The phrase "the most dangerous animal", due to the ingrained stereotypical way of thinking, evokes images of bloodthirsty large predators. On land they are lions, tigers and wolves, and in the seas they are sharks.
If we study the statistics on the number of human deaths caused by representatives of the diverse fauna of our planet, then a slightly different group of leaders emerges in the struggle for the title of the most dangerous.
Let's take a look at the top 10 most dangerous animals in the world, based on data from official sources.
10. Brown Bear
Our top 10 most dangerous animals in the world are opened by the brown bear. 5-10 people per year become victims of clubfoot.
Bears live in coniferous and mixed forests of the northern hemisphere. In North America, they are called grizzlies. The largest individuals are found in the Far East and in the forests of Alaska and Canada. They grow up to 2.5 m and weigh about 700 kg. Meeting in the forest with such a hungry omnivorous carcass does not bode well. Bears that wake up early, which are popularly called connecting rods, are also dangerous. It's better to stay out of the bear grounds so you don't becomeanother link in the food chain of the owner of the taiga.
9. Shark
This marine predator is among the top most dangerous animals in the world for a reason. From 10 to 25 people die every year from his teeth.
Almost all attacks on people are made by white sharks, the scientific name of this species is Carcharodon. They are found in the waters of all oceans, with the exception of the Arctic. They feed mainly on fish, young pinnipeds and smaller sharks of other species. Female white sharks are larger than males. The average size of an adult is 4-5 m in length and weighs about 1000 kg. There are sometimes six-meter monsters.
In search of food, sharks cruise along the coast at shallow depths, mainly in warm waters. There are attacks on people. Very sensitive to the presence of blood in the water, so even a small wound can provoke an attack. But a man is not a favorite dish for a shark, as they try to show in many films about man-eating sharks, but rather an object of curiosity.
8. Tree frogs
The venom of these amphibians shortens the life path of about 100 people a year.
Small dart frogs or leaf frogs live in tropical forests of South and Central America. The size of adults is from 2 to 4 cm. Amphibians are painted in warning bright colors. They are diurnal and feed on small insects.
On the skin of the back they have glands that secrete a strong poison. The local Indians have longthey use it for hunting, wetting arrowheads and darts with poison. In terms of speed and toxicity, the substance produced by frogs is much stronger than the famous curare poison.
Of more than 60 varieties of these motley amphibians, the most poisonous are three types of leaf climbers: bicolor, terrible and golden. Even touching such a frog can kill a person. Curious tourists, especially children, often become victims of poisoning. Antidotes to the dart frog venom have not yet been developed.
7. Leo
What is the most dangerous animal in the world? Of course, a lion. About 200 people a year die from the attacks of the king of beasts.
The largest predators of the cat family are lions. They live mainly in the African savannah. A small population has survived in India on the territory of the reserve in the Gir forest. Males grow larger than females. Their average weight is about 200 kg. Lions usually live in small groups - prides.
The main diet of predators consists of herbivores. Most often, people become victims of lone lions expelled from the pride. It is rather difficult for them to hunt swift-footed ungulates on their own, and a person becomes a fairly easy prey.
The largest number of attacks recorded in Tanzania. Although the lion is an endangered species, local hunters are issued a license to shoot cannibals.
6. Hippo
About 300 people die every year from wounds inflicted by cute-looking hippos.
Hippos (hippos) live along the shores of freshwater reservoirs of the African continent in smallherds. During the day, they spend almost all the time in the water, and at night they feed on grass in coastal meadows. They do not move far from the water, a maximum of 3 km. Mature individuals reach impressive sizes and weigh 2-3 tons. They have an aggressive behavior.
Hippos are not afraid of people and often attack them both in the water, overturning boats passing by, and on land while feeding. In some African countries, the hippopotamus is considered the main pest for agriculture. In addition to the fact that one hippopotamus can freely absorb up to 40 kg of biomass per night, it simply tramples down a significant part of the plantings. Local residents often hunt hippos, especially in lean years, which significantly reduces the already small number of livestock. Significant damage is also inflicted by poachers in pursuit of the precious fangs of hippopotamuses.
5. Elephant
From close contact with the largest land inhabitants of the planet, an average of 500 people per year die.
Representatives of the proboscis order live in some southern regions of Asia (Asian elephant) and Africa (African elephant). The latter are noticeably larger than their relatives. Adult elephants grow up to 4 m in height and gain weight up to 7 tons. They live in small herds, consisting mainly of females and their cubs. They feed on young shoots of trees and bushes, as well as their juicy fruits.
Elephants show aggression when their offspring are threatened. There have been repeated cases of attacks by drunken elephants who have gone over as a result of eating fermented elephants.fruits. However, most human deaths are due to the widespread use of elephant labor in Asian countries, and an elephant is not a horse or a camel at all.
4. Crocodile
What is the most dangerous animal in the world? It is not in vain that a crocodile entered our top. Approximately 4,000 people become victims of cold-blooded reptiles every year.
There are 23 varieties of crocodiles, and they are all carnivores. They live in tropical areas in the coastal zone of fresh water, are found on all continents except Antarctica. The largest representatives of the order are combed crocodiles. They grow up to 7 m and weigh about 2 tons. They can be found in Asian countries, on many islands in the Pacific and Indian Ocean, as well as in Australia. The Nile crocodile is slightly smaller.
These reptiles hunt in the water. They eat whatever they catch. They easily cope with mammals much larger than themselves. For humans, any crocodile longer than 2 m and heavier than 30 kg is deadly.
3. Scorpio
The scorpion deservedly entered the top 10 most dangerous animals in the world. Their bites kill up to 5,000 people a year.
Of all the known varieties (about 1750) of these arthropods, only the bite of 50 species poses a real threat to humans. Poisonous scorpions have a more developed tail with a stinger than claws. They live in countries with a hot climate.
Scorpions are predominantly nocturnal, and during the daywaiting out the heat in shelters. Their diet consists of insects and arachnids. In search of food and shelter, scorpions often climb into a dwelling with a person. There they sting their victims, usually in self-defense. They either step on them, or sit down, or even lie down. If urgent measures are not taken to counteract the toxin, then the person dies. More often children die from scorpion stings.
2. Venomous snakes
Poisonous snakes - one of the most dangerous animals in the world - killers of people. About 50,000 people become their victims per year.
There are no snakes only in Antarctica. They are all predators. They eat whatever they can swallow whole. Poison is used during hunting. The largest of the poisonous snakes is the king cobra, which lives in Southeast Asia, and the most poisonous is the taipan, which lives in the desert regions of Australia.
A person is attacked mainly in self-defense. The most dangerous are cobras, taipans, coral snakes, mambas, sea snakes. From the bite of these species of reptiles, death can occur in half an hour if emergency measures are not taken.
1. Malaria mosquito
The undisputed leader in the number of deaths is a small blood-sucking insect. These human killers are the most dangerous animals in the world. The malarial mosquito is responsible for the deaths of more than 700,000 people every year.
This number of deaths is due to the fact that the mosquito infects the victim with malarial plasmodia (a genus of parasitic unicellular organisms) when it bites, whichleads to malarial fever.
Mosquitoes live everywhere except the polar zones. Regions with a tropical and subtropical climate are most prone to outbreaks of the epidemic. The victims of malarial fever are mainly residents of countries with underdeveloped he alth care due to a chronic lack of medicines.
Here it is, the most dangerous and deadly animal.
