Nature is wonderful, but it requires respect, since there are beings that can represent a risk in one way or another. That is why it is good to know which is the most dangerous animal in the world and how it can affect our most basic well-being.
In this publication you will learn who is the most dangerous animal in the world, whose contact can seriously compromise your integrity. We will also tell you about others that are close to it in a very interesting list. To find out, keep reading this article.
What is the most dangerous animal in the world
Let’s start by knowing what the animal or insect most dangerous in the world, which can expose us to potential risks. You will be surprised to know that it has no claws, teeth, or poison. It’s not even big in size. In fact, it is tiny.
This is because we are talking about an insect and one that is quite common in much of the world. We are referring to the mosquito, which turns out to be the most dangerous animal of all because it is difficult to combat and is the perfect vehicle for multiple diseases.
It can commonly spread malaria, chikungunya, zika or dengue, which are some of the health problems currently being dealt with today.
The World Health Organization states that more than 50% of the world’s population is currently at risk due to diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. So it is not a minor matter.
Why are they so deadly?
As small as you see them, insignificant in appearance, mosquitoes are responsible for the death of 2.7 million people a year. They have enormous resistance to adverse conditions in any environment, which is why they are also dangerous for other animals.
They are present throughout the world, except for cold places like Antarctica or the Arctic. They are also amazing survivors. There are more than 2,500 species across the planet, which resist external natural variations and can adapt to any environment. They can reproduce both indoors and outdoors.
Millions of deaths annually
Surely you have been bitten by a mosquito at some point, something that, although annoying, is not the end of the world. The only thing you feel is a very slight sting and itching. Your skin turns a little red, but that doesn’t last long. There are generally no worrying consequences.
However, each bite is capable of transmitting serious diseases. The fact that they can act in hordes of billions means that they cause the death of more than 2 million people per year.
They feed on human blood and their populations grow in areas where there are many people.
That is, in urban or rural environments. Wherever there is stagnant water, they can thrive there, which is a risky situation, in which the possibility of contracting diseases increases.
How to combat it
This leads us to wonder how we can combat this insect and thus avoid being affected by its ability to transmit diseases. Methods such as repellents or insecticides are almost always used, which are usually effective to avoid contact with them. However, such means are not powerful enough to kill them.
The thing is, precisely, a repellent repels. That is, it makes them move away, but it doesn’t kill them. And many insecticides tend to do the same thing. In fact, mosquitoes that are resistant to pesticides survive fumigation.
So what can you do that will actually combat them? The key is to use more than one method or precautionary measures. These generally involve eliminating the places where they lay their eggs, favoring their predators, and using agents with BTI (Bacillus thuringiensis) or IGR (insect growth regulator). Traps are also usually used to trap and eliminate them.
The perhaps most important measure is to get rid of places with stagnant water, which is where they can raise their larvae. For this reason, campaigns aimed at the population encourage removing bowls or buckets containing water from homes.
Another measure, which is not easy to use, is to favor its predators. Ornamental fish such as Koi are magnificent consumers of mosquito larvae. Also lizards, geckos, frogs, bats and spiders.
List of the most dangerous animals in the world
Mosquitoes are not the only ones we should take care of. There are other beings that represent various levels of threat to humans. We’ve put together 10 of these in a list, from the least risky to the most potentially harmful, preceding the most dangerous of all.
10- Tsetse fly
It is another insect which lives in large concentrations in sub-Saharan Africa. They are small parasitic flies that feed on the blood of animals and also humans. When they bite, they inoculate their hosts with pathogens called trypanosomes. These infect the lymphatic system and the human central nervous system. There is no cure for this disease and the only possible prevention is not to be bitten by one.
9- Pufferfish
This not very big fish It can measure up to 70 cm long. However, it has a very powerful poison, more dangerous than that of any other fish. It is estimated to be 100 times more lethal than cyanide. It is their defense mechanism against their predators and is deadly in humans. Curiously, in Japan it is eaten, but it is prepared by a specialist who studies for two years to know how to cut it and extract the toxic component, so that its meat is edible.
8- Saw-scaled viper
It’s a very dangerous reptile, whose length ranges between 38 and 76 cm. It is very risky because it has a great ability to camouflage itself, and the fact that it is found in densely populated human regions. Since it is not very big, it avoids humans and only attacks if it feels provoked or trapped. Its bite injects 12 milligrams of venom, of which only 5 milligrams are in themselves lethal in adults.
7- Crocodiles
It is no secret that the crocodile is a lethal animal, one of the most dangerous on the planet due to its attacks. They can measure around 3 m long and are one of the few living beings that actively feed on humans. Every year there are hundreds of attacks attributed to this animal. These are not limited to nature, since now there are also areas where man is frequently found, such as the Florida mangroves in the United States.
6- Killer bees
While we owe a lot to bees, we cannot forget that swarm attacks can kill many people. The most dangerous bee is the one called africanized beeeither killer bee. Around 1,000 deaths have been attributed to it. It has a marked tendency to protect its hive, so its level of aggression is very strong. It is believed that swarms can chase their victims for more than 1000 meters. They cause more 10 stings than European bees.
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5- Golden poisonous frog
Also called poison dart frog, is a species whose adults reach a maximum of 5 cm in length. Secret a poison It also covers your skin, so even touching it is very risky. It is an alkaloid toxin, so powerful that one milligram can kill 20 people or 10,000 mice. It is found in the tropical jungles of Colombia, where the indigenous people used it to poison the tips of their arrows.
4- Had
It’s a parasite which can grow up to 3 meters long on average. However, there are some that have reached 8 meters in length. It thrives in the digestive tract of animals and humans. The latter usually receive them through undercooked or raw meat. Its presence has been related to anemia and unexplained weight loss. However, the most dangerous disease it transmits is cysticercosis, which kills about 400 people each year.
3- Hippopotamus
Is the third mammal largest land area in the world. The only ones that surpass it are the rhinoceros and the elephant. Although it is herbivorous, it has a powerful attack capacity, under which around 500 people perish per year. Their level of aggression is unrivaled among other large animals, and they are capable of attacking humans even if unprovoked. His lunge mostly occurs in water, but even though he weighs over 1 ton, he runs at 36 km/h, making him faster than people.
2- Box jellyfish
It is the marine animal with the poison more powerful. Its name is due to the fact that it has a shape similar to a cube, from which 15 tentacles emerge that can measure up to 3 meters. These are lined with stinging cells known as nematocysts that possess a neurotoxin. They do not deliberately attack people, but because their bodies are transparent, they are difficult to see underwater, putting any swimmer at risk. There is an antidote for its toxin, but survival from its attack depends on how quickly it is applied, as it acts very quickly.
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1- Being human
Could not be missing from this list human being. According to data provided by the United States Center for Disease Control, humans are the second most dangerous beings on planet Earth. Every year approximately 251 thousand people die from firearms in the world, in addition to violent incidents recorded mainly in large cities. Furthermore, humans with their excessive extraction of resources have made numerous animal and plant species extinct.
What is the most dangerous animal in the marine world?
When thinking about what is the most dangerous animal in the aquatic world, many think of the shark. However, even though they are large predators, their mortality rate is low. On average, up to 11 people have died from its attack in a year.
However, deaths from the jellyfish sting range between 50 and 100 deaths in the same period. As we said before, its toxin is very strong and if it is not applied quickly the chances of surviving its contact are very small.
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Is the mosquito the most dangerous animal in the world?
Let’s recap the reasons why the mosquito tops the list of dangerous animals. This small insect is found all over the world, except at the poles. Transmits diseases such as malariahe zikathe chikungunya or the dengue. It is difficult to combat, and requires constant measures to avoid contact. It is also a great survivor, adapting to all types of environments.
What is the most dangerous land animal in the world?
The golden dart frog It is the most dangerous land animal. Its toxin is in its skin, so it can poison simply by touch. Its poison has no antidote. The indigenous people used it to poison the tips of their arrows, to cause certain death.