When I think about the most dangerous animals in the world, my mind fills with blood, poison and huge predators. But it’s actually not the biggest animals that cause the most human deaths each year, far from it.
Bill Gates has revealed the list of the world’s deadliest animals, and I’ll admit I was very surprised by the results.
Focusing just on the animals that cause the most human deaths each year, and start from the least deadly to the most deadly, here are the top 20:
Although a lot of people are scared of them, sharks are estimated to only kill an estimated 6 people a year, making fatal attacks extremely rare.
Estimated to kill the same number of people each year as sharks, the ferocious-looking wolf – which is native to parts of North America and Europe – has a relatively small impact on humans compared to many other animals.
The jellyfish kills 40 people per year, placing it firmly on the list of the 20 deadliest animals, and it is the deadly ‘box jellyfish’ that accounts for these.
With a venomous sting, which is more powerful than a bite from a deadly black widow spider, they remain a threat to those swimming in the ocean.
Causing 50 deaths each year, this huge predator live in Asia and have been known as ‘man-eaters’ in some local legends. Sometimes tigers living near to human habitats may be unintentionally disturbed, causing an aggressive reaction – but one thing is for sure, we have little chance when faced by one of these impressive cats.
We’re often advised to leave them alone, and let these unassuming and non-aggressive insects get on with their work pollinating flowers.
But when provoked or threatened, sometimes bees can sting, and around 60 people a year are killed by them – often due to a severe allergic reaction known as anaphylactic shock.
15 (joint): Lion
Famed for its huge mane, fearsome growl, this massive cat kills 100 people a year according to estimates.
Despite its enormous size of the male, it is generally the females who do the hunting in these packs, taking down prey much larger than themselves at times, and working together to be the top of the food chain.
15 (joint): Elephant
Often thought to be soft and sweet, the elephant is perhaps surprisingly more dangerous to humans than other more terrifying animals.
Able to run much faster than many may think – at around 15 miles per hour – this huge mammal can become extremely territorial and protective over its young.
With the fourth most powerful bite in the world, according to Science Focus, the hippo has been labelled the killer of the savannah and perhaps the angriest animal in the world.
Hippos are estimated to kill around 500 humans each year, with their huge size and surprising speed adding to their massive bite power.
Thought to kill around 1,000 humans a year, the crocodile lurks beneath the water waiting for its prey, using its expert camouflage to surprise its victims before using its large snapping jaws to grab its prey and wrestle it below the surface – often drowning it.
The zoomed in pictured above shows the tapeworm, with often lurks in people’s intestines and is estimated to kill 1,600 humans each year.
10: Ascaris roundworm
Placed at number eight is another animal that kills thousands of humans a year – around 2,700. Placing itself specifically in the small intestines, causing the disease ascariasis, this animal can be found in people of all ages but is most likely to affect small children.
9 (joint): Tsetse fly
This small and relatively harmless-looking fly, can, in fact, put you into a deadly sleep according to the BBC. Several species of Tsetese flies also carry deadly diseases, and killing 3,500 humans a year shows the danger of this small insect.
9 (joint): Scorpion
Scorpions are a major concern in a number of countries, particularly those that are underdeveloped in the sub-continent, and account for 3,500 deaths per year.
According to estimates, there are 1.2 million scorpion stings each year, with around 0.27% of these resulting in a human’s death.
7: Freshwater snail
The snail may be a surprising inclusion on this list for many people, but in fact they kill an estimated 4,400 people each year through the disease schistosomiasis – which they pass on through a parasite.
6. Kissing bug
Killing 8,000 people each year, the small Kissing bug or ‘Assassin bug’ can transmit deadly diseases to humans, such as Chagas disease – this causes enlargement of ventricles in the heart, ultimately leading to heart failure.
We may think of them as man’s best friend, and the thought of being attacked by my beloved pet seems very unlikely to me! But in fact, it is not attacks that account for the 17,400 humans dogs kill every year, it is the deadly rabies virus.
A rabid dog is a frightening thought, and according to a report from Who, a staggering 99% of rabies deaths each year are caused by dogs.
A biting, blood-sucking insect often found in sandy areas, they are often known as horseflies in the United States.
They have been found to bite at an incredible rate of up to 1000 bites per hour, meaning you could be left with hundreds of little bites on your arms, neck, face, and feet in just a matter of minutes. They can carry parasitic diseases which may be fatal to humans. They are estimated to kill 24,200 people per year.
Probably one of the first animals many of us would think of when we hear the phrase ‘deadliest animals in the world’, the snake is responsible for a staggering 60,000 deaths each year.
As the numbers show, us humans are a huge danger to ourselves, with an estimated 580,000 murders thought to take place every single year. And in deadly terms, we only come second to one animal.
I’m surprised, are you?!
It turns out mosquitos kill a staggering 830,000 people every year, according to Bill Gates’ report. These small insects, which many of us would consider a pesky annoyance, actually carry deadly diseases – the worst of which is malaria, responsible for the majority of these.
Were you shocked by this list? Please share with others so they’re more aware about the dangers of mosquitoes!