Ultimate Animal Countdown

Ultimate Animal Countdown: Lethal Weapons

Lethal weapons are a must in the natural world: animals kill to survive. Nat Geo WILD tracks down the elite warriors that have upgraded their artilleries — forget teeth or claws, this is sophisticated killing technology.

Ultimate Animal Countdown: Venom

Travel to Indonesia, where there are more venomous reptiles per square yard than any other area on earth. Here, the Komodo dragon dribbles deadly drool and can kill with just one bite. Meet the box jellyfish: touch one of its tentacles, and millions of microscopic stinging cells blast coiled harpoons deep into your skin, firing venom 10 times quicker than an air bag inflates in a car crash. If disturbed, the Brazilian wandering spider goes on the offensive, injects enough venom to kill anyone.

Ultimate Animal Countdown: Swarms

Nat Geo WILD counts down the top 10 wildest swarms to discover that size really does matter. A swarm of killer bees will chase a target for a quarter of a mile, jump in the water and they’ll wait for you to surface. And in Kenya, wildebeest make the largest migration of land mammals on the planet. Their yearly trek includes one huge risk: crossing the crocodile-infested Mara River, where 2,000 of their own kind won’t make it.

Ultimate Animal Countdown: Smelliest

Nat Geo WILD counts down the top 10 smelliest animals on the planet. Lemurs may look cute and cuddly, but their scent packs a powerful punch.

Ultimate Animal Countdown: Fighters

Rumbles in the jungle have no rules and no referee, and no one’s saved by the bell. Battles can last for minutes, hours or even years. Nat Geo WILD goes head to head with the ultimate top 10 warrior males in the natural world to discover whose fights last longest.

Ultimate Animal Countdown: Daredevils

Human daredevils are addicted to adrenaline: the greater the risk — the bigger the rush. But some animals put their lives on the line every day; not for fun — but survival. We’re counting down the ultimate top ten animal adrenaline junkies to find who takes the biggest risks, leaving bodies bent, broken, or dead.

Ultimate Animal Countdown: Sex

Wild, deadly or just awkward, animal sex is about more than just making babies. Nat Geo WILD is counting down the top 10 sexual athletes of the animal world. Immaculate conception is not a myth; one animal on this list can actually give birth without a partner. The term man-eater gets a new meaning when it comes to praying mantises: females may eat the males during copulation.

Ultimate Animal Countdown: Defenders

In the animal kingdom, it’s an evolutionary arms race between attack and defense. Nat Geo counts down the animals with the top 10 security systems. Buffalo surround their young, forming a barricade against the savannah’s predators. Mess with them, and you’ll wish you’d never been born. Surprisingly, the best defenses may be the simplest ones. Field fares, small birds, fight their enemies with their feces. And the most fearless animal of all, the honey badger, eats venomous snakes for breakfast.

Ultimate Animal Countdown: Survivors

In the world’s harshest environments, only the strongest of the strong survive. Nat Geo WILD counts down the top 10 toughest creatures on the planet. From reef sharks to camels to polar bears, these ultimate survivors have adapted to beat unbelievable odds to outlast their enemies.

Ultimate Animal Countdown: Attack

When animals go rogue, either get out of the way — or die. Nat Geo WILD counts down the top 10 ultimate animal attackers to find who creates the most carnage. By analyzing the assaults of 10 angry animals — comparing the likelihood of their attack with the power of their weapons and the number of humans harmed — we create the ultimate Danger Index.