8 of the Scariest Animals for Pure Nightmare Fuel
Scariness is subjective, both overall and in the animal kingdom: Some people are terrified of spiders, others are afraid of rabbits. However, certain features can make an animal look more threatening, such as a huge mouth, sharp teeth or enormous size.
Let’s take a look at some of the scariest animals in the world and the physical traits that make them so intimidating.
1. Aye-Aye
The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) actually looks pretty cute, with its large eyes, koala-like nose and big ears. That is, until it starts to eat.
Unlike other primates, the aye-aye’s incisor teeth grow continuously, like a rat’s. What really makes aye-ayes terrifying animals, however, is their fingers. Aye-ayes have very long, thin fingers, which they use to locate wood-boring insect larvae.
They also use their fingers for something else: According to a 2022 article published in the Journal of Zoology, “This animal inserts the entire length of its extra-long, skinny and highly mobile middle finger into the nasal passages and then licks the nasal mucus collected.”
As the world’s largest nocturnal primate, aye-ayes only come out at night — imagine happening upon its rodent-like teeth and spiderish fingers in the darkness!
2. Humpback Anglerfish
Humpback anglerfish
Humpback anglerfish (cropped from original). Fernando Losada Rodríguez / Wikimedia Commons
If you’ve seen “Finding Nemo,” you’re familiar with the terrifying humpback anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii). Marlin and Dory’s encounter with an anglerfish is even scarier than their run-in with a group of sharks. (Even the New York Times calls anglerfish “creepy.”)
These deep-sea predators use a glowing ball that extends from their heads to lure prey. When they suddenly open their large mouths, the quick movement creates suction that draws the prey into their large mouths, where they are then trapped by large teeth that function like bars on a cage.
3. Japanese Spider Crab
Afraid of spiders? You won’t want to run into the Japanese spider crab (Macrocheira kaempferi).
A 10-foot (3.11-meter) Japanese spider crab named Big Daddy holds the Guinness World Record for the widest crustacean ever found. Big Daddy’s 4-foot-8.5-inch-long (1.43-meter-long) legs were also the longest crab legs ever.
8 of the Scariest Animals for Pure Nightmare Fuel
Scariness is subjective, both overall and in the animal kingdom: Some people are terrified of spiders, others are afraid of rabbits. However, certain features can make an animal look more threatening, such as a huge mouth, sharp teeth or enormous size.
Let’s take a look at some of the scariest animals in the world and the physical traits that make them so intimidating.
Advertisement
1. Aye-Aye
The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) actually looks pretty cute, with its large eyes, koala-like nose and big ears. That is, until it starts to eat.
Unlike other primates, the aye-aye’s incisor teeth grow continuously, like a rat’s. What really makes aye-ayes terrifying animals, however, is their fingers. Aye-ayes have very long, thin fingers, which they use to locate wood-boring insect larvae.
Advertisement
They also use their fingers for something else: According to a 2022 article published in the Journal of Zoology, “This animal inserts the entire length of its extra-long, skinny and highly mobile middle finger into the nasal passages and then licks the nasal mucus collected.”
As the world’s largest nocturnal primate, aye-ayes only come out at night — imagine happening upon its rodent-like teeth and spiderish fingers in the darkness!
Advertisement
2. Humpback Anglerfish
If you’ve seen “Finding Nemo,” you’re familiar with the terrifying humpback anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii). Marlin and Dory’s encounter with an anglerfish is even scarier than their run-in with a group of sharks. (Even the New York Times calls anglerfish “creepy.”)
These deep-sea predators use a glowing ball that extends from their heads to lure prey. When they suddenly open their large mouths, the quick movement creates suction that draws the prey into their large mouths, where they are then trapped by large teeth that function like bars on a cage.
Advertisement
3. Japanese Spider Crab
Afraid of spiders? You won’t want to run into the Japanese spider crab (Macrocheira kaempferi).
A 10-foot (3.11-meter) Japanese spider crab named Big Daddy holds the Guinness World Record for the widest crustacean ever found. Big Daddy’s 4-foot-8.5-inch-long (1.43-meter-long) legs were also the longest crab legs ever.
Advertisement
In comparison, the largest spider — the Goliath spider (Theraphosa blondi) of South America — has a leg span of 11 inches (28 centimeters).
4. Asian Giant Hornet
Known as the “murder hornet,” the Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) mostly kills honeybees, but multiple stings from this terrifying animal can be lethal to humans as well. In Japan, giant hornets kill 30–50 people every year.
A single sting isn’t lethal, but it doesn’t feel good: Entomologist Masato Ono told National Geographic in 2010 that the pain was “like a hot nail through my leg.” Beekeeper Conrad Bérubé told the New York Times in 2020 that the hornets were able to sting him through his bee suit, and “it was like having red-hot thumbtacks being driven into my flesh.”
Be the first to comment