What Is the Deadliest Animal in the World? Why Are Mosquitoes Still No. 1?

"Lions and tigers and bears" might be the line that comes to mind when thinking of the deadliest animals in the world. But the truth is, they're not even close. As such, the deadliest animal in the world remains to be the tiny mosquito.

Deadliest Animals Ever

According to CNet, mosquitoes are the deadliest animals in the world followed by humans (technically still categorized as animals). These little bugs are responsible for many deaths per year due to their spread of diseases.

The American Mosquito Control Association reports that mosquito-borne diseases cause over one million deaths worldwide on a daily basis. The number one cause of death from mosquitoes remains to be malaria, followed by the West Nile virus and dengue fever.

Iso Global reports that mosquitoes account for 17% of the estimated global burden of infectious diseases. The only place on earth that is not at risk of mosquitoes is Antarctica, due to it having unfavorable conditions for these insects to live.

Other Dangerous Animals

Aside from humans, the next deadliest animal is snakes, which contribute to over 100,000 human deaths yearly, according to A-Z Animals. However, the chances of death from these slithering animals remain very small; and in the US, the chances of a snake bite killing someone are nearly zero.

The next deadliest animal can be considered quite surprising since they're often regarded as pets, with most people keeping the cutest breeds at home. Following snakes are dogs, which contribute to 25,000 human deaths yearly.

The most common cause of death from a dog remains rabid dog bites and mauling. Dogs Bite data shows that in 2019, there were only 48 dog attacks that resulted in human deaths, with 13 of them being children, 3 of them were aged 10 to 18, and the remaining 32 were adults.

Unexpected Animals that Cause Death

The next few animals considered the deadliest were insects, namely the tsetse flies and assassin bugs, which were responsible for 10,000 yearly deaths respectively. The tsetse flies can cause African sleeping sickness, which results in death years after infection, while the assassin bugs cause Chagas disease, leading to brain or heart swelling.

Another unexpected animal that actually causes 10,000 deaths yearly is the freshwater snail. This was because of how it transmits parasites that can cause schistosomiasis, leading to rashes, digestive problems, infertility, and even bladder cancer.

The next on the list is the scorpion, which is responsible for around 3,250 deaths yearly. Although most scorpions don't have enough venom to be potent enough for human death, the Brazilian yellow scorpion and Israeli deathstalker have potent neurotoxins enough to kill a human.

Another deadly animal is the ascaris roundworm, which is responsible for 2,500 deaths yearly. The way they kill humans involves living in small intestines, laying eggs, and getting bigger which could lead to intestinal blockage.