You might think that the deadliest animal in the world is a shark, a snake, or a crocodile. But you would be wrong.
The deadliest animal in the world is not a large predator, but a tiny insect that can transmit deadly diseases.
In this article, we will reveal the identity of the number one killer of humans and also rank the top 10 deadliest animals on Earth based on reliable sources.
You might be surprised by some of the facts we uncover.
What is the number 1 deadliest animal?
According to various sources ¹²³, the number one deadliest animal in the world is the mosquito.
Mosquitoes are responsible for more than one million deaths per year, mostly due to the diseases they carry and spread.
Some of the most common and fatal diseases transmitted by mosquitoes are malaria, dengue, yellow fever, Zika, and West Nile virus.
Mosquitoes are found in almost every region of the world, except for Antarctica and some islands. They breed in stagnant water and feed on blood from humans and animals.
They can detect their hosts by sensing carbon dioxide, body heat, and other chemicals.
Female mosquitoes need blood to produce eggs, while male mosquitoes feed on nectar and plant juices.
Mosquitoes have been called “the deadliest animal in the world” by Bill Gates ⁴, who has invested millions of dollars in fighting malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases.
Some of the strategies to prevent and control these diseases include using insecticide-treated bed nets, spraying insecticides, developing vaccines and drugs, and genetically modifying mosquitoes.
What are the 10 deadliest animals on earth?
Different lists may have different criteria and definitions for ranking the deadliest animals on earth, but based on a compilation of lists from several reliable sources ¹²³⁵, here are the top 10 deadliest animals on earth in terms of human deaths per year:
– Mosquitoes: 1,000,000 deaths
– Humans: 475,000 deaths
– Snakes: 50,000 deaths
– Dogs: 25,000 deaths
– Tsetse flies: 10,000 deaths
– Assassin bugs: 10,000 deaths
– Freshwater snails: 10,000 deaths
– Scorpions: 3,250 deaths
– Ascaris roundworms: 2,500 deaths
– Tapeworms: 2,000 deaths
Some of these animals may not kill humans directly, but rather act as vectors that transmit diseases.
Others may kill humans intentionally or accidentally due to their venom, bites, or attacks. Some of these animals may be more common or dangerous in certain regions than others.
Some of these animals may also be endangered or threatened by human activities.
What kills humans the most?
Apart from animals, there are many other causes of death for humans around the world.
According to the World Health Organization ⁶, the top 10 causes of death globally in 2019 were:
– Ischaemic heart disease: 8.9 million deaths\
– Stroke: 6.1 million deaths
– Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: 3.2 million deaths
– Lower respiratory infections: 2.6 million deaths
– Neonatal conditions: 2 million deaths
– Trachea, bronchus, and lung cancers: 1.8 million deaths
– Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias: 1.6 million deaths
– Diarrhoeal diseases: 1.5 million deaths
– Diabetes mellitus: 1.4 million deaths
– Kidney diseases: 1.3 million deaths
Some of these causes of death are related to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which are chronic conditions that cannot be transmitted from person to person.
NCDs accounted for 74% of all deaths globally in 2019.
Some of these causes of death are related to communicable diseases (CDs), which are infectious or parasitic diseases that can be transmitted from person to person or from animal to human.
CDs accounted for 15% of all deaths globally in 2019.
Some of these causes of death are related to injuries, which are physical harms caused by accidents or violence.
Injuries accounted for 11% of all deaths globally in 2019.
Conclusion
In this article, we have answered some of the questions that you might have about the deadliest animal in the world and some of its competitors.
We have also shared some facts and statistics about the top causes of death for humans globally.
You can check out some of the sources and links that we have provided for more information.
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