Natural-Born Killers: Which Animals Have the Highest Humans Kill Rate?

Despite humans being the dominant species on the earth, our greater intellect does not protect us from being preyed upon by other animals. Here are some examples of the most infamous animals with the highest fatality rate.

Because some figures are more challenging to predict than others, these are, for the most part, tentative estimates - often highly rough estimates. And while the list is illustrative of several types of lethal animals, it is far from exhaustive.

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Scorpions (3,000 per year)

Scorpion stings are a public health concern, especially in the Americas' tropical and subtropical regions, North Africa, the Middle East, and India. Around 1.5 million scorpion envenomations occur each year, resulting in approximately 2,600 deaths. Mexico is one of the countries most afflicted, with the world's largest scorpion biodiversity, 200,000 envenomations per year, and at least 300 deaths.

Tsetse Flies (10,000 per year)

Humans are infected with a disease called African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, which tsetse flies transmit. Only 3-4 million people are covered by active surveillance, although 60-70 million people in 20 nations are at various levels of risk. The DALY index (disability-adjusted life years) measures illness burden that considers both the length of life lost to premature death and the length of a life lived with a handicap. Sleeping illness is expected to cause 2 million DALYs each year. Because the condition primarily affects working adults, the entire expense to a family with a sufferer is around a quarter of a year's salary.

Dogs (25,000 per year)

The World Health Organization estimated that 59,000 individuals died from rabies in 2018, with 59.6% in Asia and 36.4 percent in Africa. Rabies is a disease that is spread primarily through dogs. Every year, tens of millions of people worldwide are bitten by dogs. Children in their mid-to-late childhood are the most likely to be bitten by dogs, with a higher risk of head and neck injuries. They have the greatest fatality rate and are more likely to require medical treatment. Sharp claws with powerful muscles can lacerate flesh and cause serious illnesses if scratched.

Snakes (50,000 per year)

The majority of snake species are nonvenomous, and those with venom employ it to kill and subjugate prey rather than defend themselves. Some have venom capable of inflicting painful harm or death in humans. Snakes that aren't venomous swallow their victims whole or kill them by constriction.

Mosquitoes (1,000,000 per year)

The mosquito's saliva is transferred to the host during the bite, causing an unpleasant rash. Many species can also swallow diseases while biting and spread them to new hosts. In this way, mosquitos play a major role in the transmission of parasite diseases like malaria and filariasis and arboviral diseases like yellow fever, Chikungunya, West Nile, dengue fever, and Zika. Mosquitoes kill more people than any other animal taxon because they spread diseases.

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