The Deadliest Animals In The World: Do You Know Them?
The world is as fascinating as it is dangerous, at least in the view of us humans. Hence, we have identified five species and classified them as the deadliest animals in the world. The fact is, every species has survival strategies and defenses against predators, some of which are, of course, deadly as well. In addition, there are some species that merely act as hosts to various unwanted parasites.
When you think of dangerous animals, you probably picture carnivores like lions and tigers, or maybe large animals like the hippopotamus and the great white shark. But while these animals have attacked humans too, they are not among the deadliest animals in the world.
Surprisingly, the animals that cause the most human deaths each year are sometimes particularly close to civilized society (and yes, that’s really scary). Below is a list of the five deadliest animals in the world, sorted in ascending order by the number of deaths they caused.
5th place among the deadliest animals: the tsetse fly (10,000 deaths per year)
In fifth place is an old friend of experts in microbial diseases. We are talking about the genus Glossina , commonly known as the tsetse fly. However, the lethality of this animal, which causes up to 10,000 deaths annually, is not due to the insect itself.
Instead, these insects transmit pathogens such as the protozoan Trypanosoma brucei , which causes African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness. This disease threatens millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa.
Sleeping sickness is transmitted through the bite of a fly infected with the parasite. After that, the parasite first gets into the blood and then into the infected person’s brain, which leads to significant heart and neurological problems. If left untreated, the parasite can lead to coma and death of the patient.
4th place: the domestic dog (25,000 deaths per year)
You may be surprised to find man’s best friend on this list, but it’s true. Dogs kill approximately 25,000 people annually after being bitten. However, most deaths are due to rabies.
According to a BBC article, dogs are not vaccinated in many developing and emerging countries. For example, 40% of the world’s deaths from rabies occur in India. This is surprising indeed, given that dogs are the most common pets on the planet.
3rd place among the deadliest animals in the world: snakes (50,000 deaths per year)
The snake ranks third among the deadliest animals on the planet. These reptiles often use their venomous bite to hunt their prey and defend themselves against predators. There are several deadly species, although they rarely attack humans.
The most poisonous snake in the world
The indoor taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) is the species of snake with the most venomous bite in the world. Their poison can kill a person in less than 45 minutes.
In addition, this animal comes from the Australian outback. Very few people live in these desert areas. Therefore, there is little interaction between them and humans. Records show that up to 80% of people who were bitten died as a result of the bite. But snakes rarely attack people for no reason.
The venomous snake that causes the most deaths
The viper Echis carinatus is one of the snakes that causes the highest number of human deaths each year. Their poison only leads to death in about 10% of cases. Since this animal frequently comes to populated areas and remains very quiet, accidental encounters with them lead to numerous deaths.
2nd place: humans (440,000 deaths per year)
Believe it or not, humans are number two of the world’s deadliest animals, because there is only one other living being that causes more deaths than they do.
Aside from the enormous impact of Homo sapiens on other species, we are also a great threat to ourselves. According to the United Nations, there were around 437,000 murders worldwide in 2012. Of course, the numbers differ considerably from country to country.
Hence, the lesson you should learn from this is clear: humans should fear other humans more than many animals.
1st place: mosquitoes are the deadliest animals in the world (nearly 1 million deaths per year)
The deadliest animal on planet earth is an annoying little insect: the mosquito. These tiny insects transmit diseases such as dengue, Zika, West Nile fever, and malaria. The latter disease is specifically transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito and kills around 600,000 people annually.
These diseases are widespread in hot and humid areas such as sub-Saharan Africa.
Since there are numerous species of mosquitoes, they live almost everywhere in the world and often also in human settlements and cities. This could also explain the great lethality of this little insect.
So next time you think of dangerous animals, you don’t have to worry too much about the terrifying crocodile or giant grizzly bear. Instead, you should take a closer look at yourself and the people around you. They could be far more dangerous.
