Lists about the many ways various animals can end—or at least seriously rek—your life.

It's a Jungle Out There

Animals

Though wild animal attacks are often worst-case scenarios that run&nbsp;through our&nbsp;heads while&nbsp;hiking or camping, the fact is that you're more likely to get attacked by a cat or dog than any feral beast. Still, there are real people out there who have narrowly escaped death from the jaws of&nbsp;decidedly non-domesticated animals. These animal attack survivors - whether they intentionally put themselves in danger or were just minding their own business - all have a story to tell.The following stories&nbsp;- told by <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/7-real-people-who-survived-horror-movie-situations/samantha-wilson?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">people who survived</a> animal attacks - are horrifying real-life tales that involve <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/animal-terror-village/anna-lindwasser" target="_blank">wild animals terrorizing humans</a>. These animals weren't in captivity, they weren't pets, and they absolutely could have been killers.

People Who Survived Wild Animal Attacks Tell Their Stories

General

Jen Jeffers

Take the kids out for a fun day at the zoo! See wild animals in tiny recreations of their natural habitats! Watch as they suffer stress, indignity, unnatural climates, and public mating! ...Ooh, a monkey!!!

Locked Up: Animals Behind Bars

People go to zoos to get a glimpse of the wild side, but behind-the-scenes stories from zoo employees take you on the real safari. For every zoo patron story about a pooping and/or mating animal, there exist dozens more&nbsp;crazy zookeeper stories more outrageous than anything on Animal Planet. The wildest stories from zookeepers, featuring characters ranging from feisty primates to&nbsp;killer kangaroos, showcase the drama you never realized was happening while you were holding your child over the fence of the gorilla enclosure. Because when <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/stories-of-wild-animals-on-the-loose/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">animals get loose</a>, it falls on the zookeeper to keep the peace. While the occasional&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/zoo-horror-stories/rydavis" target="_blank">tragedy&nbsp;goes down at a zoo</a>, these funny zookeeper stories highlight the positive things that sometimes happen when you put wild animals in controlled spaces.Thanks to the wonder of Reddit, zookeepers have shared their best stories for all to enjoy. The next time you go to the zoo, not only will you marvel at the animals, you'll also marvel at the employees who put up with more grief and feces than you ever see at your local dog park.

Zookeepers And Zoo Volunteers Share Their Most WTF Moments

Mick Jacobs

Lists of fascinating facts about the most dangerous creatures on Planet Earth.

Predators and Eating Machines

For a long time, primatologists thought chimpanzees were the nicer, gentler version of humankind. In reality, chimpanzees are violent, brutal and dangerous - much like humans.&nbsp;With more than 98 percent&nbsp;of our DNA matching, humans see many of our own societal traits and features reflected back&nbsp;through this sister species. Like humans, these <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-15-smartest-animals-on-earth/analise.dubner">extremely intelligent animals</a> exhibit brutal character traits and behavior that are&nbsp;similar to&nbsp;humans.&nbsp;There are many similarities between humans and chimpanzees, and some of the human things chimpanzees do are brutal. Scientists look to these creatures to try to decipher some of the roots of human behavior, like warfare and <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/mysterious-chimpanzee-behaviour-could-be-sacred-rituals-and-show-that-chimps-believe-in-god-a6911301.html">religion</a>. Chimps&nbsp;engage in long, protracted, bloody wars,&nbsp;they kill and consume infants,&nbsp;and they send out raiding parties in order to protect and maintain their territories. This list examines in detail some of the worst things&nbsp;chimpanzee do, from their propensity for baby slaughter to their likelihood of attacking humans when in captivity.

Ways Chimpanzees Are Just as Brutal (and Sometimes Even Moreso) as Humans

Animal/Plant

12 Ways Chimpanzees Are Just as Brutal as Humans

Ryleigh Nucilli

Real tales of terror from real people doing normal things, like playing the Powerball and using tampons.

Crazy True! Horror Stories

Zoos

When one spends a day at the zoo, they may expect a little excitement, a little curiosity, and an awesome chance to see some of wildlife&#39;s most vibrant, odd, and fascinating creatures. What you don&#39;t expect is to fall into the pit of a lion&#39;s den and have your clothes and body parts ripped to shreds. Although you&#39;re likely among&nbsp;the vast majority that has never had the unfortunate luck of experiencing such a high-stakes standoff against nature&#39;s greatest predators, there are some who have not been so fortunate. Zoo tragedies make crazy news stories because they&#39;re actually so rare. But even some of the most experienced wildlife trainers, biologists, and veterinarians have had some very, VERY bad things happen to them at the zoo.&nbsp;

All bad zoo news stories, unique in their own way, are nature&#39;s way of telling us that these beasts are not to be messed with. Lack of respect for the animal kingdom could cost you your arm or leg. And don&#39;t think that just because there&#39;s a thick layer of glass between you that these stronger-than-you-think mammals can&#39;t find a way to take you out if you make them angry enough. These animal anecdotes below are some of the worst things that have ever happened at zoos and are fair warning for your next visit.&nbsp;

The Worst Things That Have Ever Happened at Zoos

Ryan Davis

There are more than 8 million species walking, swimming, and flying around Planet Earth. Here are lists about a few worthy of your attention. 

Unbelievable Animals

History

Hidden deep underground are some of the rarest treasures in all of science. Formed from immense pressure over millions of years, fossils tell us the story of our long-lost ancestors and the strange creatures that populated their world. <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/whoa-fossils/alby-thompson" target="_blank">Bizarre fossil discoveries</a> are becoming more common as we develop new digging techniques and open our minds to the otherworldly phenomenon that is prehistoric life. Many of these insane fossils changed our understanding of the world forever, and we&#39;re still just beginning to understand the importance of these <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-state-fossils/mallory-weiler" target="_blank">bony artifacts</a>.

While dinosaurs are some of the most famous of all extinct species, not all of the strangest fossils ever discovered came from those lizards. Some of the most bizarre fossils came from creatures so alien, you have to see them to believe they&#39;re real. These are the last remnants of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-top-10-oldest-living-things-on-earth/analise.dubner" target="_blank">oldest lifeforms on the planet</a>, preserved in time and rock for future generations to marvel at.

The Most Bizarre Fossils Ever Discovered

The 21 Most Bizarre Fossils Ever Discovered

Eric Luis

In 1977, Terry Thompson bought a tiger cub named Simba for his wife; it was the beginning of the end. Terry and his wife had acquired dozens of exotic animals by the time of his demise&nbsp;on October 18th, 2011. Almost all of the exotic animals were unleashed on the rural town of Zanesville, OH. Thompson, experiencing what many thought at the time to be mental health break, ended his own life&nbsp;after releasing 49 of the&nbsp;56 exotic animals in his collection. In the following chaos, all 49 were slain;&nbsp;18 tigers, 17 lions, eight bears, three cougars, two wolves, one baboon, and one macaque.

The Zanesville tragedy had such an impact on the general public that the legislation regarding keeping <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/bad-exotic-cat-sanctuaries/anna-lindwasser" target="_blank">exotic animals as pets</a> was changed within a year, putting stricter regulations on owners. In the aftermath of the sad turn of events, one local <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/terry-thompson-ohio-zoo-massacre-chris-heath-gq-february-2012" target="_blank">made a profound observation</a>: &quot;I don&#39;t like animals but I would never hurt one. The animal lovers are the ones that hurt them.&quot; After this tragic loss, the concept of keeping exotic animals as pets changed dramatically in American society.&nbsp;

The Strange, Sordid Tale Of The Zanesville Zoo Escape

Rachel Souerbry

Think you know your favorite animals? Study up on fun facts and fascinating trivia to drop at your next cocktail party.

Up Close with Awesome Animals

Out of all of the prehistoric animals that have roamed the planet, the woolly mammoth is perhaps one of the most endearing. This is largely because woolly mammoths are incredibly similar to modern elephants, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/scary-extinct-versions-of-cute-animals/crystal-brackett" target="_blank">they went extinct</a>&nbsp;only a few thousand years ago - meaning that they coexisted with modern humans. They also lived during the Ice Age, a period&nbsp;that seems alien to modern people because it was so different from the conditions we live in.

Thanks to the huge amount of study that surrounds these creatures, plenty of interesting woolly mammoth facts have been discovered in the last few decades. This information helps explain what happened to the woolly mammoth, how it lived, and the evolutionary adaptations it developed to live in harsh environments.

Facts About Woolly Mammoths That Might Explain Why They Became Extinct

Nathan Gibson

Survival

Who was Christopher McCandless? The young man whose life was chronicled in the book and subsequent film adaptation, Into The Wild, often seems more myth than man. After his untimely passing in 1992, his story made McCandless a larger-than-life sensation and touted his philosophy of simplicity and detachment from material goods. His persona became something that people all over the world over would cling to and adopt as their own dogma; he&#39;s often spoken of in the same breath as wilderness figures like <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/grizzly-man-timothy-treadwell/travis-morgan" target="_blank">&quot;Grizzly Man&quot; Timothy Treadwell</a>, who also met an untimely end seeking solace in the remote Alaskan wilderness.

However, was Into The Wild actually <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-movies-based-on-true-stories/ranker-film?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">based on a true story</a>? Or was it just <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/grizzly-man-timothy-treadwell/travis-morgan" target="_blank">another romanticized account</a> of a big-hearted dreamer who ultimately lost his life alone in the Alaskan wilderness after he realized it was too late to turn back? When it comes to McCandless, there are the facts, based on his own journal entries and family members&#39; accounts, but then there is also the speculation surrounding the truth, as often is the case when someone passes so young and mysteriously. Delve into the short, strange life of Christopher McCandless.

The Sad Tale Of Christopher McCandless, The Man From 'Into The Wild'

The Sad Tale Of Christopher McCandless - The Man From Into The Wild

Colleen Conroy

Lists about the beautiful, fascinating, sometimes terrifying features and living things that naturally developed on this spinning rock we all call home.

Our Amazing Planet Earth

Interesting

Learning a few amazing facts about Earth can remind humanity how lucky we are to call this planet home. One of the biggest of these mind blowing things about Earth is the fact that it's <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/history_of_the_earth" target="_blank">more than 4.5 billion years old</a>. Then about 3.8 billion years ago, single cell organisms were born. About 230 million years ago, dinosaurs roamed the earth until they died and were replaced by early humans about 200,000 years ago. That's a lot of history.Discovering things you didn't know about our planet can be an eye opening experience and could possibly bring about several <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/life-changing-realizations/candice-darden" target="_blank">life changing realizations that blow your mind</a>. Understanding exactly how Earth works and came to be has inspired people for years. However, many humans don't stop to think about the ground they stand on or the water they drink since life is just too busy. Take a minute out of your day to embrace these interesting facts about Earth. They just might blow your mind.

Mind-Blowing Facts About Planet Earth That Will Make You Question Everything

23 Mind-Blowing Facts About Planet Earth

Erin McCann

Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Lists of great reasons to stay inside.

Chilling Tales of the Outdoors

Outdoors

Let's face it: for a country with a fairly short history, America sure has a lot of haunted hiking trails. It turns out that the country's scariest hiking trails aren't the ones with the furthest drops or raging rivers to traverse, but the ones whose pasts can't seem to rest.&nbsp;From sea to shining sea, haunted hikes abound, and the large, sprawled out country has just about every flavor of fear to offer. From wailing women to restless soldiers to indescribable creatures (looking at you, Jersey Devil), America can be a <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/haunted-national-parks/amandasedlakhevener" target="_blank">pretty freaky place to explore</a>.Here is a collection of some of the more spooky hiking trails in America, as determined by your votes.

Scariest Hiking Trails In The U.S. That You Can Explore (If You Dare)

For hundreds of years, history&nbsp;left us wondering what disease killed&nbsp;the Aztecs in the mid-1500s. Many assumed&nbsp;the Aztecs were one of many Central American groups to be wiped out by European diseases <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/jeffrey-amherst-letter-to-henry-bouquet/kellie-kreiss" target="_blank">like smallpox</a>. However,&nbsp;DNA testing has unearthed new evidence about what really killed 80% of the Aztecs.&nbsp;Scientists extracted DNA from Aztec teeth, and discovered the presence of a strand of Salmonella.&nbsp;Research on climate change in Mexico at the time&nbsp;indicates&nbsp;droughts could have precipitated the spread of disease. Some things remain unexplained, however;&nbsp;only continued research&nbsp;can explain&nbsp;how a <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/insane-epidemics-that-threatened-humanity/amber-fua" target="_blank">massive epidemic</a>&nbsp;ravaged the Aztecs and whether the invading Spanish introduced something fatal to the&nbsp;population.&nbsp;

Scientists Are Just Now Figuring Out The Mysterious Disease That Nearly Wiped Out The Aztecs

Disease or medical condition

This Mysterious Disease Decimated The Aztec People - And Scientists Are Just Now Figuring Out What It Was

Beth Elias

True Stories

On the surface, owning a pet chimpanzee seems remarkably appealing; movies tell us they&#39;re cute, fun, entertaining, and just like us. Yes, we share around 99% of our DNA with them, but there&#39;s one key difference between our two species: grown chimpanzees have the strength of several adult humans. So, in reality, they can be&nbsp;remarkably scary and dangerous animals to keep as pets. No, chimpanzees are not like human children. Though they may be docile at a very young age, they usually grow up to become aggressive wild animals.

Never&nbsp;mind that it&#39;s illegal to keep chimps as pets in most of the US, it&#39;s also incredibly foolish. Pet chimpanzees often attack their owners or other people they encounter. And the injuries are nothing like the dog-bite attacks you occasionally see. Chimp attacks are horrifying, tragic, and downright shocking. When pet chimps attack humans, it&#39;s something worse than your worst nightmare.

People Who Owned Chimps As Pets And Paid The Price

Horrifying Stories of Pet Chimpanzees Attacking Their Owners

Lee Emjay

Real places in the physical world that you should avoid at all costs, lest you never come back alive. 

Get Out, Stay Out

Natural World

The world is full of natural wonders, and&nbsp;many areas on our awesome Earth filled to the brim with&nbsp;their own creepy acts of universal oddity. From unresolved and inherent&nbsp;occurrences to haunting backgrounds filled with mystery, death, and abysmal unknowns, creepy natural wonders of the world are totally real environments that will leave you puzzled and unnerved.&nbsp;If you're looking for some spooky spots on Earth, a visit to the howling and screaming paranormal forests of the <a href="http://theghosthuntuk.com/uks-haunted-screaming-woods/" target="_blank">Dering&nbsp;Woods</a>, the cockroach-covered <a href="http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/gomantong-cave" target="_blank">cave walls of Malaysia's Gomantong&nbsp;Caves</a>, or the ethereal and alien landscapes of the cruel, Ethiopian <a href="http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160614-the-people-and-creatures-living-in-earths-hottest-place" target="_blank">Danakil&nbsp;Depression</a> zone&nbsp;will be the perfect scratch to your eerie itch.The creepiest natural places on Earth bring you a mix of awe-inspiring and sinister vibes, and for a good reason. Disturbing auras fill every crevice of the world's strange and exotic wonders, and their&nbsp;harrowing tales and ecosystems are sure to leave your nerves on high-alert.

These Are The Creepiest Natural Wonders You Can Actually Visit

Location

Crystal Brackett

Lists about some of the rarest, scariest, and most fascinating creatures that inhabit specific places around the world.

Animal Planet

It's the land down under, where women glow and men plunder.

Meanwhile, in Australia...

Australia is home to perhaps more deadly animals than any other country in the world. This might be because it has such diverse geography ranging from the harsh Outback to snow-capped mountains. There are deadly Australian animals of all kinds - ranging from poisonous snakes to <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-lion-s-mane-jellyfish/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">horrifying jellyfish</a>.&nbsp;

Australia is known for its crazy animals thanks to people like Steve Irwin. And while this list includes all the animals in Australia that can kill you, don&#39;t worry.&nbsp;Most visitors to&nbsp;the country won&#39;t come into contact with these animals. They tend to live in harsh areas or off the more than 22,000 miles of coast. But sometimes the poisonous animals of Australia venture into populated areas, or bite people who wander into their turf.&nbsp;

Not all the animals in Australia can kill you, but there are certainly enough to make you think twice and look carefully, should you ever venture into a &quot;dunny&quot; (<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/australian-slang-words-and-meanings/dukeharten" target="_blank">Australian slang</a> for&nbsp;outhouse) or straight into the Outback.

14 Deadly Animals That Prove Australia Is The Scariest Place On Earth

14 Deadly Australian Animals That Prove Nature Is Too Scary

Cheryl Adams Richkoff

The scientific community is not infallible, and sometimes they get stuff just plain wrong. And that doesn't just include scientific theories. There are plenty of creatures people didn't think existed. These animals are all victims of scientific prejudice, animals so bizarre that even the smartest minds of the time could not accept that fact they existed. There are plenty of <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/weird-looking-animals/eric-vega?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">crazy looking animals</a> that are real, despite the fact science didn't recognize them at the time of their discovery.Their discoverers were challenged and ridiculed for their absurd “discoveries,”&nbsp;and at least one man committed suicide from the shame. But in the end, these scientists were vindicated and we now know that none of these creatures were hoaxes. Given all the crazy myths people think about these amazing animals scientists didn't believe existed, it turns out the truth is often stranger than fiction.&nbsp;

10 Incredible Animals That Scientists Initally Didn’t Believe Were Real

10 Amazing Animals That Scientists Didn’t Believe Were Real

Despite the fact you're more likely to be <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/being-hit-by-lightning-photo/hugh-landman?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">struck by lightning</a> than be attacked by a grizzly, terrifying bear attacks do still&nbsp;take place. When bear attack survivors share their stories, like other <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/wild-animal-attack-survivors/jen-jeffers" target="_blank">animal attack survivors</a>, the tales provide valuable information on how to behave in a similar situation. Bears are&nbsp;deadly creatures,&nbsp;and survivors often live because they remembered training in what to do&nbsp;and, in many cases, were just plain lucky.It is truly harrowing to be <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-is-a-bear-attack-like/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">mauled by a bear</a>. The powerful creatures use their sharp claws and teeth to bite and scratch at their victim's&nbsp;body, crushing bone and ripping flesh in the process. Many people who survive emerge with terrible scars or are left with physical challenges to overcome. These bear attack survivors shared their stories of coming face-to-face with one of nature's most powerful creatures—and explained how they survived.

People Describe Their Harrowing Bear Attack Stories

14 People Describe Their Harrowing Bear Attack Stories

Weird Nature lists at Ranker - the ultimate source for lists and rankings in all categories

Weird Nature lists on Ranker

Weird Nature lists at Ranker - the ultimate source for hundreds of Weird Nature lists and rankings.

A look at some of the oldest known, recorded, and/or existing things on earth.

Old School Cool

Ancient Flora / Fauna

This list of the oldest living things on Earth, including the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/longest-living-animals/robert-desalvo" target="_blank">oldest animals</a>, species, and organisms, will definitely make you feel young. You could probably nitpick some of these life forms within a million years here, a million years there... but the fact remains that these animals have been around a loooong time. What are the oldest living organisms on earth? And more importantly how have they stuck around this long?

These ancient organisms have been around for millions, or ever billions of years and have achieved apparent perfection in their environment. Millennia have passed, and they keep on keeping on. Sure, a tail might shorten, an extra tentacle might grow, or they might develop a more streamlined coat of armor... but, like that guy you know with the haircut he&#39;s had since high school, these animals have asked themselves the question: Why change it if it&#39;s working?

These are the oldest living things on the planet, and they just might still be here long after we are nothing more than fossils found buried in a pile of styrofoam take-out boxes.

The 10 Oldest Living Things On Earth

The Oldest Animal on Earth (and the Oldest Living Things)

analise.dubner

Stories, pics, trivia, and interesting tidbits about all creatures, great and small.

Enter the Animal Kingdom

Smarts

List of the world's smartest animals, in order of their animal intelligence ranking. When putting this list of the smartest animals in the world together, I had to give myself criteria to follow. A complex brain is not a factor so much as the ability to use creative thinking. Sure, these are my own standards, and some might complain that this list is decidedly anthropomorphic– seeing as how I'm judging these smart animals by obvious human criteria. For example, why should creative thinking mean one animal is smarter than another animal that can remember the location of 2,200 individual nuts it buried over 2 years? That's just how I decided to do it. To me, creative thinking makes an animal smart, not memorization. I couldn't limit myself to a list of just the top 10 smartest animals because that would have eliminated some incredibly smart and creative creatures. What is the smartest animal in the world? Check out this list of nerdy mammals to find out which of our pets will ultimately rule the planet when humans go extinct!

Out Of All The Animals On Earth, These 15 Are The Smartest

Smartest Animals: List of Most Intelligent Animal Ranking

Lists about phobias: the things we're scared of and why we are afraid of them.

What Are You So Afraid Of?

We're all more scared of one thing than another. Maybe it's the idea of being mauled by a Grizzly or having spiders crawl in your ear while you're sleeping. Maybe it's just the IDEA that a snake might be nearby. Whatever it is, vote on the animal that scares you the most, and of course, feel free to add any of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/frightening-facts-about-the-world-s-scariest-animals/aaron-edwards?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">scariest animals in the world</a> that might be missing from this list.Any list of the scariest animals in the world will likely include sharks, spiders, and snakes. But what terrifies one person might not scare another at all. It's interesting to look at why certain animals strike fear, and others don't. Is it because many of the animals listed here are potentially deadly? Some spiders' bites can be horrible, but <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/10-amazing-things-about-spiders/analise.dubner" target="_blank">spiders can also be pretty amazing.</a> Sure, but that doesn't explain why cockroaches freak people out (if you don't believe me, just check the list, and see the votes for yourself). It's highly unlikely that you'll be done in by a killer cockroach – so what gives? Well, they're creepy, they're crawly and (depending on where you live) they *can* fly. That qualifies as scary.And yes, some of the scariest animals listed here, we'll never ever encounter in real life. Oh, we might see a great white shark in an aquarium or on TV during <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/full-list-of-shark-week-episodes/reference" target="_blank">Shark Week</a>, but really? The odds of us actually coming face to face with a great white are pretty slim. Still, we've all seen Jaws, so that sucker shoots to the top of the list. And bats: Yes, some believe they are scary, but there are a lot of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/top-10-untrue-myths-about-animals/analise.dubner" target="_blank">myths surrounding these and other animals</a> that, if you knew more, might make them a bit less terrifying.Which animals scare you the most? Are they insects? Reptiles? Mammals (and yes, this includes man)? Time to vote!

Animals You Should Hope to Never See in the Wild

The Scariest Animals in the World

Ranker Community

Lists of bizarre real headlines and 100% true actual news stories from the physical world in which we all really live that are stranger, scarier, and more depressing than any fiction writer could ever dream.

Unbelievable News

Nothing good is going to come of a situation that involves being in a cage with a wild&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/cute-dangerous-animals/ranker-science" target="_blank">animal</a> at the zoo. And yet, people keep putting themselves in situations where &mdash;&nbsp;despite warnings from the zoo and others around them &mdash;&nbsp;they come face-to-face with lions, tigers, and bears. Some of these people were taken out by&nbsp;a caged animal; others were merely assaulted by a captive wild beast.&nbsp;

These are the tales of the outlandish&nbsp;and sometimes most inebriated people to ever jump the fence at a zoo.&nbsp;