Top 10: World’s most dangerous animals

Here’s a morbid question for you: which animals kill the most humans every year?

Although Hollywood films suggest our greatest threats include sharks and rampaging apes, the deadliest creatures are often much smaller – and more likely to kill through disease rather than razor-sharp teeth.

But which creature is Earth’s number one killer? Find out the top 10 below.

10. Lions

(Kills 200 humans per year)

9. Hippos

(Kills 500 humans a year)

8. Elephants

(Kills 600 humans per year)

7. Crocodiles

(Kills 1,000 humans per year)

6. Scorpions

(Kills 3,300 humans per year)

5. Assassin Bugs (Chagas disease)

(Kills 10,000 per year)

4. Dogs (rabies)

(Kills 59,000 per year)

3. Snakes

(Kills 138,000 humans per year)

2. Humans (homicides only)

(Kills 400,000 humans per year)

1. Mosquitoes

(Kills 725,000 per year through spreading diseases such as malaria)

Read more:

• Top 10: Which animals have the strongest bite?
• Top 10: Which animals sleep the most?
• Top 10: Earth’s smallest mammals
• Top 10: What are the heaviest land carnivores?

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