9781422275825

Ultimate Danger Ultimate Danger Ultimate

Chapter 1

Dangerous Mammals W hether it’s “trampled by an elephant,” “torn apart by a lion,” or “mauled by a bear,” who can resist a good “when mammals attack” story? Almost nobody. But before we dive into the wild world of ferocious mammals, it’s worth noting that the most dangerous mammals on Earth won’t be found behind the bars of any zoo. No, the most dangerous ones by far will be found on the other side of the bars. Because, yes, the most dangerous mammal is us—all 7.6 billion of us humans. In 2018 the National Academy of Sciences announced its finding that humans, while making up only 0.01 percent of life on this planet, have managed to wipe out about 80 percent of our fellow mammals. Of all the mammals currently living on Earth, 60 percent are livestock, 36 percent are human, and only a paltry 4 percent are wild. Lions and tigers and bears might be dangerous, but, in the end, wild mammals have much more to fear from human mammals than we do from them.

Dangerous Mammals

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