The Top 10 Deadliest Animals in the World

Original article by Heather Ross – adapted for classroom use Y. Megzari

Updated: September 7, 2022

Before reading: match the words with their translation.

A. hunt _E__ puissant

B. bugs ____ mouche
C. species ____ douloureux
D. deadly ____ espèces
E. powerful ____ maladie
F. snail ____ venimeux
G. trampling ____ mortel
H. threat ____ peser
I. rabies ____ chasser
J. weigh ____ escargot
K. fly ____ insectes
L. mammal ____ menace
M. venomous ____ la rage
N. disease ____ ailerons
O. painful ____ piétinement
P. fins ____ mammifère

#10. Sharks

While sharks are often portrayed in movies and television

shows as deadly killers, the reality is very different. Around
the world, sharks account for only several hundred
attacks on humans, and they only average six to seven
human deaths per year.

The species responsible for the highest number of fatal

attacks are the great white shark, the bull shark, and the tiger shark. Over 375 shark species
have been identified, but only about 12 of those species are considered dangerous.

These animals are considered dangerous, but sharks are most often the victims. Millions of
sharks are killed every year due to the high demands for their fins.

#9. Elephants

We normally think of elephants as intelligent, friendly

creatures, and they have been used in circus
performances for many years.

The reason they perform so well is because of their

intelligence and their complex emotions and social
structures, but their status as the largest land
animal (male African elephants can be 3m tall and weigh between 4,000 -7,500kg) means
that elephants are extremely powerful.

Elephants in captivity are capable of anger and revenge, and those in the wild can be
territorial and protective of their family members. An average of 500 people per year are
killed by elephants (usually trampled to death).

#8. Hippopotamuses

The hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal

behind the elephant and the rhinoceros, and it is
responsible for about 500 human deaths each year, just
like the elephant. However, they earned a higher ranking
because of their reputation for violence and their
extremely territorial nature.

Hippos have even been known to attack boats, and they can use their sharp teeth that
grow up to 50cm long very effectively. They attack by biting, trampling, and will hold their
enemy underwater until they drown.

#7. Tsetse flies

The tsetse fly is the first of several insects to make our list of
the 10 deadliest animals in the world. It is not the bite of
the tsetse fly that kills humans but the resulting infection.

The tsetse fly lives in the tropical regions of Africa, and its
bite infects the host with a parasite that causes African
sleeping sickness. Without treatment, the disease is fatal
without exception. Around 10,000 people die each year after being bitten by the tsetse fly.

#6. Kissing Bugs

These bugs often attack the soft tissue around the mouths
of humans, which is why they are commonly known as
“kissing bugs”. There are actually hundreds of different
species.

Most kissing bugs are no threat to humans, except for a

very painful bite; however, several species that live
in Central and South America transmit a dangerous disease called Chagas disease. This
disease causes between 12,000-15,000 deaths per year resulting from a parasitic infection.

#5. Crocodiles

The next predator on our list of the deadliest animals in the

world is the crocodile. Responsible for between 1,000-5,000
deaths every year, the crocodile is one of the largest, most
aggressive, and most dangerous animals in the world.

They can weigh over 900 kilos, have a powerful bite, and
can travel at speeds up to 40 km/h. Crocodiles are the
only entry on this list that actively hunt humans. The deadliest species is the Nile
crocodile, which lives in the regions near the Nile river.

#4. Freshwater Snails

Surprisingly enough, the next deadliest animal on our

ranking is none other than the freshwater snail. It is not
the snail that directly kills humans but the disease that they
transmit.

According to World Health Organization estimates, several

million people are diagnosed with a parasitic infection
called schistosomiasis every year and somewhere between 20,000 and 200,000 of those
cases are fatal, usually in developing countries.

#3. Dogs/Wolves

Man’s best friend is also one of our deadliest threats. Dog

attacks have led to 30-50 deaths in the United States
alone each year. Many of these deaths resulted from a
family dog, often a Pit bull.

But deadly dog and wolf attacks are rare in comparison to

the number of deaths resulting from rabies infections.
40,000-50,000 deaths every year are caused by the rabies virus alone. Again, this usually
happens in developing countries.

#2. Snakes

The fear of snakes, or ophidiophobia, is perhaps

reasonable. Snakes account for over 100,000 deaths a
year.

While many people are afraid of large snakes like boa

constrictors and anacondas, the snake responsible for the
most deaths is actually the saw-scaled viper which only
measures up to 90cm! This snake resides in Africa, the Middle East, and India, and the
females of the species are much more venomous than the males.

#1. Mosquitoes

The mosquito is the single deadliest animal in the world

and also one of the smallest. Mosquitoes are estimated to
cause between 750,000 and one million human deaths
per year.

They carry many diseases that are deadly to humans, such

as malaria, dengue fever, and the West Nile and Zika
viruses. Only the female mosquito feeds on humans - the males feed on nectar.

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But the deadliest animal of all is not on this list. Can you guess what it is?