Appearance and size can be deceiving when it comes to animals that kill humans
1 MOSQUITOES (Culicidae family)
Mosquitoes transmit infectious pathogens causing over 725,000 deaths annually.
2 HUMANS (Homo sapiens)
Are responsible for an estimated 431,000 human deaths every year.
3 FRESHWATER SNAILS (Gastropoda class)
Host deadly parasites known as flukes, estimated to kill 200,000 people a year.
4 SAW-SCALED VIPER (Echis carinatus)
Snake bites kill up to 138,000 per year. The deadliest is the saw-scaled viper.
5 ASSASSIN BUGS (Reduviidae family)
Some species spread Chagas disease, which kills around 10,000 people a year.
6 SCORPIONS (Scorpiones order)
Kill about 2,600 every year.
7 ASCARIS ROUNDWORMS (Ascaris genus)
The eggs are accidentally ingested, and parasitic worms kill around 2,500 a year.
8 CROCODILES (Crocodylidae family)
Kill about 1,000 every year.
9 HIPPOPOTAMUSUS (Hippopotamus amphibius)
Kill an estimated 500 a year.
10 ELEPHANTS (Elephantidae family)
Loss of habitat means more conflict with people, leading to 500 deaths per year.