The 13 Most Dangerous Animals to Humans

The most dangerous animals that kill more people than any others probably don’t look like what you might expect. Hollywood would have you believe that sharks, bears, and other large beasts with formidable jaws top the list, but some of the world’s deadliest creatures are pint-size.

Mosquitoes don’t directly kill humans, but the diseases the blood-sucking pests transmit claim the lives of more than 700,000 people annually. Other dangerous animals that kill numerous people every year include tsetse flies, tapeworms, hippopotamuses, scorpions, elephants, venomous snakes, lions, Cape buffalo, and even “man’s best friend.”

Watch out for any of the following dangerous animals. How many have you had a terrifying confrontation with?

Mosquitoes

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dubbed the mosquito the “world’s deadliest animal.” These winged bloodsuckers pierce human skin with their specialized sucking mouthparts and leave behind raised, itchy welts… and sometimes something much worse.

Mosquito bites can transmit several deadly diseases, including malaria, West Nile virus, dengue, Zika virus, and yellow fever. These deadly, pathogen-spreading insects kill approximately 700,000 people per year.

Venomous Snakes

Only about 400 of the 3,000 or so snake species worldwide are venomous, but those snakes take the lives of between 81,000 and 138,000 people every year.

Although the chances of dying from a snakebite in the United States are almost zero due to the availability of medical care, snakebites are the top medical emergency in rural and impoverished Asia-Pacific regions. The deadliest snakes in the world include the saw-scaled viper, inland taipan, black mamba, Russel’s viper, common krait, Indian cobra, and puff adder.

Dogs

Dogs may be man’s best friend, but they are also responsible for the deaths of at least 25,000 people per year. The deadliest breed of dog is the pit bull, responsible for 284 deaths in the U.S. between 2005 and 2017.

Most of those 25,000 annual deaths by dog are the result of contracting rabies from an infected canine, usually a stray. In impoverished areas outside of the United States that have many stray dogs and poor health care, an untreated bite from a rabid dog could prove lethal.

Tsetse Flies

Tsetse flies live in sub-Saharan Africa and carry dangerous microbes known as trypanosomes that kill approximately 3,500 people per year.

The tsetse fly bites transmit the trypanosomes, which cause sleeping sickness — a serious disease marked by fever, lethargy, and erratic sleep cycles. If left untreated, sleep sickness will kill a human after a few years.

Assassin Bugs

Assassin bugs have a scary name for a scarier reason. These bloodsucking insects use their proboscis to pierce human skin and usually defecate on us after feeding. When people scratch or wipe the bitten area, they risk spreading the parasite that causes Chagas disease, which will cause one’s stomach and intestines to swell up.

Although mostly found in Central and South America, some species of assassin bugs live in the southern United States. These aptly named killers take the lives of about 10,000 people annually.

Crocodiles

The massive saltwater crocodile, the largest living reptile, is an opportunistic feeder that won’t hesitate to eat a human that strays too close to its watery habitat. Males can weigh up to 3,300 pounds and grow up to 20 feet in length.

Collectively, crocodilians kill approximately 1,000 people a year, and the saltwater crocodile is guilty of most of them.  Do not even think about going in or near the water where these killer crocs lurk.

Hippopotamuses

Hippopotamuses are large, semiaquatic mammals that live in sub-Saharan Africa. Although they are herbivores, these blubbery bullies are aggressive and territorial.

Hippos have been known to capsize boats, crush or tusk humans, and pick fights with lions, crocodiles, and hyenas that get in their way. These gigantic, not-so-gentle “river horses” kill at least 500 people every year.

Elephants

By now, you’ve probably picked up on the fact that a lot of African and Asian animals want to kill you or won’t think twice about it. One of those creatures, the elephant, is the largest living land animal and one that is said to never forget, so don’t tick one off.

Elephants are known to raid villages and croplands for food and will trample or gore humans unlucky enough to get in their way. These big beasts kill between 100 and 500 people a year.

Lions

The lion is the so-called king of the jungle… even though it doesn’t live in jungles. These savanna-dwelling predatory cats gather in prides and are very protective of their cubs.

According to the BBC, a lion can crack a human skull with its jaws and deliver deep wounds with its massive claws. Although people aren’t typically on their menu, a hungry lion isn’t above a human hors d’oeuvre. Usually when lions attack humans, however, it’s because the big cats are protecting their young or feel threatened.

Lions kill approximately 200 people per year in Africa and India.

Scorpions

Scorpions are predatory arachnids known for their scary-looking stingers at the ends of their long tails. They prefer desert areas but have adapted to climates on every continent except for Antarctica.

Of the 2,500 different species of scorpion, only about 25 species have venom that is deadly to humans. Nevertheless, this is no comfort to the approximately 2,600 people who die from scorpion stings every year.

Cape Buffalos

Although it doesn’t look like it, the Cape buffalo of Africa is deadlier to humans than a great white shark. These badass bovines have large horns and can weigh up to 1,900 pounds. Finally, an answer to one of the most important questions of the 1980s: “Where’s the beef?”

Cape buffalos protect themselves and their young from predators or any perceived threat by charging as a group. As a result, these beefy buffalos kill about 200 people every year.

Tapeworms

Tapeworms are elongated flatworm parasites that attach themselves to a human’s intestinal walls and feed off food the person eats. A condition known as neurocysticercosis, which is when tapeworm eggs hatch and the larvae move from the intestines to the brain, kills at least 2,000 people a year.

People catch tapeworms by eating undercooked pork or coming into contact with contaminated water, soil, or food. Washing your hands regularly and cooking pork thoroughly will greatly reduce your chances of contracting tapeworms.

Jellyfish

Jellyfish are bloblike marine invertebrates with long, stinging tentacles. Some, like the box jellyfish, have a venom so toxic that it causes excruciating pain and kills at least 100 people every year… and likely many more than that.

A jellyfish may not look as scary as the great white from Jaws, but these gelatinous creatures kill more people every year than sharks, sea snakes, and stingrays combined.