appearance) but actually isn't.

 

Hi, I just created my account right now. I'm a big fan of the 72 dangerous animals shows. Well, I haven't seen the Australia one, because it was removed from Netflix. Also, I don't see another episode in this forum for 72 dangerous animals Africa. Where is it.

 

I think there are some animals that would fit better than some of the shown on that list:

• African crowned eagle
• Baboon spider
• Chigoe flea
• Cone snail
• Electric catfish
• Fat-tailed scorpion
• Mandrill
• Oceanic whitetip shark
• Sea turtle
• Stingray

Those are some of my suggestions.

 

Your average rabbit would be ‘dangerous’ by one of those criteria

 

To be fair, it's pretty hard to come up with 72 dangerous animals. If it was like 40 or 50 dangerous animals, then you have a fair point.

 

You end up with animals that are only dangerous if you fall over them, or accidentally swallow one

 

Yes, and if you saw the show some of the animals are...questionable, to say the least.

 

They tried their best. 72 is a big number, and you have to give props to them for coming up with a big list.

 

Okay guys, I'm sorry that I have COMPLETELY forgotten about this thread, and I think I'm gonna complete it this month. I've been quite tired as well that I kinda lost interest in this, and I haven't been in ZooChat for quite a long time, and I happen to forgot this thread exist. But I'm back now, so without a further to do, let's begin.

 

Note: I have a full list of dangerous 72 African Animals, and I've also randomized them into 12 groups so the positions can very much varies. There are also some of the animals that aren't exactly dangerous, but people can perceive them to be dangerous sometimes.

 

Welcome back to yet another episode of 72 Dangerous Animals Africa and here's a look of our third group of animals:

1. Black-backed Jackal (Lupulella mesomelas)


A cunning predator in Africa, Black-Backed Jackals is known to be widespread across Africa and is seen as a common lifestock predator. The slender body and the jaws of it makes it a perfect predator for small animals and livestocks. Jackals tends to avoid human population, however, due to constant livestock predation, and sometimes a disease vector for diseases like Rabies, humans constantly hunt them, albeit with not much succession due to rapid breeding rate.

2. African Crested Porcupine (Hystrix cristata)


As you can see, this rodent is covered with long giant quills that runs along its back. Although African Crested Porcupine is a passive and nocturnal animal, which means human conflicts are very rare, the quills along the back are obviously nothing to be messed with, as it is known to have killed hyenas, leopards, lions, and even humans in some cases.

3. Black-necked Spitting Cobra (Naja nigricollis)


This snake, like every other spitting cobras on this list, is capable of spitting venoms that if unwashed, will cause permanent blindness and irritation to the eyes. The bite of Black-necked Spitting Cobra can also cause a lot of hemorrhaging and tissue necrosis, albeit the mortality rate caused by this snake is extremely rare (within 5-10%), and the habitat it covers prefers to stay away from human populations.

4. Secretary Bird (Sagittarius serpentarius)


This bird is very much well known with its beautiful crown-like feathers, but also armed with sharp talons and beak, which made them predatorial towards small animals. Secretary Bird is also well known to hunt venomous snakes like cobras and adders, which added infamy to this bird. However, human conflicts are very much rare, and fatalities from this bird are either none or unheard of.

5. Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)


Second to only Great White Shark for the most recorded known human fatalities, the jaws of the Tiger Shark is fit for an apex predator like them. It's not very picky in terms of determining what kind of food it would snack on, as it would eat anything from crustaceans, fishes, sea turtles, smaller sharks, and even inedible human garbages, which earned them a reputation of the garbage can of the sea. Even though most of the human-related attacks are related to curiosity/mistaken for a prey, it is still very much deadly due to the strong jaws and aggresion and is a predator to be feared by many.

6. Deathstalker Scorpion (Leiurus quinquestriatus)


The name of this scorpion is very much intimidating to many. But the venom of Deathstalkers, while very painful, won't usually kill normal human adults. However, it can still be deadly for children, elderly, and sickly that is unfortunate enough to be stung by this scorpion, especially to those who are allergic to stings.


Here's the full rank of the third group:
1. Tiger Shark
2. Black-necked Spitting Cobra
3. Deathstalker Scorpion
4. African Crested Porcupine
5. Black-backed Jackal
6. Secretary Bird

Reasoning: It's very much obvious that Tiger Shark would win the top of the list due to the fact that its aggresion is unmatched and many humans have unfortunately suffered from the jaws of it. Black-necked Spitting Cobra comes second, because it is clearly not as deadly as Tiger Shark but is very much dangerous. While Deathstalkers comes in third because human adult fatalities are very much rare while still is a dangerous predator. African Crested Porcupine comes fourth due to not preferring to fight with humans, but is still very defensive when it wanted to. Black-backed Jackal comes in fifth due to the fact that they prefer not to have conflict with humans, and lastly Secretary Bird comes in sixth due to the fact that while it is armed with sharp beak and talons, human conflicts are very much unheard of.

Top 10:
1. Nile Crocodile
2. Bull Shark
3. Tiger Shark
4. Mozambique Spitting Cobra
5. Spotted Hyena
6. Green Mamba
7. Rinkhal
8. Black-necked Spitting Cobra
9. Deathstalker Scorpion
10. Cape Coral Snake

Tiger Shark climbs into the number three spot of the list, pushing everybody besides Nile Crocodile and Bull Shark down a spot, while Black-necked Spitting Cobra and Deathstalker Scorpion climbs into 8th and 9th spot respectively, throwing out Weeverfish, Lionfish, and European Wasp off the list. But who will be the next contender that will most likely overthrow these animals off the list? Stay tuned and find out on the next episode of 72 Dangerous Animals: Africa!

 

Nice list. I'm currently working on a 72 dangerous animals Africa, but I'm going to make it as a show on youtube just like the show on netflix.

 

Very nice list as well, although I've been searching for days to find potentially dangerous African Animals and I do had to scrape the bottom of the barrel because 72 animals is quite a tall order. And my list is fixed, so I may not be adding any of those to the list.

 

A lot of the animals listed here are only dangerous if you fall over them, or accidentally swallow one.