• Question: what is the most dangerous preditor to the human being?

    Asked by ramz555 to Adam, Catherine, Karen, Leila, Nazim on 19 Mar 2012. This question was also asked by imctaggart.
    • Photo: Nazim Bharmal

      Nazim Bharmal answered on 19 Mar 2012:

      Probably another human being. We are so smart that we can defend ourselves against all other animals (and plants, because they can be predators too). Viruses and bacteria aren’t really predators, although they are more likely to kill us all.

      But another person is as smart as us (on average) and they might want what we have, so I would say they are a type of predator.

      If you are talking just about other animals, then probably a lion. Once they have tasted human flesh and how easy it is to get to us, then they can be very patient and will stalk and hunt us down. I’ve seen lions climb trees like cats, wait patiently for hours on end, and then attack almost silently.

    • Photo: Adam Stevens

      Adam Stevens answered on 19 Mar 2012:

      Hippos! (seriously!)

      So I think about this a bit more.

      Nothing predates humans. I.e. nothing hunts humans as their prey. Animals will only attack us if provoked, by entering their territory or threatening their offspring, or if there is no other prey around – they’re desperate (polar bears for example).

      There’s one exception – humans. We are our only predators.

    • Photo: Leila Battison

      Leila Battison answered on 19 Mar 2012:

      Definitely another human being!

      But things that often eat people (though its not because they’re our predators, its because we irritate them… Hippos, sharks, lions, panthers, crocodiles….

    • Photo: Catherine Rix

      Catherine Rix answered on 20 Mar 2012:

      I think the biggest danger to humans comes from viruses and bacteria. They are incredibly fast to adapt and can spread through human populations really quickly. Most viruses and bacteria are mostly harmless, or make us feel ill for a few days but some can be deadly. Bacteria can become resistant to drugs very quickly, which means we need to keep creating new treatments all the time to keep up with the bacteria.

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