Movies like ‘Jaws’ and others, which talk about fearsome animals with sharp teeth, have spread the image of certain species as enemies of mankind. In fact, a 2015 survey by the Ipsos agency found that nearly half of Americans declared that they were “absolutely afraid” of sharks. But according to data from the Florida Museum of Natural History, there were only 11 shark deaths on the entire planet in 2021. A person is more likely to die from a shark attack due to a coconut falling on their headAccording to the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences.
So what species is causing more victims among humans? The animal that causes the most deaths is a much smaller, fragile, and apparently unrelated animal: mosquito. And these insects can transmit potentially deadly diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, according to World Health Organization estimates. The mosquitoes that transmit these diseases kill 725,000 people a year.According to USA Today.
They carry many dangerous diseases such as mosquitoes. chikungunya, dengue fever, lymphatic filariasis, Rift Valley fever, yellow fever, Zika, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile fever, reports WHO. Other insects such as fleas, lice and ticks also carry similar diseases.
Mosquito deaths are more common in some areas than others. For example, African countries are responsible for about 96% of malaria deaths, according to WHO. And although these are highly tropical diseases, climate change and global warming are slowly pushing them towards southern Europe. Spain, for example, is a place where transmission of these diseases will become more and more frequent.As the peninsula becomes a more favorable habitat for these mosquitoes.
However, there are other animals that stand out for causing human deaths. According to the ranking published by Discover Wildlife, the main ones will be:
-
Freshwater snails: 200,000 deaths per year
-
Saw-scale viper: 138,000 deaths per year
-
Various insects: 10,000 deaths per year
-
Scorpions: 2,600 deaths per year
-
Ascaris roundworms: 2,500 deaths per year
-
Saltwater crocodiles: 1,000 deaths per year
-
Elephants: 500 deaths a year
-
Hippos: 500 deaths per year
Now, in interpreting this fact, USA Today poses the following question: Do people kill more than mosquitoes?
Bill Gates’ blog recently published a chart showing that humans kill 475,000 people a year, and mosquitoes 725,000 people a year. This post sparked a strong discussion on the networks, which led to the fact-checking by US information portal Vox, which concluded that people should take first place in such a pathetic ranking.
Reference article: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/02/02/what-animal-kills-most-humans/7878440001/
……
Contact address of the environment department: [email protected]
Source: Informacion
James Sean is a writer for “Social Bites”. He covers a wide range of topics, bringing the latest news and developments to his readers. With a keen sense of what’s important and a passion for writing, James delivers unique and insightful articles that keep his readers informed and engaged.