All continents host animals whose strength can be described as ‘herculean’, their presence in their respective habitats provide equilibrium and ‘put in check’ other contenders.
This section will explore the animals that dominate the top of the food chains. Each occupying a niche in their ecosystem making their presence vital for the sustenance of surrounding wildlife
5.Maned Wolf
This odd-looking animal is actually REAL! From afar it looks like a mix between a wolf and a fox. So surely, you could assume that it must be closely related to either foxes or wolves. WRONG! You’re probably dazzled(as was I) by the fact that this hybrid looking mammal isn’t related to any of its canine comrades Scientists have categorised this animal to be a species of its own, with it’s own particular genus. Chrysocyon brachyurus.
This peculiar animal is situated in South America with the majority of its known population found to be highly concentrated in Brazil. Out of all its canine comrades in South America, the maned wolf is the largest. Funnily enough, it’s elongated shape gives the impression that it might be a heavyweight contender. However, its morphology deceives the unaware, because the average mass of an adult is approximately 23kg. Not that heavy at all! That’s the weight of my brain with these genius blogs that I make!
As you might have been disappointed with the mass of the maned wolf, its bite force will too. With a bite force of 320 newtons, the maned wolf safely secures the last spot in this list of deadly animals. This bite force perfectly fits its diet. The diet can be described as omnivorous :from small mammals like rabbits,viscachas to fruits,sugarcane and other fruits.
I give the maned wolf a lethality score of 2/10. Not as deadly as its competitors in this list.
4. Mountain Lion
The name might confuse those unaware of this animal, rightly so: it doesn’t look like the lions I see in the documentaries! This is because this image depicts the feline species that predominantly inhabits North America called the mountain lion. However, note that if you go sight-seeing for this animal and ask around for the best places to find them: know that they’re also commonly referred to as: Pumas,Cougars,Catamount and Panther.
The mountain lion,commonly knows as Puma concolor amongst scientists, is quite a peculiar animal. Firstly, it is categorised in the brachet of ‘large cats’;it cannot roar like the other large cats instead it sort of squeals, in a very high pitch noise. What’s more, scientists have also found data to show that mountain lions are instead more related to small cats rather than the big cats. Utter confusion.
Funnily enough, the confusion that arises when someone says that mountain lions are small cats can be amplified so to cause more confusion. This is because the average size for a male is approximately 2.4m from nose to the tip of tail: females are approximated to be around 2m. With weight of a male ranging from 50-100kg and females from 28-65kg. Don’t know about you but I think there is an imposter animal, amongst us.
Having analysed its weight and length, there’s that all important factor to assess. Bite force. These formidable predators of the americas that hunt the likes of hares all the way to llamas, must have some serious bite power. Booooyyyy do they have some power. Their bite force is estimated to be around 400psi. Although strong, this bite force isn’t strong enough to conquer first place in this tier list.
Overall, a strong predator of the americas; capable of hunting with efficiency. Although, if you’re looking to adopt a cat would not suggest a ‘small cat’ like this one. Lethality, I deem it to be a 7.3/10. To put it simply: a small cat with herculean strength.
3. Green Anaconda
Just from the image on its own, you might think that the green anaconda’s secret weapon is venom. HAHA! you’d be so incorrect! Instead this intimidating predator relies on its brute strength and constriction prowess.
The Green Anaconda which is also commonly referred to as water boa, inhabits the lands of South America. They are primarily found in Brazil’s Amazon River;Colombia and Venezuela. The Green Anaconda, like many of its reptile cousins are poikilothermic: meaning that they’re cold-blooded and necessitate the environment to provide them with heat and energy.
This animal is also commonly called as the water boa due to its great ability to swim; it can hold its breath for up to 50 minutes underwater. No surprise that the scientific name for this animal is Eunectes marinus. I say this because the word eunectes derives from the greek word: ‘good swimmer’. If the shoe fits…
Between females and males, the females prevail due to their morphology which makes them stronger and bigger than the males. Females can reach up to 6m in length, whereas, males reach up to 3m. Their weight also drastically varies. Females can reach weights of up to 250kg. It’s about three times more heavier than an adult male,red kangaroo.
They harness unbelievable strength as they utilise their constriction technique to catch and eliminate their prey causing a cardiac arrest. To add insult to injury, they are also capable of applying a bite force of 900psi. What The Heckk! I Barely Knew ThaT!!
Final verdict: Lethality 8/10. Only way to defeat it, is to outrun it.
2. Grey Wolf
This majestic looking animal is the gray wolf and it is the largest of the wolf species across the whole globe. These animals can be found across multiple continents: North America, Europe and Asia. The grey wolf falls under the genus of Canis which is reserved for wolves,dogs and jackals. Hence why, scientists call it Canis lupus
To put it simply, don’t let this image deceive you, these are not your typical domestic dogs. Grey wolves hunt in social groups called packs. Of course, with every group there must be a leader in order to prevent anarchy: wolves have a pair,consisting of a male and female that acquire the title ‘alpha’. Just to astonish you completely, know that a pack of wolves usually cover a territory of up to 50 square miles or up to a 1000 miles. Do you HEAR ME!! A THOUSAND!!!
Grey wolves are capable of hunting a wide variety of animals. Their diet can consist of small mammals like hares all the way up to bisons. The heaviest weight for a wolf is 45 kilograms,belonging to the male wolf. The heaviest weight of a wild bison EVER recorded was 1270kg. By direct comparison, the bison is approximately… 28 times heavier than the wolf!!
Naturally there is that all important question that springs in our mind. What is its bite force? How is it able to take down such colossal prey. If I said power of friendship I’d be telling you a half baked answer. The real answer is: the complex tactics that a pack deploys in order to catch its prey AND the bite force that a singular grey wolf is capable of generating. 1200 flipping psi. Whaaaaaaaat!
My verdict is the following: Lethality 8/10. Just gotta hope you don’t find a hungry pack in your outdoor adventures.
1. Kodiak Bear
Saving the best for last, but with a twist. This humongous beast manages to,not only outcompete but also dominate the other challengers of this tier list. What you see above is a Kodiak bear. This ‘mountain’ of an animal is situated in the Kodiak archipelagos, just south of Alaska(North America). The Kodiak bear is categorised as a brown bear: it is the largest of the remaining 13 brown bears(out of the original 16). Delving deeper into the details, the nomenclature (aka name) given to brown bears is Ursus arctos. As a result, the Kodiak bear is called amongst scientists as Ursus arctos middendorffi.
The Kodiak bear supports the case for his title as ‘biggest brown bear’. This is because, making a direct comparison to a close, second place competitor, the Grizzly bear we begin to see the sheer difference amongst the two. Just by looking at the sheer muscle mass between the two we can see discrepancies. Male Kodiak bears weight between 270-640kg, whereas, male Grizzly bears range from 200-300kg. Now isn’t that an indicator into how imponent a Kodiak bear is within its ecosystem.
Here’s the twist I discussed just earlier. With size like this you’d imagine that their bite force would only follow this trend, if not demolish it as a whole. However, the Kodiak bear’s bite force is measured to be at 930psi. I know, I know, you’re probably shouting at the screen saying something like: ‘Well if it hasn’t got the strongest bite force then WHY THE HECK DID YOU RANK IT FIRST!?’ I ranked it first simply because you need to take into consideration what makes the kodiak bear such a deadly predator.
The Kodiak Bear is capable of standing on its hind legs and reach a vertical height of 3m. Moreover, its claws can reach up to six inches and is more than capable of decapitating its prey with one swipe of the paws.Having considered this, I deem it to be top predator of this tier list.
Final verdict: Lethality 9.5/10 Just gotta hope the bear isn’t hungry.
Grand Finale
We’ve reached the end of this adventurous article, make sure to stick around to see more amazing articles like this one. If you have any requests as to what animal you’d like me to cover, drop us an email and let us know. For now that’s all, Bear Out.