Deadliest Creature

If all living creatures were the size of a human, which do you think would be the deadliest? (Note, this means what one creature by itself would be the deadliest, not their strength in numbers.)
I always considered it to be some insect, considering that they generally have incredible strength (given their size) fast reflexes, and generally a strong exoskeleton.
I would have to narrow it down to a mantis, stag beetle, or possibly a crustacean, such as a crab or lobster. Anyways, any thoughts?

It could not possibly be some sort of insect, seeing as the exoskeleton holds all the insides in.
At that size the mass of the critter would far outweigh the surface area of the exoskeleton and the bug would go ploosh.

Your logic is non sequitur. If an insect were to be proportionally larger, it would have larger insides, but its exoskeleton would be proportionally larger as well and, assumably, strong enough to hold it up.

The bigger a creature is, the weaker and less resilient for its size. Giant insects would be either rather weak or super slow.

I vote the human.

Bloodshedder said:

Your logic is non sequitur. If an insect were to be proportionally larger, it would have larger insides, but its exoskeleton would be proportionally larger as well and, assumably, strong enough to hold it up.

Mass increases in a faster proportion than surface area does, as I hoped you would have known.

I think you're mistakenly assuming the exoskeleton would get no thicker.

Since you have won, I will resort to calling this a baseless and immature conversation. :P

He did win, but here's some math on why bigger creatures are weaker proportionately.

Insects can't reach much larger than the largest in existence today (about a pound in weight) because their method of breathing, via a network of tubes that deliver unaltered air through their bodies, becomes too ineffecient.

Dr. Zin said:

Insects can't reach much larger than the largest in existence today (about a pound in weight) because their method of breathing, via a network of tubes that deliver unaltered air through their bodies, becomes too ineffecient.

Lol, just believe damnit!

F8al 4ce said:
Deadliest Creature

[the scary door]What if we combine the mose EVIL parts of the most EVIL animals to make the most EVIL Creature of all?[/the scary door]

How about Chironex fleckeri?

I think the shrew would be pretty sick human sized if it kept its same habits. shrews are voracious and have to eat anywhere between one to three times their body wait in 24 hours to stay alive, some have a neurotoxic venom to paralyze larger prey, and stink really bad.

as far as insects go, I think the dragon fly is pretty deadly. if you're in the water with a human sized dragonfly nymph you are toast. the are considered one of the deadliest creatures, pound for poud that is, in the water. an adult dragon fly creates optical illusions when it flies to help it avoid predators and hunt prey. they are fast, agile in the air, and voracious.

but really, changing the size of a smaller animal to human size wouldn't work, especially for the smallest ones. it's pretty fun to imagine what it would be like though.

Preying Mantis. Hands down the most devastating creatures on the planet

If an insect were man-sized if wouldn't be able to breathe, it's exoskelliton would also be ridiculously heavy I'm taking tonnes. If the insect were still able to move it wouldn't be for long, it would be like throwing an armour-plated night into a pond.

As for deadly creatures I would have to say... any bird of prey.

Mostly only one creature kills for "fun" so it's gotta be humans.

Bloodshedder said:

Your logic is non sequitur. If an insect were to be proportionally larger, it would have larger insides, but its exoskeleton would be proportionally larger as well and, assumably, strong enough to hold it up.

Incorrect. The strength of muscles and bones depends on cross section area, not volume, and therefore only increases by the square of the linear factor.

Humans. We have guns.

fodders said:

Mostly only one creature kills for "fun" so it's gotta be humans.

cats.

The mosquito (normal sized)

I think if it were possible for insects to be bigger, they would've evolved to be bigger. I mean, come on, they'd be unstoppable, and we mammals would all be their bitches. God, we'd have to get in the kitchen and make sammiches for our cockroach overlords. Thankfully, it appears they can't grow any more.

However, if insects could be human-sized, I'd vote for the mosquito. Bastards already have a taste for human blood as it is. They'd just skewer us. Camping trips would be massacres. It wouldn't be safe to go out in summer.

About the insect discussion;
i´m not entirely sure, but I think I´ve read in a book, that there once were insects of quite gigantic dimensions (relative to their size today).
It had to be somewhen during the time of the dinosaurs and according to this book there have been dragon-flys with a span of 2 meters for example...

Gotta search that book again.

Edit:
Ok, I was wrong... there were much bigger insects in the past, but none of them reached such extreme dimensions.
The biggest insect fossile ever found was a dragon-fly (Meganeura monyi) wich had a span of 70cm (Thats quite big though).

It's a boring answer, but humans, the only being that suck down the planet, send devasting misiles to miles away targets, and even kill their own kind.

Alone, without taking in count artifacts or the ability to breed, probably a spider, mantis, one of these african avispas (I don't know how you call them in English, these flying insects that are a bit more deadlier than the bees and look familiar with them).

Janderson said:

cats.

"How are you, gentlemen? All your base...."

Vegeta said:

african avispas (I don't know how you call them in English, these flying insects that are a bit more deadlier than the bees and look familiar with them).

I think you mean yellowjackets...? Yeah, those things are aggressive bastards. I've had unfortunate run-ins-- if you happen to find their nests (which are slightly smaller than mole burrows), you'd be lucky to get stung only once.

Or maybe you mean hornets... or cicada killers (whose sting makes you wish for death).

TheDarkArchon said:

"How are you, gentlemen? All your base...."

"for great justice.." there used to be eagles large enough to possibly lift a human being in post ice age america.

definitely the ant, do you know how deadly they would be if the size of a cat even. Nothing would stand a chance. They are fast, strong, methodical, and agressive.

fodders said:

Mostly only one creature kills for "fun" so it's gotta be humans.

not true, dogs kill for sport all the time. when people get mauled to death by dogs they usually aren't eaten as well.

Giraffes..

Velociraptors? :3