People are not the only owners on this planet - we share it with many other living beings, who are sometimes not aware of our deep conviction that we consider ourselves to be the main ones, and they must obey us implicitly. There is an ongoing process of interaction. Just as we influence other animals, they affect us. Sometimes this communication has a tragic ending for both those and others.
The dangers of the wildlife world
In compiling a list of animals that are dangerous to humans, various aspects can be used. For example, to rank them according to toxicity, or to take into account only domestic animals (after all, at least 100 people die every year from attacks by dogs or as a result of accidents involving horses). However, today's description includes wildlife that kill far more people each year.
In a world where survival is the foundation of existence itself, every living creature should be equipped with everything necessary to achieve the main goal of life, because the ability to adapt in the environment and protect oneself is a guarantee of saving life.
All animals (both predators and prey) possess unique characteristics inherent to them, which they use both for defense and for attack. These mechanisms and instincts that help them earn their own food and survive in the wild make some animals dangerous to humans.
It is hard to say exactly how many people die each year from wildlife attacks. Official statistics often do not reflect real numbers, as many fatalities occur in underdeveloped countries, where reports of animal attacks often do not reach the authorities.
Therefore, the estimated number of human deaths is reflected here. Perhaps it will be unexpected that the list did not include bears (from 5 to 10 deaths per year), sharks (12 deaths during 2011) and spiders (from 10 to 50 deaths per year).
In the animal kingdom, appearance can be deceiving, distinguishing between danger and charm or determining which animals are dangerous to humans is quite difficult. So, let's begin?
10th place - jellyfish
Deaths every year: 50-100.
About 150 million people receive burns each year from these seemingly harmless creatures, who, when the opportunity arises, fire thousands of small poisonous arrows that cause unbearable pain.
Several types of jellyfish are so poisonous that they can cause anaphylaxis in the victim, which in some cases leads to death from cardiac arrest. The most deadly is the box jellyfish, which lives mainly in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Representatives of this species are difficult to see in the water, as they masterfully differentiate themselves from other brethren, because their main goal is to hunt for prey. They do not prey on people, but diving enthusiasts often get into their networks. It is estimated that only in the Philippines between 20 and 40 people die annually from a bite of a box jellyfish, and all over the world these figures reach from 50 to 100 people, which makes them an extremely dangerous representative of the aquatic world and animals dangerous to human life.
9th place - tigers
Deaths every year: 50-250.
These representatives of the noble feline family account for the largest number of dead people in history. Tiger attacks became especially frequent in areas where large populations of these animals had to fight a growing number of human populations.
It is believed that only in India during the 20th century, between 15,000 and 20,000 people died from the claws of these animals. Today, only 3,000 to 5,000 tigers remain in the world, so the number of encounters with people has fallen sharply. However, they are still very dangerous for many people on our planet. Especially in the Sundarban region, the world heritage site of India, and Bangladesh, where most deaths occur.
Here, the Bengal tiger is under increasing pressure from people, and human deaths are mainly associated with territorial disputes and lack of prey. Due to the difficulty in determining the exact number of deaths from tiger attacks, it can be assumed that they kill more people each year than lions and are on the list of the most dangerous animals - human killers.
8th place - lions
Deaths every year: 100-300.
Lions live in Africa and India and are predators, whose menu includes many large mammals. Sometimes they persecute people, and there are many real stories about the lions that terrorized the inhabitants of the settlements nearby with their territory.
However, most lions attacking people either starve, or age, or get sick.
It is believed that the main reason for the attacks of lions on people is the lack of prey in areas where people dominate. But toothache can also make a lion choose a person who, excuse us for sarcasm, can be chewed more easily than a tough antelope.
The country most affected by their attacks is Tanzania, where between 50 and 70 people die each year. The opinion that lions are the most dangerous animals in the world and killers of people is widespread, but they do not occupy the first place in the list.
7th place - hippos
Deaths every year: 100-300.
Hippos live in the southern half of Africa and are very aggressive in nature. They attack anyone who invades their territory. And especially dangerous if they have cubs. Hippos attack humans, both in water and on land, and they can do this even without provocation.
It is difficult to understand exactly how many people these animals kill every year, since most people who come in contact with hippos live far from civilization. Hippopotamus can compete with a lion and is the most dangerous animal for humans in Africa.
6th place - bees / wasps
Deaths every year: 400-600.
Bees and wasps belong to the same order (Hymenoptera). Many people affected by their sting do not know exactly which insect caused this, therefore they occupy one place in this list.
Bees and wasps play a vital role in pollination of plants, and, in essence, are quite peaceful animals. However, they attack if they feel cornered, or if you are approaching their homes. They are especially dangerous animals for the health of a person who is allergic to their poison (for example, 1% of the population of Sweden is allergic to wasps).
5th place - elephants
Deaths every year: 400-600.
Elephants are known for their bad temper and attack without warning. Sometimes they act for certain reasons, which can be called revenge. There are many examples of how elephants suddenly killed their masters, with whom they lived together for decades. Elephants are vegetarians, but attacks on humans have nonetheless intensified in recent years.
Perhaps this is due to the fact that elephants have fewer places to live. In India, furious male elephants regularly attack villages. For example, 300 people were killed in the Indian state of Jharkhand between 2000 and 2004. Worldwide, it is estimated that elephants kill 400-600 people each year, making them the deadliest mammal in the world.
4th place - crocodiles
Deaths every year: 800-2,000.
The largest species of crocodiles, no doubt, are animals that are dangerous to humans. They are one of the few representatives of the wildlife world who consider humans to be prey.
It is difficult to determine the exact number of victims killed by crocodiles. Most of the areas where people meet with them are hard to reach, poor, or located in countries affected by the conflict. It is believed that the areas where attacks most often occur are New Guinea, Borneo and the Solomon Islands, where several hundred deaths are recorded annually. Mostly from a marine crocodile.
He is the largest crocodile and reptile in the world. Nile crocodile is a little smaller, but also dangerous.
3rd place - scorpions
Deaths every year: 1,000-5,000.
Scorpio with his sting is one of the most terrible creatures in the world. Of the 1700 species of scorpions, only about 25 have poison strong enough to kill a person.
Approximately 95% of all scorpion bites lead only to pain and suffering. But the remaining 5% need medical attention and can have sad consequences. Scorpions often live close to people in tropical or arid underdeveloped countries. It is estimated that up to 5,000 people die every year after being bitten by scorpions.
In Mexico, the most affected are dangerous insects, which annually cause the death of up to 1,000 people.
2nd place - snakes
Deaths every year: 20,000-125,000.
About 5.5 million people experience snakebites every year, and between 20,000 and 125,000 die.
The venom of these animals also causes damage to parts of the body, and every year around 400,000 amputations are performed worldwide after encountering people. Some of the most dangerous and poisonous snakes live in sparsely populated Australia, but they cause less than two deaths per year, while up to 50,000 deaths are caused by their bites in overpopulated India. Pictured here is an Indian cobra, also known as a spectacular cobra.
This is one of the four snakes that cause most deaths in India.
Admittedly, these reptiles are usually quite timid. They attack only when they feel threatened. For example, they accidentally step on or walk too close.
Thus, snakes are the most deadly animals in the world. Except for the six-legged disease spreaders described below.
1st place - insects spreading diseases
Deaths every year: 700,000-3,000,000.
There are over a million different species of insects in the world, and many of them like to bite. Only a few insects can be killed directly with the help of poison (for example, spiders, bees and scorpions), why are they the most dangerous animals for humans? There are many species that can kill indirectly by spreading deadly diseases.
Mosquitoes are animals that kill most people every year by carrying deadly viruses and parasites. They are carriers of viruses that cause dengue and yellow fever. A malaria parasite, for example, spreads through mosquitoes. Every year, 250 million people become infected with malaria, of which between 600,000 and 1.3 million die.
Annually, from 50 to 100 million people get dengue fever (of which 12,500 to 25,000 people die), and 200,000 get yellow fever (of which 30,000 die).
Africa is also home to the tsetse fly, which spreads the parasitic African trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness. It tends to grow into an epidemic, and in some areas in, over some periods of time, kills more people than AIDS. Cases of "sleeping sickness" are currently declining, but nevertheless about 10,000 people die from it each year.
The blood-sucking Triatominae, or “kiss beetle,” spread Chagas parasitic disease, which kills between 10,000 and 20,000 people each year. Mostly in South America.
Ticks spread several diseases, of which the most common are Lyme bacterial disease and TBE virus (tick-borne encephalitis).
Lyme disease rarely kills, but is delayed, difficult to treat, and has many different symptoms. TBE exists in Europe and Asia, killing at least 1,000 people every year.
Plague is a bacterial disease that can be transmitted from rats through fleas. Although, fortunately, the plague today is much less common than in the Middle Ages, when about 75 million people died in the world, nowadays two hundred people die every year. Fleas also spread typhoid fever, which kills about 20,000 people every year.
Dangers on the way
In addition to those on the list, there are many more animals and plants that are dangerous to humans. As we could see, the size and formidable appearance of an animal does not always determine the degree of danger it poses to humans. And faraway Africa is by no means the only place with a risk to life and health.
However, this is not a reason for every second concern, which should lead to imprisonment in four walls. The wildlife world is beautiful and amazing, you just need to stock up on knowledge about safety measures and be careful.