Beware Of Potentially Deadly Bites From These 5 Idaho Creatures

Idaho might not be Australia, where any number of dangerous animals could kill you, but there certainly are a number of animals you don’t want to come face-to-face with. 

Bears? We have a lot of those. Idaho Fish and Game estimates that between the foothills and forested regions of the state, 20,000-30,000 black bears call the Gem State home. The agency explains that traditionally, these bears aren’t typically aggressive toward humans unless you get in between them and attempt to get their hands on food. While the grizzly bear population is much smaller than the black bear population, you may encounter them in northern or eastern Idaho closer to Yellowstone. In 2023, there have been reports of a black bear attacking a Victor, Idaho man while he was opening his garage door and a grizzly bear killing a woman near the Montana-Idaho border while she was jogging.

Mountain Lions? Hearing that mountain lions have been spotted along the greenbelt or neighborhoods along the Boise River isn’t uncommon. A big cat prowling your neighborhood can be unnerving, but the mountain lions are far more dangerous to your pets, small livestock and poultry than you. Idaho Fish and Game reports that only four mountain lion attacks on humans took place between 1990-2021. None of those were fatal. 

You might be uneasy coming face-to-face with wolves, bobcats or moose, as well. The chances of these animals attacking a human are low, but should it happen, you’re likely facing scarring and other painful injuries. We don’t mean to be morbid, but in that case, you know exactly why you’re in pain. 

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That's not always the case when it comes to animals who cause you pain by biting you. With rattlesnake and Black Widow bites, you'll usually feel those symptoms come on quickly as venom starts pulsing through your body. But a bat or mosquito bite? You may not realize that those bites happened until it's too late.

All of these critters' bites can be potentially fatal to humans.