Are there any wildlife that actually want to harm us?

[TMHeimer]

You could make the same argument about walking through a gangster neighborhood at night... the folks there are not trying to harm you, they do not even know you... but some of them are probably in bad mood, high on crack or testosterone, very easily provoked, and so, they can be randomly aggressive and unpredictable... probably better to avoid.

Agree mostly. Except that there ARE some that don't know you and do want to harm you. Don't know if that translates to aquatic species.

 

[iamrushman]

some species of triggerfish are seriously aggressive if you accidentally swim too close to their nest. I got attacked by one last week, and was on high triggerfish alert after that.

i thought trigger fish only hated me...

 

[Dhboner]

Force Fin groupies

 

[diversteve]

Big Crocodiles....

I'd be at least wary of adult Orca's also. Although I think we're still too big. A hunting pod could do a lot of damage though.

Bull sharks often seem to be having a bad day also when I run across one.

 

[drrich2]

Glad Diver Steve mentioned the crocodiles; that was all that came to mind for me. Not alligators; croc.s, particularly Nile and Salt Water crocodiles. I'm not suggesting they preferentially seek human prey, but if a big one's hungry and you hit the water in front of it, I don't want to be you.

From what I recall from a program, in the Amazon sometimes as flood waters recede they leave piranha trapped in residual water bodies (ponds?) where they deplete the food supply and get desperate. Not a place I'd likely dive, of course.

I mention them because you asked 'any animals.' There are a few that might prey on humans, at least on rare occasion. Hippos are said to kill a lot of people, but don't eat them.

Richard.

 

[Mustard Dave]

Are there any animals that no matter what we did, if they got near us, they would try to purposely harm us?

Wasps are bastards!

 

[agilis]

Candiru have unpleasant feeding patterns.

 

[tridacna]

Candiru have unpleasant feeding patterns.

...on the gills of some fishes. First recorded incidence of what you're insinuating only happened in 1997 and even that was largely unsubstantiated. It's mostly a myth although I would probably wear a p-valve just in case...!

 

[agilis]

...on the gills of some fishes. First recorded incidence of what you're insinuating only happened in 1997 and even that was largely unsubstantiated. It's mostly a myth although I would probably wear a p-valve just in case...!

In Brasil, where I have relatives and have spent some time, the belief is very strong. There is very little that can be documented in that green wilderness with any rigorous scientific certainty, especially among the preliterate Amazonians, but the stories are so pervasive and the attitudes so ingrained that the lack of formal documentation does not carry too much weight with me. I suspect these creatures will penetrate any convenient and blood rich small orifice, establish themselves firmly, and begin eating. Some orifices lend themselves to enduring horror stories more than others.

 

[videofly]

Large populations of water moccasins and very large 50+ year old snapping turtles scare the heck out of me in my local blackwater rivers.