Somehow this story involved me offering up my bare arm to a cage full of hungry mosquitoes so they could feed on my blood. Log in. Sign up. Log out. My profile and settings. Please complete your account verification. Resend verification email. This verification token has expired. Your email address has been verified. Update my profile. Your account has been deactivated. Sign in to re-activate your account.
View all newsletters in the newsletter archive today. You are now unsubscribed from receiving emails. Sorry, we were unable to unsubscribe you at this time. Back to profile. Comment Items. View Comment. Saved Posts. Become a Gates Notes Insider.
Inequality and race. Epidemic preparedness. Photo essays. Saving lives. Climate and energy. About Bill. All posts. The sheer number of mosquitoes adds to the risk they pose to humans. Unlike many other dangerous creatures, they can be found in nearly every part of the world at various times of year, and at peak breeding season they outnumber every other animal except ants and termites. An estimated 50, people are killed every year by snakes.
The most venomous snake in the world is the Inland Taipan, also known as the Western Taipan. Its venom is highly toxic and can kill a human being in under 45 minutes. But it is not the biggest killer, because it rarely bites humans. The saw-scaled viper is estimated to kill about 5, people every year - more than any other kind of snake.
The various Krait species, also among the world's most deadly, are found mostly in East Asia. Man's best friend? Perhaps, but not mankind's. Rabid dogs are responsible for the deaths of an estimated 25, people per year. Countries with large numbers of stray dogs, including India, are the worst affected.
Dying from an actual dog bite is much more rare. There is no reliable worldwide data, but of the estimated 4. Being stung by a jellyfish is a good way to ruin your day at the beach, but out of , annual jellyfish stings, about 40 people are fatally wounded.
Anaphylaxis from bee stings is one of the primary causes of death among people who are killed by bees. Ironically, it's the skittish nature of Bambi and his kind that leads to triple-digit human deaths every year. If you're surprised by the number of deer-related fatalities, you've probably never had to swerve to avoid a deer frozen in your headlights on a dark country road.
Big-game hunters sell Cape buffalo hunting adventures online. The problem is that large male buffalo wander from the herd to keep watch from a distance, attacking any threats from behind. Lions are predators and will view humans as prey, especially lions not raised in captivity. Understanding that hunting is instinctive for lions is the best way to avoid death by Simba. Elephants will respect your space if you respect theirs, but elephants who feel threatened by poachers or overly aggressive tourists are known for bouts of rage; they will charge animals they view as a threat.
Don't be fooled by their sleepy nature or their portrayal as comical characters in cartoons; hippopotami are some of the most aggressive animals on the planet and will not hesitate to charge humans who get too close.
More than one human per day, on average, is killed by a hippo every year. Crocodiles are opportunistic hunters and any animal that moves in their habitat is fair game. Around 1, people each year are fatally attacked by crocodiles, but because crocodiles hunt in generally poorer and more remote regions, each death receives far less media attention than other, less common animal attacks.
A tapeworm usually makes its way into a human host through food or water contaminated with eggs. People may go years with no symptoms before the infection suddenly becomes serious. These parasites have tiny eggs easily transferred from contaminated dirt into human mouths. The roundworm takes up residence in the small intestine and can interfere with nutritional uptake, cause tissue reactions and even lead to intestinal blockage as the worms grow larger.
Avoiding the scorpion is common sense, right? Only two kinds of scorpions have venom potent enough to kill a human being: the Israeli deathstalker and the Brazilian yellow scorpion. Whilst there have been a handful of reported deaths of tourists or guides being killed by this keystone species during a safari game drive , these cases are very much the exception.
The vast majority of humans killed by lions are of locals going about their daily lives in or on the fringes of African game reserves. The largest land animal, and one of the most dangerous. Unprovoked attacks by elephants on humans are occasionally reported, usually by male elephants in musth a sexually active period when testosterone levels increase. Each year around human deaths are caused by African elephants trampling and crushing their victims.
There are a large number of tapeworm species — parasites that live in the small intestines of many different species of animals. The Echinococcus group of tapeworm are most dangerous to humans, and measure just 6 millimeters in length, and found in raw or undercooked meat. Their size is not indicative of the damage they can cause, however, which if left untreated leads to severe symptoms and can be fatal.
Found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas, crocodile live in lakes, rivers, wetlands, and even some saltwater areas. The larger saltwater crocodile and Nile crocodile species are the most dangerous, regularly killing people in parts of Asia and Africa.
Know the key differences between crocodiles and alligators? Known for their ambush hunting technique, the crocodiles are indiscriminate hunters and attack any animal that comes within reach — including humans. Their attack usually takes the form of launching from the water and clamping its victim in its powerful jaws, dragging them back into the water to drown them before stashing them under submerged branches or rocks to eat later.
Attacks on humans usually occur when people are washing close to riverbanks and lakeshores, and when fishermen are getting in and out of their boats. The risk of crocodile attacks has been shown to increase in the warmer season when the crocodiles have more energy. With so many dangerous animals in Africa, many people often overlook the fact that the hippopotamus is actually the biggest killer of humans of all large African animals.
Although hippos are herbivores, these highly territorial animals are estimated to kill an incredible 3, people per year. Male hippos fiercely defend their territories — which include the banks of rivers and lakes, while females hippos can get extremely aggressive if they sense anything getting in between them and their babies, who stay in the water while they feed on the shore.
Did you hear about the pink hippo milk rumour?
0コメント