25 Deadliest Animals Known To Man

Posted by , Updated on March 24, 2024

Do you know which are the deadliest animals known to man? The answer may surprise you. The animal kingdom is a dangerous place, full of violent and deadly creatures. Some of these creatures may even seem harmless but trust us they’re not. While most of human civilization has removed itself from the animal kingdom, they’re still not immune to its dangers. In fact, some of these animals might be in your backyard right now. Curious to see which animals are the deadliest? Here are 25 deadliest animals known to man.

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25

Sharks - 6 Deaths

sharksSource: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/15/shark-attacks/71251814/

While Shark Week and the movie Jaws makes sharks out to seem like killing machines, they’re actually pretty tame in comparison to other animals in the world. However, on average, sharks kill about 6 people in the world every year.

24

Wolves - 10 Deaths

wolvesSource: https://www.cnet.com/pictures/the-24-deadliest-animals-on-earth-ranked/3/

In an earlier time, wolves killed a lot more people, but as human civilization has expanded, the attacks have lessened. Today, wolves kill 10 people a year on average.

23

Horses - 20 Deaths

horsesSource: https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/11-animals-more-likely-to-kill-you-than-sharks

Horses are big, heavy, and have a powerful kick. We’re around them a lot more than most animals, so it probably shouldn’t surprise us they kill 20 people every year.

22

Cows - 22 deaths

cowSource: https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/11-animals-more-likely-to-kill-you-than-sharks

At the same time, the animals Americans eat all the time get their payback in small doses. Sure, they’re docile, but they still might kick if you rub them the wrong way. Cows kill an average of 22 people a year.

21

Leopards - 29 deaths

leopardSource: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/chen-columns/why-do-leopards-kill-humans/article5124009.ece

While they’re certainly magnificent creatures and rarely attack humans, in 2001, they attacked 50 and killed 29 people. Researchers discerned the problem arose out of human intervention.

20

Ants - 30 Deaths

antsSource: https://www.oddee.com/item_98002.aspx; https://www.cnet.com/pictures/the-24-deadliest-animals-on-earth-ranked/6/

It’s kind of hard to believe that ants kill more people than leopards, but there are 280 different species of ants that can kill. They are reported to kill up to 30 people a year; usually its because someone slept next to an ant hill and died of anaphylactic shock.

19

Box Jellyfish - 40 Deaths

box jellyfishSource: https://www.livescience.com/6353-deadly-box-jellyfish.html

Everyone knows a jellyfish sting hurts, but they may also cost you your life. In the Philippines alone, the box jellyfish takes 2o to 40 people per year. Some estimate it could be upwards of 100 people in the entire world.

18

Bees - 53 Deaths

beesSource: https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/11-animals-more-likely-to-kill-you-than-sharks

They’re small, can fly, come in large numbers, and sting. We’re talking, of course, about bees and believe it or not they kill 53 people on average every year. Most people can withstand the sting, but those that are allergic are in particular danger.

17

Tigers - 85 Deaths

tigerSource: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-25755104

Tigers have always been a feared predator among humans. Crafty, quiet, and fierce, these large cats certainly know how to hunt. Luckily, they rarely kill humans. While they make about 85,000 kills on average, only 85 of those are human.

16

Deer - 130 Deaths

deerSource: https://www.cnet.com/pictures/the-24-deadliest-animals-on-earth-ranked/9/

Usually, deer aren’t very aggressive. They run away from trouble more often than attack. So, how can they cause 130 deaths a year? One word: accidents. Too often a skittish deer runs out into a dark country road, hitting a car and killing the passengers inside.

15

African Cape Buffalo - 200 Deaths

buffaloSource: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/wildlife/5149977/Top-10-deadliest-animals-on-the-planet.html

You definitely wouldn’t want to mess with an African Cape Buffalo. They kill more big game hunters than any animal and are said to charge at you and gore you with their big horns. They kill 200 people on average every year.

14

Lions - 250 Deaths

lionsSource: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/wildlife/5149977/Top-10-deadliest-animals-on-the-planet.html

Considered the king of the jungle, lions are the only cats that work together in packs to prey on other animals. While humans hunt these magnificent creatures in Africa, lions have also been known to hunt humans. On average, they kill 250 people every year.

13

Elephants - 500 Deaths

elephantSource: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/06/0603_050603_elephants.html

With human civilization consistently growing, elephants are being pushed into smaller spaces and, frankly, getting angry about it. Elephants are showing more aggression and confrontation with humans, and the result is staggering. Elephants kill 500 people a year. Here’s a fun elephant fact: the largest elephant on record weighed 26,000 pounds and was 13 feet high!

12

Hippopotamuses - 500 Deaths

hippoSource: http://www.businessinsider.com/worlds-deadliest-animals-2016-9/#12-elephants-500-deaths-a-year-4

With a virtual tie with elephants, hippopotamuses were once considered the most deadly animal in Africa. They’re big, fast, aggressive, and have even been known to tip over boats. Roughly, they kill 500 people a year.

11

Tapeworm - 700 Deaths

tapewormSource: http://blogs.plos.org/speakingofmedicine/2015/01/16/one-million-deaths-parasites/; http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2814%2961682-2/abstract; https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/cysticercosis/gen_info/faqs.html

Perhaps whats worse than an animal attacking you from the outside, is a hidden animal attacking you from the inside. Tapeworms can hide inside you and give you a disease called cysticerosis, which kills about 700 people a year.

10

Crocodiles - 1,000 Deaths

crocodilesSource: http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-why-crocodiles-are-100-times-deadlier-than-sharks-2015-8

Unlike alligators, which barely ever harm anyone, crocodiles are fierce, territorial, and don’t really care who they eat or kill. If you end up near one, they’ll grab you, pull you underwater, and eat you before you have time to do anything. On average, they kill about 1,000 people a year.

9

Scorpions - 3,250 Deaths

scorpionSource: https://www.planetdeadly.com/animals/worlds-dangerous-scorpions; https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/168230-overview;https://www.livescience.com/21507-killer-creatures.html

They’re smaller than most but can pack quite a punch with their tail. Of all the scorpions, 20 species have enough venom to kill a man. Still, there are a million stings in a year and 3,250 deaths are a result of it.

8

Ascaris Roundworms - 4,500 Deaths

ascarisSource: http://blogs.plos.org/speakingofmedicine/2015/01/16/one-million-deaths-parasites/

Ascaris Roundworms cause an infection in the small intestine called aschariasis, and it usually affects smaller children rather than adults. Still, it leaves a devastating number of casualties. 4,500 people die a year from it.

7

Tsetse Flies - 10,000 Deaths

tsetseSource: http://emgn.com/entertainment/10-deadly-animals-that-cause-the-most-horrifically-painful-deaths/

While the average housefly is harmless, you wouldn’t want to run into the Tsetse Fly. It could give you a disease called “sleeping sickness” in which your brain swells, you fall asleep, and you die. This fly kills 10,000 people a year.

6

Assassin Bugs - 12,000 Deaths

assassin bugSource: https://www.sciencealert.com/these-are-the-world-s-15-deadliest-animals

With a name like Assassin Bug, you know you’ll want to steer clear. It’s also called the Kissing Bug, and it passes on Chagas Disease, which kills about 12,000 people a year.

5

Freshwater Snails - 20,000 Deaths

snailSource: https://www.sciencealert.com/these-are-the-world-s-15-deadliest-animals

It might sound silly to say freshwater snails are some of the deadliest animals on earth, but its very true. They carry parasitic worms which can give you schistosomiasis. It causes abdominal pain and blood in the stool and urine and could also kill you. On average, it kills 20,000 people a year.

4

Dogs - 35,000 Deaths

dogsSource: http://www.who.int/rabies/rabies_Infographic_updated_Global_International_meeting.pdf

Everyone thinks of dogs as man’s best friend, but they’re also one of man’s greatest killers. They kill up to 35,000 people a year. Most of the deaths occur in Africa and Asia, where many dogs are infected with rabies.

3

Snakes - 200,000 Deaths

snakeSource: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/26/snakebites-kill-hundreds-of-thousands-worldwide

It might not be much of a surprise to hear snakes can be quite deadly. With the myriad of venomous snakes on the earth, they’re likely to kill a few people. Originally, the World Health Organization did a study stating snakes kill 100,000 people a year, but many believe that’s an underestimate and say its likely more around 200,000.

2

Humans - 437,000 Deaths

humanSource: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/press/releases/2014/April/some-437000-people-murdered-worldwide-in-2012-according-to-new-unodc-study.html

One of the deadliest animals on the planet is you. Humans kill more humans in much larger numbers than most animals. That’s probably not much of a surprise. According to a UN study, on average, humans kill 437,000 other humans a year.

1

Mosquitoes - 725,000 Deaths

mosquitoSource: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mosquitoes-kill-more-humans-human-murderers-do-180951272/

So which animal kills the most people? Believe it or not, the tiny mosquito is the deadliest animal on earth, killing on average 725,000 people a year. While it won’t maul you, the mosquito transmits a number of deadly diseases, including malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, and encephalitis.



Photo: 25. Hermanus Backpackers, Great white shark south africa, CC BY 2.0, 24. Pixabay.com (Public Domain), 23. Sylke Rohrlach from Sydney, Blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena maculosa) (8593173385), CC BY-SA 2.0, 22. Pixabay.com (Public Domain), 21. Wikipedia Commons.com (Public Domain), 20. Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa, African leopard, Panthera pardus pardus, near Lake Panic, Kruger National Park, South Africa (19448805970), CC BY 2.0, 19. MaxPixel.com (Public Domain), 18. anonymous, Gaboxjellyfish, CC BY 3.0, 17. Pexels.com (Public Domain), 16. Pexels.com (Public Domain), 15. Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa, African buffalo or Cape buffalo, Syncerus caffer, with Red-billed Oxpecker, Buphagus erythrorhynchus, at Kruger National Park, South Africa (20960307111), CC BY 2.0, 14. Pixabay.com (Public Domain), 13. Pixabay.com (Public Domain), 12. Pexels.com (Public Domain), 11. Wikipedia Commons.com (Public Domain), 10. Adam Jones Adam63, Crocodiles at Crocodile Bank – Mamallapuram – India 02, CC BY-SA 3.0, 9. Shantanu Kuveskar, Scorpion Photograph By Shantanu Kuveskar, CC BY-SA 4.0, 8. SuSanA Secretariat via flickr. CC By 2.0, 7. Nevit Dilmen, TseTse fly in Tanzania 3466 cropped Nevit, CC BY-SA 3.0, 6. gbohne from Berlin, Germany, Assassin bug exhausts a Tortoise beetle (5070517021), CC BY-SA 2.0, 5. Paulmkgordon at English Wikipedia, Banff snail, CC BY-SA 2.5, 4. Pexels.com (Public Domain), 3. anonymous, Snake in basket, CC BY-SA 2.0, 2. MaxPixel.com (Public Domain), 1. Pratheepps at English Wikipedia, Mosquito-feeding, CC BY-SA 3.0
If you enjoyed learning about the dealiest animals known to man, you might want to check out the most dangerous animals in Australia!

Photo: 16. Pexels.com (Public Domain)

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