Fluffy and cute - this is how humans prefer to imagine animals.
But some creatures can be very dangerous to us.
In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) examined how many people were killed by different animal species and came to the following conclusion:
15th place: shark
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© imageBROKER / SeaTops
In Hollywood films they have to serve as the “beasts from below”: sharks.
They are actually even considered peaceful animals.
Because of bloodthirsty, brutal and calculating.
And yet there are always incidents with sharks, even though, according to experts, humans are usually not part of their food chain.
But of course: there are also less dangerous and more dangerous forms of sharks.
The great white shark: horror from below
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© Helmut Fohringer / EPA / dpa / picture alliance
Steven Spielberg's “Great White Shark” was a box office hit - and probably the main reason for the great white shark's bad image.
However, it is also clear that it is one of the largest and most dangerous sharks of all.
It can be between three and six and a half meters tall and reach 64 kilometers per hour.
What makes it even more dangerous: Few animals snap as hard as the great white shark.
It is estimated that between a third and a half of annual shark attacks are committed by a great white shark.
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© imageBROKER / Norbert Probst / IMAGO
In short: the tiger shark actually eats everything.
Turtles, birds, fish or other sharks.
Since rubbish such as car tires, car signs or nails was also found in tiger shark stomachs, it was given the disparaging nickname “garbage eater”.
Besides the great white shark, the tiger shark is considered to be the most dangerous shark for humans.
It can be between four and five meters long and is mainly found in tropical coastal regions.
Place 14: Wolf
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© Carsten Rehder / dpa / picture alliance
It has been on everyone's lips again in recent years - even though it was (more or less) extinct with us.
But recently wolf attacks on grazing animals have increased.
Is the wolf back with us?
Attacks on humans occurred mainly in the last century, these can be traced back to rabid animals.
The wolf is a cautious animal by nature, but if it feels threatened, it may also attack humans.
Pack animals: In a group they hunt larger prey
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© McPHOTO / W.
Rolfes via www.imago-images.de
The wolf is a pack animal.
As
NABU
writes, the structure within a pack is similar to that of the human family.
Mother, father and child form a network.
"Hierarchies only arise in zoos and wildlife parks when young wolves cannot migrate to find their own territory," says the Naturschutzbund.
The hunt is the central part of living together.
In a pack, wolves hunt prey that are actually too big for them.
Man drove the wolf from Europe and Asia
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© Sabine Lutzmann |
IMAGO
The wolf was originally to be found all over Europe, Asia, as well as in North and Central America.
Humans severely limited their range through hunting, now there are only large contiguous areas in which wolves can spread in Russia, Canada and Alaska.
Nevertheless, according to the WHO, ten fatal attacks per year are caused by Canis Lupus.
13th place: Leo
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© Rainer Jensen / dpa / picture alliance
In fact, we know how dangerous lions can be.
But they are so cute even when they are small.
The "Lion King" sends his regards.
The lion is the second largest species in the cat family after the tiger and is now only found in parts of Africa and India.
With a top speed of 60 kilometers per hour, the animals are not to be trifled with.
There are 100 people killed by lions every year.
Most attacks come from captive lions
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© Nick Dale |
IMAGO / Design Pics
Even if the big cats' menu tends to include antelopes, gazelles, wildebeests or zebras, there have been fatal attacks on people in the past.
Often, however, these attacks happen on lions in captivity, for example in zoos.
Rank 12: elephant
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© Sebastian Kahnert / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa / picture alliance
Who would have thought?
According to the WHO, as many people die from a lion as from an elephant, i.e. 100 per year.
Elephants tend to have the image of being “gentle giants”.
Lethal attacks if the offspring is at risk
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© Morales |
IMAGO / agefotostock
Elephants live in large herds, so they protect their young from predators.
Especially when elephants pose a threat to their offspring, they go into attack.
When elephants spread their ears, swing their trunks and throw stones, one should withdraw carefully.
Ignoring the pachyderm warning signals could be fatal.
They can also become aggressive in captivity
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© Bernd Weissbrod |
picture alliance / dpa
But the elephant not only unleashes its power in the wild.
Fatal incidents in which elephants attack their keepers repeatedly occur, especially in zoos.
Elephants are threatened in the wild
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© Morales |
IMAGO / agefotostock
In Southeast Asia elephants are popular as pets or working animals, but in the wild they are highly endangered.
Many of them fall victim to poachers.
They target the elephant's tusks, which are made of ivory.
11th place: hippopotamus
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© Fernando Vergara |
picture alliance / dpa / AP
Don't be fooled: hippos may look cute, but they are extremely aggressive.
Every year more than twice as many people die from attacks by a hippopotamus than from attacks by lions and elephants combined - a total of 500.
Dangerous and critically endangered
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© David Santiago Garcia |
IMAGO / Westend61
While the hippopotamus used to be common in much of Africa, it is now critically endangered.
The ivory of their mighty teeth, which fetches high prices on the black market, is particularly popular with poachers.
Elsewhere on earth, on the other hand, one fights with too many hippos.
And in ...
In Colombia, hippos reproduce uncontrollably
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© eunika |
IMAGO / agefotostock
... Colombia!
The drug boss Pablo Escobar once brought the hippos to the "Hacienda Nápoles", about 170 kilometers from Medellín.
They kept giraffes, kangaroos, elephants and other exotic animals company in the private zoo, but when Escobar was killed by security forces in 1993, no one looked after the animals.
Today they multiply uncontrollably.
10th place: tapeworm
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© M. Henning |
IMAGO / Blickwinkel
Researchers distinguish over 3500 different types of tapeworm: inside.
Perfectly adapted to their environment, the parasites nest in their host's body.
An infestation with the tapeworm can have different degrees of severity for humans.
In many cases, the parasite goes undetected.
If the dangerous larvae penetrate the human intestine, this can have dire health consequences, including blindness, epileptic seizures and, in the worst case, death.
Up to 20 meters long parasite
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© imago stock & people |
IMAGO / Blickwinkel
The fox, cattle, pork, dog, fish and dwarf tapeworm are among the most dangerous types of tapeworm for humans.
The parasite enters the body through raw meat, mushrooms or berries; contact with excrement can also be the cause of an infestation.
The tapeworms reach different sizes in the human body.
While some types of tapeworm are only a few centimeters long, the fish tapeworm grows up to 20 meters long.
Around 700 people are killed each year from the tapeworm.
9th place: crocodile
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© Laurent Gillieron / KEYSTONE / dpa
When fully grown, crocodiles are among the most feared predators, but the various species have different levels of danger.
Especially in Africa, fatal attacks by reptiles are not uncommon, so that crocodiles have long been considered the most dangerous animals on the continent.
At home from East India to Australia
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© imageBROKER / SeaTops |
IMAGO
The saltwater or estuarine crocodile leads its conspecifics in size and danger.
Male specimens of the reptile can grow to be over five meters long and weigh up to a ton.
The distribution area of the crocodile stretches from East India to Northern Australia, whereby the "range" of the lizards has a large share in the distribution.
Saltwater crocodiles can cover several hundred kilometers in the water, with short powerful pushes they can reach a top speed of almost 30 km / h.
Particularly aggressive: the saltwater crocodile
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© ANTON ONE |
IMAGO / agefotostock
Crocodiles are perfectly adapted to their environment.
Just below the surface of the water, the hunters wait for their prey before they snap shut with enormous bite force.
The saltwater crocodiles behave more aggressively than their relatives, the alligators.
The alligator
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© kamchatka |
IMAGO / agefotostock
Compared to their relatives, the crocodiles, alligators are less impulsive and dangerous.
One reason for this is the slower metabolism, which makes the reptiles appear sluggish.
Nevertheless, alligators should not be underestimated.
The Mississippi alligator can be over four and a half meters long and attack its prey at almost 50 kilometers per hour.
A total of around 1,000 fatal attacks are caused by crocodiles every year.
8th place: roundworm
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© Kateryna_Kon |
IMAGO / agefotostock
The roundworm is similar in appearance to the earthworm.
Humans usually become infected with the parasite through contaminated water or food that has been fertilized with animal excrement.
It is estimated that 1.4 billion people worldwide carry the worm, and around 2500 die each year as a result of the infection.
One reason for the widespread distribution of the parasite: the worm lays up to 20,000 eggs a day.
In cases of severe roundworm infestation, the parasite attacks the internal organs of humans.
7th place: freshwater snail
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© F. Teigler |
IMAGO / Blickwinkel
She looks harmless.
But the freshwater snail can transmit pathogens and parasites - for example the Schistosoma pair of leeches, which humans can also become infected with.
The parasite develops into a larva in the snail's body.
These larvae are excreted by the snails into the water and can pass through to humans from there.
Preventing the snail from spreading is not that easy
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© Steffen Schellhorn |
IMAGO
If the intermediate host, i.e. the freshwater snail, spreads more strongly, the danger for humans also increases.
That can be done through dam and irrigation projects.
Researchers have also observed a strong increase in freshwater snails in pesticide-contaminated rivers in Kenya.
The snail and its pair of leeches try a total of 10,000 deaths annually.
6th place: predatory bug
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© ReneLeBeau |
IMAGO / agefotostock
The predator bug can be fatal to humans because it transmits the causative agent of Chagas disease.
The insidious: The disease can go unnoticed for a long time.
Only a little less than 50 percent of the sick suffer symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain, headache and fever, lymph node swelling, edema and shortness of breath.
Dangerous beetle that is at home all over the world
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© Kateryna_Kon |
IMAGO / agefotostock
The predatory bug is particularly widespread in tropical-subtropical regions.
It lives on the ground, on flowers, in bushes, in caves and on trees.
The predatory bug has also been observed in houses and barns.
In Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina, the animal is even known as a household pest.
Migration favors the spread of the predatory bug to other countries.
It remains to be feared that the number of 10,000 deaths caused by the beetle each year is likely to increase in the future.
5th place: tsetse fly
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© Kateryna_Kon |
IMAGO / agefotostock
This small insect is only between eight and 18 millimeters in size - comparable to a housefly.
The insect can transmit African sleeping sickness if it stings while sucking blood.
The disease is accompanied by neurological symptoms, such as coordination problems, behavior changes, and sleep disorders.
If left untreated, the disease can be fatal.
The little carrier loves high temperatures
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© imago stock & people |
IMAGO / Blickwinkel
The insect is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in the countries in the middle of the continent.
Since there is no vaccination or medication for the disease, people in these areas must take protective measures.
It is advisable to wear clothes in neutral colors, especially during warm seasons.
Because both very light and very dark colors attract the tsetse fly.
Avoiding bushes and treating clothing with permethrin further reduces the risk.
Nevertheless, sleeping sickness falls victim to around 10,000 people every year.
4th place: dog
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© Nicolas Armer |
picture alliance / dpa
Dogs are actually considered to be man's best friends.
However, according to the WHO, around 25,000 deaths occur every year when dealing with dogs.
The main culprit is rabies.
The virus, which dogs and other animals can transmit, causes encephalitis, which is almost always fatal in humans.
List dogs: Officially dangerous
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© Christina Sabrowsky |
picture alliance / dpa
But again and again there are fatal bite attacks, especially by list dogs.
These breeds are classified as particularly dangerous by law.
Rottweilers, for example, belong to this group.
The breed is particularly often used as a police or guard dog, because after such training, the animals usually do not pose any danger - at least not without the appropriate command.
Reliable watchdog or aggressive attacker?
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© Jörg Hüttenhölscher |
IMAGO / Shotshop
The American Pit Bull Terrier is also a very aggressive breed of dog.
Originally bred for fighting and hunting bears and bulls.
This is why these dogs attack immediately when they feel threatened.
There are cases in which a pit bull has attacked his master, mistress or their children.
However, with proper education and guidance, Pit Bulls can make dependable watchdogs and protectors because of their sense of danger.
3rd place: snake
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© imago stock & people |
IMAGO / McPHOTO / Ingo Schulz
The inland taipan comes from Australia and is the most venomous species of snake in the world.
The venom of just one bite could kill 250,000 mice or more than 100 people in one fell swoop.
Inland taipans can be up to 2.5 meters long.
The average length of the breed is 1.8 meters.
Underestimated snake: the king cobra
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© imageBROKER / Clément Carbillet |
IMAGO
Many people don't realize how dangerous king cobras are.
The amount of venom from a single bite is enough to kill an adult elephant.
In humans, the strong neurotoxin leads to death within just a few minutes.
It damages both the nervous system and blood vessels.
Aggressive and frighteningly long
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© imageBROKER / Ivan Kuzmin |
IMAGO
Black mambas can be longer than 4.5 meters.
On average, their body length is 2.5 meters.
This makes it the longest venomous snake in the world.
Since it often rests in the roof trusses of inhabited houses or in the vicinity of farms, it relatively often encounters people.
Usually she avoids us.
But in comparison to their conspecifics it is considered to be much more aggressive.
In total, snakes cause an estimated 50,000 human deaths each year.
2nd place: human
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© Steve Sanchez |
IMAGO / Pacific Press Agency
Are you surprised?
Around four times more dangerous to humans than all the other animals on our list so far, none other than humans themselves. The 2017 global murder statistics recorded 464,000 homicides.
Life is most dangerous in South America
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© Maurizio Gambarini / dpa
Statistically, one in five people killed was either Brazilians: in, Colombians: in, or Venezuelans: in.
In the South American countries, people mainly fall victim to drug-related crime.
Liechtenstein, Monaco and Singapore have the lowest murder rates.
1st place: mosquito / gnat
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© Patrick Pleul |
picture alliance / dpa
There is only one animal species on earth that is more dangerous to humans than they are: the mosquito.
The pathogens that transmit more than 3,000 mosquito species worldwide claim large numbers of deaths each year.
The genera Aedes, Anopheles and Cudex, for example, can give humans diseases such as malaria, chikungunya, encephalitis, elephantiasis, yellow fever, dengue fever, West Nile virus and Zika virus.
Widely common and dangerous
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© Kateryna_Kon |
IMAGO / agefotostock
The diseases are fatal in 725,000 cases per year.
According to the WHO, mosquitoes currently threaten more than half of all people as pathogens.
Much easier than listing the regions where the mosquito is found, it is simply listing the regions where it does not yet exist: Antarctica and some isolated oceanic islands such as Iceland.
Insect repellants can minimize the risk
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© Jochen Lübke |
picture alliance / dpa
Keeping mosquitos away from us is not that easy.
Because our body temperature and the CO2 that we exhale attract the insects.
The only chance to repel the mosquitoes are insect repellants with a high percentage of DEET or Picaridin.
To prevent the mosquitoes from spreading, man has developed a number of methods.
For example, a film of oil on breeding waters suffocates the vector larvae.
However, this measure is considered to be environmentally harmful.
In some regions, the pesticide DDT, which is banned in industrialized countries, is sprayed across the board.
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