#1.
Close-up of Mosquito (Aedes aegypti) sucking blood on human skin. The mosquito is the single deadliest, most dangerous 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.
Four species of sharks account for the vast majority of fatal attacks on humans: the bull shark, tiger shark, oceanic whitetip shark and the great white shark.
Spreading diseases such as malaria, dengue, West Nile, yellow fever, Zika, chikungunya, and lymphatic filariasis, the mosquito kills more people than any other creature in the world.
While larger animals like sharks or hippos may seem a likely culprit, the animal that kills the most humans per year is actually the mosquito.
Man's best friend is actually one of the world's deadliest mammals. Worldwide, dogs are responsible for about 25,000 human deaths from rabies each year resulting from maulings and bites.
Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)
Causing an estimated 500 deaths annually (as compared to only 22 for lions), hippos are deadly land mammals. This is because they are very aggressive and territorial, and have a habit of charging at boats and capsizing them.
Said to be one of the most dangerous animals in Australia, the Saltwater Crocodile is an aggressive and territorial animal, and is the largest reptile in the world in terms of their mass – known to reach over 1000kg!
There are a number of marine species that outlive humans, and the mammal species that holds the record for longevity is the bowhead whale, which can live for 200 years - or more.
Do hippos eat humans? Hippos do not eat humans, but they will attack people who infringe on their territory. While on land, hippos are not territorial, but they are territorial in water. Hippos spend most of their time submerged in water in order to keep them cool.
Quokkas, famous for posing in selfies, are native to Rottnest Island where about 10,000 live a sheltered life free from predators or traffic. They are classified as a vulnerable species and have been almost completely wiped out on the mainland.
The dingo is Australia's largest land-based predator, occurring across most of the mainland and on many nearshore islands. Our new research, published in the journal Mammal Review, reveals the breadth and diversity of dingo diets across the continent.
It says 50 billion animals have been slaughtered so far. Broilers chicken took the brunt from the death squad and lost 8 billion feathered chicks. Additionally, that's 214 million turkeys, 36 million cattle, 124 million pigs, 23 million ducks, 7 million sheep, 4 billion fish, and 43 billion shellfish around the world.
However, a 2015 study by the Mammal Review shows hippos “occasionally” feed on animal carcasses, a more omnivorous behavior. Hippos are known to attack and eat animals like wildebeests, zebras and kudus, as well as other hippos in cases of cannibalism, according to AZ Animals. They also steal meat from other predators.
#1: Mosquito
It kills more people than all the other animals on this list combined. Mosquitoes carry diseases that kill more than 1 million people each year. These diseases include Malaria, Dengue Fever, and Yellow Fever.
The truth is far more feminine – and cute. The meerkat was unmasked in a scientific study as the most homicidal of over 1,000 mammals. One-in-five will be violently dispatched by another meerkat, likely their own mother, sister or auntie, demonstrating how the female of the species really is more deadly than the male.
A hippo would win a fight against a polar bear.
Instead, the hippo needs one or two bites to incapacitate the polar bear. Its massive teeth would penetrate the bear's fur and skin, breaking bones and ripping into organs. In this rare case, speed on land would only matter at the beginning of the fight.