{"id":132643,"date":"2022-01-15T04:23:31","date_gmt":"2022-01-15T04:23:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/defused.com\/?p=132643"},"modified":"2022-01-15T04:23:36","modified_gmt":"2022-01-15T04:23:36","slug":"animals-that-only-pretend-to-be-cute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/defused.com\/animals-that-only-pretend-to-be-cute\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Animals That Only Pretend To Be Cuties But Are Monsters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you think only human’s can decieve with their looks?<\/h2>\n

Even animals looks can be deceiving! Outside they could appear to be all adorable and cute but in actuality, they can be a killer. For example, would you have ever imagined penguins having a sharp set of teeth which won’t let the birds escape from it? By the looks of it, a penguin appears to be one of the most innocent and harmless creature but wait until you see their teeth.<\/p>\n

We have compiled a list of 14 animals that appear to be cute but can be deadly. Some of them do not really pose any threats to us humans but to other animals? Yes, they do! Let’s go ahead and read a few interesting facts about these cute looking animals and their deadly instincts.<\/p>\n

1. Toucan<\/h2>\n
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via \u00a9 Renee Doyle\/Solent News & Photo Agency\/Solent News\/East News<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Toucans usually eat fruit and their long beak helps them get food from thin branches. But this bird is far from vegetarian: except for insects and lizards, it won’t mind eating someone else’s food. Moreover, humans don’t have to worry about any threat from Toucans as they are completely safe. However, this bird can surely peck you with their beak. But people don’t really find it to be scary and wouldn’t mind keep a Toucan as a pet. Well, still you must not keep any other feathery creatures in your house if you are planning to keep a Toucan, because if you do, it will be considered prey.<\/p>\n

2. Penguin<\/h2>\n
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via source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is exactly what we were talking about. A penguin’s open beak which definitely looks scary AF. Those are not actual teeth but teeth like structure which their mouth and even their tongue is filled with. It works as a hook in order to catch their prey. So, if a slipper fish is to get caught onto a penguin’s tongue, those structures (called papillae) definitely won’t let the prey escape alive.<\/p>\n

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via \u00a9 Dan Callister \/ MEGA\/Mega Agency\/East News<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wait, there’s more to it. You must have seen penguins being depicted as loving parents in cartoons, well, that isn’t true at all. In fact, it’s far from the truth because female penguin’s whose babies would die, they would fight other female penguin’s and take their babies instead. Also, even if they see a penguin chick unattended, they steal it. Sadly, these fights and kidnappings results in the demise of those little penguin babies.<\/p>\n

3. Greater Weever<\/h2>\n
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via \u00a9 East News<\/a>, \u00a9 East News<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it comes to the greater weever, it appears to be quite harmless. This predatory fish lives on the east coast of the Atlantic Ocean and in 3 seas: the Mediterranean, the Aegean Sea, and the Black Sea. The weever lives in both shallow waters and in deep waters and it would mostly dig itself into the sand and people would end up stepping onto it. Sounds like no big deal? Well, it can often end up as traumas or can have even worse consequences.<\/p>\n

The fish has poisonous spines on its fins and gill wings. A sting with this kind of spike can even lead to death. However, usually, there is not a big risk for humans \u2014 the sting will be really painful, but it should get no worse than that.<\/p>\n

4. White Stork<\/h2>\n
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via \u00a9 imago stock&people\/EAST NEWS<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First of all, you must know that storks don\u2019t just eat fish and frogs, but their diet also includes other birds, their eggs, small rodents, and snakes (including venomous ones). JEEZ! You definitely did not want to know that, did you?<\/p>\n

Also, their huge and strong beaks help these birds catch its prey easily. And just when you think it couldn’t get any worse, storks adopt other birds\u2019 chicks and throw their own babies out of their nests. Now apparently, there are two reasons behind this practice: Either the chicks are weak to survive or if the parents would know that they don\u2019t have enough food to feed the babies, they would still throw them out if their nests. However, there’s still a confusion as the scientists have noticed situations where neither of these 2 factors was present – in these cases, it\u2019s explained as strange behavior on the part of the birds.<\/p>\n

5. Bohemian waxwing<\/h2>\n
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via \u00a9 imago stock&people\/EAST NEWS<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The crest makes this bird standout. Its population is also quite widespread and they can be mostly found in living in the forests of Eurasia and North America. In order to get food in the winters, it would move to different cities. Their favourite food is considered to be Rowanberries and it often eats fermented berries.<\/p>\n

Waxwings have quite small bodies and these berries can have a harmful impact on their well-being. It’s like they are literally getting drunk. And Rowarnberries has the same affect on the other birds as well. These birds do many things while they are in their drunken state: they get into snowdrifts, and crash into people and windows, as well as into the walls of houses. From the outside, this may seem funny, but in fact, it often leads to fatal consequences.<\/p>\n

6. Polar Bear<\/h2>\n
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via \u00a9 Marcel Kusch\/DPA\/East News<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As adorable as it appears, the polar bears are known to be the only creature<\/a> on the planet that can hunt humans at will. All other animals prefer to hide and attack for self-defense purposes only. Perhaps this is due to the fact that, territorially, people and polar bears don\u2019t intersect. Also the animals simply are not afraid of humans as this kind of thought does not exist in their genetic memory. Moreover, you would be surprised to know that these bears are dangerous not only on the ground, but also in the water. They are good swimmers and can reach<\/a> a speed of around 6.2 mph. Comparatively speaking, we are slow. Some of the fastest<\/a> human swimmers clock in around 5.3 mph, while their average<\/a> speed is 2 mph.<\/p>\n

7. Solenodon<\/h2>\n
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via \u00a9 Seb az86556 \/ Wikimedia<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This interesting and tiny little creature resembles a rat and it’s considered to be one of the venmous mammals. The venom (which is in its saliva) gets into the victim\u2019s body through grooves on the second lower incisors, just like a snake bite. As paradoxical as it might sound, solenodons don\u2019t have immunity to their own venom – oftentimes, when a solenodon gets bitten in a fight, it dies.<\/p>\n

This animal hasn\u2019t undergone any changes<\/a> over the past 76 million years, which is why it\u2019s often called a living fossil. It\u2019s minimally dangerous<\/a> for humans \u2014 only a few bites have been recorded in history and none of them have ended up as a tragedy. The pain and edema that do happen after a bite will disappear after a few days.<\/p>\n

8. Dingo Dog<\/h2>\n
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via \u00a9 depositphotos<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Appears like an ordinary pupper, doesn’t it? Well, it certainly isn’t ordinary! The dingo is a domesticated dog, that has gone wild for a second time. Their ancestors came from Malay Archipelago, an island group between the main land of Southeast Asia and Australia. The dogs have weird taste preferences<\/a> and are even prone to eating other dingoes. This is a unique feature of the dingo, since this kind of behavior in the animal kingdom is only seen in cases where animals suffer from hunger.<\/p>\n

The relationship between humans and dingoes has been quite complicated. The dogs used to hunt the local sheep in Australia, which forced farmers to put out traps. But even this measure didn\u2019t help to save their sheep. That\u2019s when humans decided to build a 3,488 mile-long fence<\/a> as protection from dingoes.<\/p>\n

The fence that protects farmlands from dingoes<\/h2>\n
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via \u00a9 depositphotos<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

As a rule, dingoes behave<\/a> very carefully with humans and run away if they have the opportunity. Nevertheless, they sometimes attack humans too. In most cases, this happens because of the human\u2019s behavior \u2014 when seeing a dog, they start to communicate with dingoes the same way they communicate with a dog (they try to feed them, pet them, and play with them), forgetting about the fact dingoes are closer to wolves than they are to domestic dogs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

9. Swan<\/h2>\n
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via \u00a9 depositphotos<\/a>, \u00a9 depositphotos<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

The symbol of pure love, perfection, and grace is actually quite brawny and strong. This bird usually weighs in at about 28 lbs, with a wingspan up to 8 ft.<\/p>\n

Swans can<\/a> be dangerous to humans if they get close to their nest. When attacking, these birds hiss, run at their potential enemy, and beat them with their wings. In the best case, the foe will get a slight shock, in the worst case, they will get a couple of serious bruises. There have also been cases where swans turned over small boats with people in them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

10. Tasmanian Devil<\/h2>\n
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via \u00a9 East News<\/a>, \u00a9 optische_taeuschung \/ flickr<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This pet-sized animal<\/a> is considered to be the largest marsupial predator in the world. It lives on the island of Tasmania and is now threatened with extinction. They are quite slow and clumsy when relaxed, but can run fast when necessary. They can also swim and climb trees very well.<\/p>\n

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via \u00a9 depositphotos<\/a>, \u00a9 Gopal Vijayaraghavan \/ flicker<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

This animal is said to have an iron grip<\/a>: thanks to their strong jaws, devils can attack an animal that is 4 times bigger than they are. They are not dangerous for humans, however, they will only attack people in very unique cases, like when defending their babies or during mating season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

11. Hooded Pitohui<\/h2>\n
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via \u00a9 Benjamin Freeman \/ Wikimedia<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

This bird\u2019s skin and feathers contain batrachotoxin<\/a> \u2014 a super-strong neurotoxin. After physical contact with the pitohui, small animals usually die of paralysis and convulsions.<\/p>\n

The toxicity of these birds comes from what they eat: bugs whose bodies are literally saturated with the aforementioned toxin. The bird eventually developed an immunity to it, but humans have not. Nevertheless, an accidental meeting between the pitohui and humans is unlikely to end in tragedy. However<\/a>, it\u2019s not the best idea to touch the pitohui, because your fingers will get numb almost instantly and you\u2019ll experience a prickly, pins and needles feeling. It\u2019s likely that you will reflexively touch your face or your mouth, which will also go numb. After that, you\u2019ll need medical help. However, so far no antidote exists.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

12. Freshwater snails<\/h2>\n
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via \u00a9 imago stock&people\/EAST NEWS<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These snails are not dangerous by themselves, however, their bodies often become homes for parasites that can cause schistosomiasis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the second most widespread tropical disease in the world. In 2018, for example, 229 million people were affected<\/a> by it. You can get it when swimming in freshwater.<\/p>\n

13. Shrew<\/h2>\n
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via \u00a9 Gilles Gonthier \/ flickr<\/a>, \u00a9 Werner Korschinsky \/ Wikipedia<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shrews can be seen in almost every corner of the world: from the tundra plains to the desert. Some types of shrews are poisonous, like the Northern short-tailed shrew<\/a> (which lives in North America) and the bicolored shrew<\/a>, also known as the bicolored white-toothed shrew (which lives in Europe). The saliva of another type of poisonous shrew, the Eurasian water shrew, contains<\/a> a paralyzing substance, making it one of the few venomous mammals.<\/p>\n

Shrews are not dangerous for humans, though their bites can be<\/a> painful and will create some pain or swelling that will disappear after a few days.<\/p>\n

14. Squirrel<\/h2>\n
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via \u00a9 Geert Weggen\/Solent News & Photo Agency\/Solent News\/East News<\/a>, \u00a9 Geert Weggen\/Solent News & Photo Agency\/Solent News\/East News<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A squirrel\u2019s standard diet<\/a> is nuts, seeds, berries, and mushrooms. However, this animal doesn\u2019t mind treating itself to meat, especially in winter periods when there is not enough food. Small rodents, birds, and reptiles become their prey. Thanks to squirrels\u2019 sharp teeth<\/a> and powerful jaws, victims have practically no chance to win a battle with them. Squirrels are not dangerous for humans. All they can<\/a> do is chew through electrical wires and undermine the foundation of a house.<\/p>\n

And we have reached the end of this article, hope you enjoyed watching these cute yet deadly creatures. Let us know if you came across any one of these in your life? How was the experience? Feel free to use the comments section below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Did you think only human’s can decieve with their looks? Even animals looks can be deceiving! Outside they could appear to be all adorable and cute but in actuality, they can be a killer. For example, would you have ever imagined penguins having a sharp set of teeth which won’t let the birds escape from […] More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":132661,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[2073,99,728,61,1932,6666,101,1187,5214,1902,6668,6667],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/defused.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/adorable-dingo-dog.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/defused.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132643"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/defused.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/defused.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/defused.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/defused.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132643"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/defused.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":133182,"href":"https:\/\/defused.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132643\/revisions\/133182"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/defused.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/defused.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/defused.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/defused.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}