Where to See the World's Most Dangerous Animals

Name three dangerous animals. If you're the average person in America, your list probably includes sharks, snakes, bears or maybe even mountain lions. While all of these animals are efficient killing machines in their own right, three of them (guess which!) should barely register as a threat. In fact, the deadliest animals are often the ones you'd never suspect. (Credit: Shutterstock).

Click here to see the World's Most Dangerous Animals

But make no mistake--the world's most dangerous creatures aren't necessarily rare. In fact, you probably encounter a few on your morning jog through the park. Furthermore, many are far more deadly than you might imagine. While one is responsible for an estimated 660,000 deaths annually, another is the reason for 400,000 amputations each year. These animals are spread throughout land and ocean habitats across the globe and affect people from middle-class suburbs in Los Angeles to farming communities in remote India.

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We've arranged the animals in our slideshow by shock-factor. While those at the top may be predictable, those near the bottom could surprise you.

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- Megan Taylor Morrison, The Active Times