A Wild Way to Depart This World

While we usually think of famous deaths involving grand battles or tragic illnesses, some of the world's most notable names were taken down by the animal kingdom. Whether it was a tiny insect or a massive predator, these creatures managed to do what political rivals and old age couldn't. With that in mind, here are 20 times the animal kingdom proved its power.

John on Wikimedia

1. King Alexander of Greece and the Monkey

It’s hard to believe a monarch could be brought down by a small animal, but that’s what happened. In 1920, King Alexander was walking his pet through the Royal Gardens when it was attacked by a wild Barbarian macaque. Trying to rescue his dog, the king was bitten by the monkey and developed a fatal sepsis infection from the wound.

Charles Chusseau-Flaviens on Wikimedia

2. Steve Irwin and the Stingray

The world was genuinely shocked when the most famous wildlife expert on the planet was taken out by an animal he usually handled with ease. During a filming session for a documentary in 2006, a large stingray pierced his heart with its barbed tail in a freak defensive move. He remains the most modern figure on this list, and his legacy continues to inspire animal lovers everywhere.

Australia Zoo Pty Ltd on Wikimedia

3. Aeschylus and the Falling Tortoise

If you ever felt like birds were trying to drop animals on your head, Ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus would sympathize with you. Legend has it that one day, an eagle dropped a tortoise on his head, ending his life. What an unfortunate coincidence.

Tilemachos Efthimiadis on Wikimedia

4. King Martin of Aragon and the Indigestion

A goose really cooked this king’s goose back in 1410. After eating an entire one for dinner one night, he later passed due to a combination of acute indigestion and violent laughter. His uncontrollable laughter was caused by a court jester cracking a joke.

Pedro Núñez y Enrique Fernández on Wikimedia

5. Frederick Barbarossa and His Warhorse

When Barbarossa was leading the Third Crusade, he drowned after his horse startled and threw him into a river. Supposedly, the horse slipped while trying to cross, causing the emperor to fall in. He was unable to swim because he was wearing heavy armor at the time.

unknown illustrator on Wikimedia

6. Pope Adrian IV and the Choking Fly

Imagine being the only English Pope in history and having your reign ended by a tiny insect floating in your wine. He reportedly succumbed to a condition called quinsy after a fly got stuck in his throat. It's one of those weird historical footnotes that makes you want to cover your drink at every picnic.

Artaud de Montor (1772–1849) on Wikimedia

7. King Henry I and the Lampreys

You’ve probably heard that too much of a good thing can be dangerous, and for this English king, that thing was an eel-like fish. Despite his doctor's warnings, he gorged himself on a surfeit of lampreys. His love for this specific aquatic delicacy ended a thirty-five-year reign in a very unregal fashion.

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

8. Cleopatra (30 BC)

Cleopatra is famously known for forcing a snake to bite her in her final moments. This story comes from Strabo, who is one of the oldest sources alive at the time. According to him, she either compelled an asp to bite her or used a toxic ointment.

Andrea Music on Unsplash

9. Francis Bacon and the Frozen Chicken

Well into his 50s, Sir Francis Bacon wanted to see if cold temperatures could help preserve animals. He grabbed a chicken and stuffed it with snow, all with his bare hands. Noticing he was starting to feel ill, he soon developed pneumonia and died not long after.

in The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant. Artist unknown. on Wikimedia

10. Qin Shi Huang and the Mercury Fish

Legend has it that Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China, spent his later years searching for the elixir of life. Fish were one of the many animals whose organs he ground up into pills, thinking they would grant him immortality. As he grew older, he became weaker from ingesting mercury-laden pills.

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11. Taylor Mitchell and the Coyotes (2009)

Taylor Mitchell was a Canadian folk singer and songwriter. That was until 2009, when she was hiking through Nova Scotia and was attacked by a coyote. It was one of the few documented instances of a coyote attack turning lethal.

Dylan Ferreira on Unsplash

12. Jose Miller and the "Fighting" Rooster (1980s)

In a bizarre twist of "the prey strikes back," a man in California was attacked during an illegal chicken fight. One of the birds had a 3-inch metal spur attached to its leg. During the commotion, the panicked rooster lashed out, hurting the man and ending his life.

David Brooke Martin on Unsplash

13. Jean Batten and the Dog (1982)

Once known as the "Greta Garbo of the Skies," Batten was a world-famous New Zealand pilot who broke multiple solo flight records in the 1930s. After retreating into a life of absolute seclusion in Majorca, Spain, her passing remained a mystery for years. It was eventually discovered that she had been bitten by a small stray dog.

Unidentified photographer on Wikimedia

14. Diane Fossey and the Mountain Gorillas (1985)

The world-renowned primatologist dedicated her life to protecting gorillas in Rwanda. While her passing was caused by human poachers, it was her intense, singular bond with a gorilla named Digit that contributed to her fate. After Digit was attacked by poachers, Fossey’s crusade became so aggressive that it ultimately led to her assassination.

Ray Borges / Santa Barbara News-Press on Wikimedia

15. The "Man-Eaters of Tsavo" Victims (1898)

During the construction of the Uganda-Mombasa Railway, two maneless lions terrorized the workers. Over several months, they reportedly dragged dozens of men from their tents at night. The project came to a complete standstill until the lions were finally hunted down, proving that nature could halt the progress of the British Empire.

Mgiganteus on Wikimedia

16. Grace Olive Wiley and the Cobra (1948)

Known as the "Woman Without Fear," Wiley was a famous herpetologist who claimed she could tame any snake. She frequently posed for photos with venomous reptiles without protection. Her luck ran out during a photoshoot when a newly acquired Indian cobra bit her.

Nivedh P on Unsplash

17. Tom and Eileen Lonergan and the Sharks (1998)

This American couple was famously left behind by their dive boat at the Great Barrier Reef. While their bodies were never recovered, their disappearance became the inspiration for the movie Open Water. Their dive slate was later recovered from the ocean floor, hinting at the terrifying realization that they were being circled by predators in the open sea.

Tomáš Nožina on Unsplash

18. Kansuke Mitsui and the Siberian Tiger (1997)

In the world of animal conservation and zoos, few names were as respected in Japan as Mitsui, a veteran keeper at the Fuji Safari Park. Despite his decades of experience and a deep bond with the big cats, he was tragically attacked by a Siberian tiger during a routine enclosure check. The incident shocked the zoological world.

Andy Holmes on Unsplash

19. The Crew of the USS Indianapolis and the Sharks (1945)

After their ship was torpedoed in the Pacific, hundreds of sailors were left floating in the water for days. It became the site of the most harrowing shark feeding frenzy in recorded history. Survivors recalled the terrifying sight of whitetip sharks picking off men one by one, a story later immortalized in the movie Jaws.

Jakob Owens on Unsplash

20. Joselito Gomez (1920)

Joselito Gomez was a Spanish matador in the early twentieth century. His family had a long history of bullfighting, and he followed in their footsteps, becoming quite a legend—until the bull finally got the better of him in 1920.

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