If you are anything at all like me, you're a little squeamish when it comes to creepy-crawlies and other creatures of the wild that look like they might harm you. Even the teeniest of spiders has the potential for giving me a giant fright.
However, looks can be very deceiving, especially in nature. Often the scariest, most dangerous-looking animals are the most harmless. Their tough exteriors are merely a means of defense, making them seem threatening, and scaring away would-be predators.
These 11 creatures might look absolutely terrifying, but they are as harmless as you or me. As the saying goes, they are much more afraid of us than we are of them.
What would you do if you ever ran into one of these spooky-looking creatures? The best thing to do is leave all wildlife alone unless you are trained to handle them. The question is, will you go running for the hills next time you spot one?
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1. Goblin Shark
This terrifying, prehistoric swimming nightmare lives too deep in the ocean to be a threat to humans, usually at more than 100 meters deep. It's flabby, pink body and jaw full of nail-like teeth are too far away from us to pose a threat.
2. Mata Mata Turtle
While its name is Portuguese for "kill kill," this spiky turtle only feasts on small crustaceans, insects, and fish.
3. Virginia Tiger Moth
This furry moth may look poisonous, but it is not. Some people have mild allergic reactions to the bristles, but these moths are not likely to want to get close to you.
4. Star-Nosed Mole
The 22 tentacles on this hamster-size mammal are used to help him scope out where insects and other small edibles might be hiding. They will in no way poison, trap, or entrance you Medusa-style if you run into one in Canada or the Northeastern Unites States, where these guys live.
5. Gharial
This fish-eating crocodile is native to the northern part of India. While it can measure up to 20.5 feet, it is harmless to humans due to the narrowness of its jaw. This guy only eats fish!
6. Striated Frogfish
If this creepy, bristly fish could grow more than nine inches long, he might try to swallow you. But since he only grows to under a foot, he'll stick to small fish.
7. Tailless Whip Scorpion
These guys can be found in tropical and subtropical locations around the world. Despite their cringeworthy and frankly terrifying appearance, the worst these creatures can do is give you a tiny thorn-like puncture wound. They are not venomous and are highly unlikely to bite even if they are threatened.
8. Giant African Millipede
This giant insect can grow upwards of 15 inches long, with a circumference of over two inches, but it will not harm you. All this insect wants to do is hide under rocks and eat dead leaves on the forest floor, turning the waste into compost. These creepy-crawlies are necessary for their environments in parts of Africa, like Kenya and Mozambique.
9. Thorny Dragon
Also known as the thorny devil, this lizard has no interest in you. It has a second, fake head hidden under his neck, but that's only as a defense mechanism to scare off predators if its menacing spikes aren't enough to do the trick. The thorny dragon only eats insects.
10. Wrinkle-Faced Bat
This tiny fruit bat absolutely does not want to suck your blood. All he wants to do is eat fruit, as that's its whole diet. The bat's face and mouth are shaped to optimize fruit consumption.
11. Basking Shark
For those scared of the ocean, you might initially have a heart attack if you ever come face-to-face with the basking shark. However, they don't want to eat you. With the smallest weight-for-weight brain size out of all the sharks, this huge fish passively cruises through the water with his large mouth ajar, eating plankton.
Did you know these creepy creatures were harmless? Did we miss any from our list? Please SHARE with family and friends on Facebook!
