What Animals Kill the Most Humans? Top Deadliest Animals

What Animals Kill the Most Humans? - When seeing wildlife animals, sometimes you might be wondering what the deadliest animals in the world are. What animals kill the most humans in this world? Animals come in different shapes, sizes, and colors, From big animals such as cows, elephants, bears, small animals around us like rats, or insects, wild animals like lions, poisonous animals like snakes, or scorpions, and thousands more.

Like it or not, we can see that animals are particularly all around us. Animals, especially wild animals, sometimes are aggressive towards humans, due to their wild nature, or accidents. If humans stray too close to these wild animals, or accidentally stumbled upon them, some can hurt, or even kill humans. These animals pack quite a punch, or even poison to kill humans.

Top 8 Deadliest Animals

Now, we will rank below here the top 8 deadliest animals around the world to answer the simple question, what animals kill the most humans each year? Our rankings below here are based on how many humans death cases in animals attacks, aggression, fatal attacks on humans, how many human casualties, and the rate of attacks each year. 

8. Sharks 

To start our list of what animals kill the most humans each year, with sharks. Contrary to popular belief, like in many TV shows or movies picturing sharks as deadly animals, that kill humans for fun, sharks ranked 9 on our list of deadliest animals. 

Sharks attacks, although deadly and may cause injuries or death, are incredibly rare. With only at least 100-300 shark attacks each year, and an average of 7-8 human fatalities each year. 

This is due to human isn’t shark’s main diet, and sharks see humans as something alien. If a shark attack happens, it is mostly because sharks mistook humans for a seal, and attack them. The species that are considered the most aggressive sharks are Bull sharks, Tiger sharks, and Great White sharks.

7. Elephants

While normally we see elephants as gentle, and smart animals, never provoke them, you don’t want to see a huge towering 3-meter tall creature weighing 5.000 kg charging down at you. In many parts of the world where elephants are still wild animals, like in India, Africa, or certain parts of Southeast Asia, elephants' herd sometimes get lost in human habitation, go rampant, and rarely attacks human.

Elephants are smart creatures; they have high intelligence, understand emotions, and also social structures. Fun fact, elephants understand sadness and can be depressed. When they see a member of their herd die, elephants will show signs of grieves. 

On average, elephant attacks are responsible for at least 500 human death each year, mostly during encounters with rampaging elephants, or provoked elephants. 

6. Hippopotamuses

Hippopotamuses are very aggressive animals in the wild. They are considered the third largest land animals in the world after elephants and rhinoceros. What makes them deadly is their aggressiveness toward humans. Each year, hippopotamus attacks are responsible for more than 800 attacks on humans, and at least 500 are killed during encounters. 

They are dangerous animals, wild hippopotamuses are strong enough to capsize small boats, and they have violence and aggressive tendencies due to their extreme territorial nature. They can use their huge jaw, and sharp teeth to crush any humans’ bad luck enough to happen near them. On land, they can gallop fast at least 30 km per hour, and you don’t want to encounter wild hippopotamuses in the water with you.

5. Tsetse flies

Tsetse flies are carriers of African sleeping diseases. It is a disease that happens in any part of Africa, and it is very difficult to treat. This disease has a very high percentage of fatality. African Sleeping sickness is a parasite disease that is transmitted through the bite of Tsetse flies. Although tsetse flies didn’t kill directly, it was the parasite that transmitted to humans that carried this disease.

The estimated number of people that have contracted this disease is around 500.000 people, and records also indicate that each year more than 10.000 people die of African sleeping sickness caused by Tsetse flies.

4. Crocodiles

An apex predator of the river, lake, delta, or sea, crocodiles are among the deadliest animals in the world. Alongside with Hippo, the crocodile has been causing more than 5.000 annual death all around the world, especially in Africa, India, and some other parts of Asia. It actively hunts, and prey upon humans, and mostly unwary children can become prey of this reptile.

3. Freshwater Snails

Although this might surprise you, freshwater snails are deadly, and they can indirectly kill humans, just like with Tsetse flies. Some species of freshwater snails may contain deadly parasites that can cause an infection called schistosomiasis. Each year estimates there are at least 200.000 cases of Schistosomiasis, and more than 20.0000 fatal cases have been reported.

Schistosomiasis is a disease that attacks urinary, and blood vessels, resulting in severe stomach pain, and urinary tract infection. Generally, with quick hospital care, this disease isn’t deadly. However, what makes the fatal case number are high, is that the case of this disease is very common in underdeveloped country that still lacks hygiene and health care.

2. Snakes

Unsurprisingly, snakes rank high on the list of what animals kill the most humans. The phobia and fear of snakes have been with humanity for centuries. Snakes, especially the venomous one like King Cobra, Carpet’s viper, and sea snake has been the reasons for many fatal cases of snake attacks all over the world, with more than 100.000 fatal cases of snake attacks each year. 

These venomous snakes aren’t to be trifled with, King cobra alone, has enough toxin to kill adult elephants. Black mamba snakes from Africa are well known to have painful venom that could kill an adult human in mere minutes. 

1. Mosquitoes

And number one on the lists of what animals kill the most humans is mosquitoes. Mosquitoes alone carried many deadly diseases such as dengue fever, West Nile virus, Zika virus, and the number one killer in this world Malaria. 

There are at least over half a million death, more than 750.000 case of Malaria alone annually, and nearly one million people dying from Malaria cases in the world. Some might even be surprised that animals as small as mosquitoes can prove quite fatal and deadly. 

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