What Animals Are Deadliest to Humans? You Might Be Surprised

At some point every summer you are bound to see a story on the news about someone’s close encounter with a shark during a summer vacation. Has it ever made you reconsider your trip to the beach? What if I told you that sharks only cause approximately six deaths each year… would you be surprised? Not very fair to give the shark such a bad rap huh? The Bill Gates Foundation has created a list of the top 15 deadliest animals to humans, and it looks like this:

While the World’s Deadliest Animals list is approximate and can change from year-to-year, it is representative of the kinds of animal and the actual dangers they present to humans. Often it isn’t the animal itself, but the diseases it carries that makes it dangerous. And size is definitely not representative of danger.

Bigger Does Not Mean Deadlier

In other words, bigger does not necessarily mean deadlier. For example elephants and hippos tie for 11th and 12th on the list, causing about 500 deaths a year apiece while the tsetse fly comes in at 7th for 10,000 deaths a year.

Do Sharp Teeth Matter?

Teeth… big, sharp teeth aren’t really a factor either as crocodiles kill approximately 1,000 people a year and freshwater snails kill over 20,000. Do you run when a snail is nearby? Do snails have sharp teeth? While snails do have teeth, they are not big and sharp, but snails do carry some pretty nasty parasitic worms.

Man & Man’s Best Friend Are Way Deadlier than Sharks

Number 4 is probably everyone’s least favorite to talk about: man’s best friend. Dogs cause 35,000 deaths each year. You may have guessed number two, it’s unfortunate, but it’s a fact. The second deadliest animal to humans is other humans. “According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, there were about 437,000 homicides in 2012”. We are truly almost our own worst enemy.

Mosquitoes Are the Deadliest Animal on Earth

However, number 1 comes close to double that. According to gates notes, the mosquito killed 830,000 humans in 2015. It’s hard to imagine that something so tiny you can smack it and kill it with barely a thought is the deadliest animal on earth, but it is a fact. Malaria alone is responsible for half of those deaths. Dengue fever has become one of the leading causes of death from mosquito-borne illness as well. We think of them as annoying little pests, but they are truly dangerous creatures. Deadly dangerous.

We are fascinated and horrified by these mosquito facts at Mosquito Squad of Twin Cities, and we share them with you for two reasons. Number One is because we are sure that if we are interested some of you are sure to be as well. Number Two and more importantly, it is to remind you that protecting yourself from mosquitoes can be important for your health. No one wants to be a statistic, and while you can cancel your trip to the beach to avoid a shark, it’s pretty hard to avoid your own backyard.

Call us today and let us put a plan in place for mosquito control that will give you peace of mind when using your outdoor space. We look forward to talking with you.