
The world is filled with adorable animals of all shapes, sizes, and colors. While some are utterly harmless, many of these critters have self-protective qualities that can be harmful to humans. Even domesticated animals, like our beloved dogs, can carry diseases or display aggressive behaviors when a well-intentioned human gets a little too close.
#1 Slow Loris

Look at those big, wide eyes! These slow-moving creatures hang out in the high branches of forests in Asia. They snack on insects, berries, and the occasional bird.
Aw, he’s pretty cute, right?
Wrong.
Lorises are basically cuddly cobras. They have toxic glands on their elbows, which they lick to make their bites poisonous. They also make themselves taste terrible to predators by grooming themselves with their toxin-laced tongues, thus making their fur poisonous. The Loris’ bite is poisonous and can lead to anaphylactic shock and death for unsuspecting victims.
#2 Pandas

With their wide eyes and beautiful markings, giant pandas look like big stuffed animals. But don’t let their appearance fool you. Underneath all that fluff are massive teeth and a chewing muscle designed to tear through tough bamboo shoots, which is the panda’s only source of food. This diet gives panda bears one of the highest bite forces of any carnivore, and they’re not afraid to use it.
Even in captivity, these seemingly harmless teddy bears have been known to attack and maim people who’ve gotten too close.
#3 Moose

These “giant deer” look harmless, and generally speaking they avoid humans and behave non-aggressively. However, they’re also massive, and they can quickly become territorial if a human tries to get too close.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, moose account for about 52 deaths every year, and that’s not even counting motor vehicle collisions.
#4 Giant Anteaters

Anteaters come to mind as slow-moving, kind of cute creatures who are harmless to everyone and everything—except ants. Think again.
Anteaters, which can get up to 7 feet long, are common in the fields of South and Central America. They have long, razor-sharp claws that they may use to cut into termite mounds and, if necessary, human flesh.
Anteater attacks that result in fatalities have been reported on numerous occasions when people approach too close to them.
#5 Mice

The typical home mouse resembles a character from a Disney film with its large, black eyes and small, fuzzy ears. Yet these bugs cause many diseases and fatalities every year.
Fun fact: After humans, mice are the second most common animal on the planet. These adorable little creatures also spread diseases like it’s their job, including leptospirosis, hantavirus, salmonella, rat-bite fever, Lyme disease, typhus, and plague.
#6 Beavers

“Unusual Sized Rodents? They don’t truly exist, in my opinion.” Princess Bride.
Despite having a cute appearance, the beaver is an R.O.U.S. who will hurt you if you get too close. Beavers are fiercely protective of their territory and can become hostile quite easily. They also have enormous, continuously growing teeth that are razor sharp. They occasionally rip open a defenseless human with these fangs, or they utilize them to chop down trees to build dams.
A beaver tore through an artery in a 60-year-old Belarusian fisherman’s leg in 2013, which resulted in his death. Beavers are also susceptible to rabies, which makes them hostile to people and other animals. Therefore, head to the dam if you notice an adorable little beaver working on it.
#7 Leopard Seal
Polar bears may be the top predators of the Arctic, but leopard seals rule the opposite pole.
These fierce predators look like they’re smiling, which makes the fact that they can easily kill you all the more unsettling. Leopard seals have been known to actively hunt humans, and the gruesome manner in which they kill penguins would turn your stomach. Physically, they’re also pretty terrifying: they have powerful jaws and flippers, and can grow to a length of 13 feet.
#8 Elephants

Everyone loves elephants, right? They’re huge, but they’re the world’s largest living vegetarians, so we should be safe around them.
Uh, not exactly.
Elephants can stand 13 feet high and weigh around 6 tons. While they’re generally docile, they can get a bit testy when humans encroach on their space. (Fair enough.) Elephants are responsible for around 500 deaths every year, mostly through stamping and goring.
#9 Dolphins

Who doesn’t adore lovely, cuddly dolphins?
For starters, dolphins from other species. According to reports, dolphins regularly commit infanticide in the wild. They also attack humans and other creatures, such as other porpoises.
#10 Dogs

The truth hurts, but the fact of the matter is that man’s best friend can sometimes be his worst enemy.
The CDC reports about 4.5 million dog bites every year. Of those, 900,000 become infected. In 2017, thirty-nine people were killed by domesticated dogs in the United States. We hate to say it, but…bad dog!
Via: Getty Images