For humans, what is the worlds most deadly animal? Presumably, the creature at the top of the list should be one that we are most afraid of.
Humans murder around 475,000 other people each year. Snakes kill around 50,000, while dogs (mainly from rabies transmission) claim another 25,000 lives. Some of the most feared animals (sharks, wolves) kill fewer than 10.
If we look at those animals that most often inspire phobias and jitters, theres the usual assortment of snakes, sharks, spiders, bats and some big predators like wolves and alligators. The top killer, however, tends to register as nothing more than an annoyance, much less something to be deathly afraid of. As Bill Gates recently pointed out, that killer is the mosquito.
No other species, including our own, is responsible for the loss of as many human lives each year as mosquitoes are, Gates continues.
The diseases that mosquitos carry and transmit to people they bite, on the other hand, kill 725,000.
Humans murder around 475,000 other people each year. Snakes kill around 50,000, while dogs (mainly from rabies transmission) claim another 25,000 lives. Some of the most feared animals (sharks, wolves) kill fewer than 10.
If we look at those animals that most often inspire phobias and jitters, theres the usual assortment of snakes, sharks, spiders, bats and some big predators like wolves and alligators. The top killer, however, tends to register as nothing more than an annoyance, much less something to be deathly afraid of. As Bill Gates recently pointed out, that killer is the mosquito.
No other species, including our own, is responsible for the loss of as many human lives each year as mosquitoes are, Gates continues.
The diseases that mosquitos carry and transmit to people they bite, on the other hand, kill 725,000.