Beware you zoo-phobics out there, for we’ve compiled a list of scary animals that are actually harmless. Although appearances may be deceiving, this doesn’t mean that you won’t have a nasty fright should you encounter any of the creatures in our countdown. Sea giants that will make your blood run cold, massive creepy crawlies that will startle you and slimy hissing serpents that will give you the heebie-jeebies; our countdown has every animal you have had nightmares about and more. Moreover, this countdown is more proof that you should never judge a book by its cover, even when that cover is rather frightening, as in the case of the scary beasts on this list.
Whatever our greatest fear is, it is usually something beyond our control (which is often partially what makes it so scary). But for some people, fears can be relentlessly persistent, disproportionate and somewhat irrational. When this happens we are not dealing with a simple dread anymore, but with a serious psychological condition known as a phobia. Phobic people can be terrified of anything from spiders to buttons, from heights to flowers, from open spaces to dentists, from gravity to balloons, from fish to the Pope, and much more. Just check out our list on The 15 Most Common Phobias in America that Induce Fits of Panic and find out which are the things our nation fears the most.
Indeed, the animals on this list are ones which could frighten the pants off of some of those people with animal phobias, despite their innocence. What animals are we talking about? Let’s take a look at the countdown and get to know ten scary animals that are actually harmless.
10. Manta Ray
This gigantic animal is the largest species of ray in the world and it can grow up to 30 feet! Despite their size, manta rays are actually harmless. They have no stinger and they feed on plankton. Nevertheless, running into one of them in their habitat, subtropical and tropical waters, is definitely a scary experience for swimmers and divers.
There are nine more scary animals that are actually harmless where that came from; OK, not exactly where, they’re not all from the sea, but you get the idea. Keep reading to find out what they are.
9. Goliath Birdeater
If you are aracnophobic, the Goliath Birdeater is probably your worst nightmare, for it is a member of the tarantula family and the largest spider in the world. However, this hairy South American species is almost harmless to humans: their venom’s effect compares to that of a wasp’s sting.
8. African Giant Millipede
Believe it or not some people keep this enormous arthropod as a pet. This dreadful millipede is one of the largest in the world: it can grow up to 15.2 inches long and have 253 legs. In spite of their terrifying and gruesome appearance, African Giant Millipedes are inoffensive.
7. Vampire Bat
Yes, these nocturnal creatures feed on blood, live in dark caves and remind us of every Halloween story about blood-sucking evil vampires. But actually, the only real danger for humans is getting rabies. Vampire bats feed mostly on cattle and human bites are in fact rare.
6. Milk Snake
Milk snakes have an amazing tool to scare away their predators: mimicry. They strikingly resemble coral snakes, a species with one of the most powerful venoms in North America. Actually, milk snakes are not dangerous to humans and are rarely aggressive.
5. Giant Isopod
This enormous bug can grow up to be 2.5 feet long and around four pounds. Luckily, they live in the cold depths of oceans, so unless you go to an aquarium, chances are you won’t meet these giants in your lifetime.
4. Gharial
As any crocodile, this animal is terrifying. However, Gharials eat only fish and small crustaceans as adults, as their teeth and jaws are too thin and delicate to successfully attack and seriously harm a person. In fact, humans are more threatening to Gharials than the other way around, for their conservation status is at the moment “critically endangered”.
3. Aye-Aye
The appearance of these lemurs of Madagascar is so disturbing that local superstition considers them harbingers of evil. Due to these native superstitions, aye-ayes are often killed on sight. That’s why they are classified as an endangered species. Nevertheless, these nocturnal primates are pretty much harmless and gentle creatures.
2. Whale Shark
The Whale Shark is the largest extant fish species; the largest known individual was 41.50 feet in length and weighed more than 47,000 pounds! Their size is without a doubt frightening, but they are actually so docile that they sometimes allow swimmers to catch a ride.
1. Naked Mole Rat
These highly-developed rodents seem like something created for a horror film, but they are as real as they are dreadful and disgusting. As a matter of fact, these ugly rats are quite amazing eusocial mammals: they can live up to 30 years and they are cancer-resistant. This last trait is being studied thoroughly by scientists, for naked mole rats may hold the key for the preventing and curing cancer in our own species.
