We all have fears! Some people are afraid of the boogeyman and others of Captain Hook.
Some run away from their wives and still others panic at the sight of a spider. However, there are certain animals everyone would be afraid of if they ever encountered them.
Tsetse Fly Often regarded as the world’s most dangerous fly, the tsetse – a small speck of an insect that measures up to 0.7 inches, or about the same size as the average housefly – is commonly found in sub-Saharan countries, especially those in the center of the continent including Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola.
While the flies themselves are nasty blood-sucking bugs that usually feed during the peak warm hours, their true terror lies in the protozoan parasites they spread known as trypanosomes.
These microscopic pathogens are the cause for African sleeping sickness, a disease marked by neurological symptoms including behavioral changes and poor coordination, as well as the disturbances to the sleep cycle that gives the illness its name.
If left untreated, it can lead to death. While there are no vaccines or medications available to prevent infection, methods of protection include opting for neutral-colored clothing because the tsetse is attracted to bright and dark shades, especially blue, avoiding bushes during the day and wearing permethrin-treated gear in more remote areas.
Portuguese Man O’ War The Portuguese Man O’ War will blow your mind, but even though it’s intriguing, that doesn’t mean you should get up close and personal with them.
They look like jellyfish, but they are anything but. Instead, they’re a siphonophore, which is not so much one critter but several in one.
The siphonophore starts life as an egg, then creates several organisms that group together into a mass.
They can’t survive on their own, so one Portuguese Man O’ War can consist of dozens – all the way up to thousands of organisms. This is one posse you don’t want to mess around with.
They live in the warmer oceans around the world, like the Pacific, and their favorite pastimes include stinging humans.
Yep, that’s right; they’re pretty awful. Thousands of people are stung by the Portuguese Man O’ War every year, which causes elevated heart rates, red welts, vomiting, and muscle cramps.
Who needs Red Bull when you have the “Man O’ War”? In some cases, the sting of the Portuguese Man O’ War can even cause death.
