What animal kills the most humans in the UK

The death of an American tourist in a horrific lion attack in South Africa in the summer of 2015 was a stark reminder of the dangers that can be posed by wildlife.

But while terrifying, attacks by lions on humans are quite rare. Fewer than 100 people are killed by lions each year.

So what is the world's deadliest animal?

Mosquitoes

Many of us view mosquitoes as more of an annoyance than a threat, but the tiny insects are far and away the deadliest animals on earth.

The World Health Organisation estimates that 725,000 people are killed each year by mosquito-born diseases. A staggering 200 million people are at least temporarily incapacitated by malaria alone, of which 600,000 die.

Dengue fever, yellow fever and encephalitis are also deadly diseases carried by mosquitoes.

At least one influential individual is spreading the word about the killer insects.

An examination of the above graphic (which is based on WHO data) reveals that we are often our own wost enemy. Beyond humans themselves, nature's deadliest creatures also include:

Snakes

While cobras and pythons attract a lot of attention, bites by smaller venomous snakes are highly dangerous, especially when they go untreated.

The saw-scaled viper kills more people than any other snake each year, though the venomous serpent is comparatively diminutive at just one to three feet long.

Among the most venomous snakes on earth is the inland taipan, native to Australia. Its poison is so intense that it can kill in less than a half hour.

Man's best friend is also the mammal most likely to kill him. Of the roughly 25,000 people killed by dogs each year, the majority die from rabies.

Over 90 percent of rabies infections in humans worldwide are caused by dog bites, though that number is much lower in the west where rabies has been well contained in canine populations and skunks and bats are more likely than dogs to infect people.

While it is very rare for someone in North America or Western Europe to die of rabies, an estimated 20,000 people die in India each year from the disease due primarily to the prevalence of stray dogs.

The most dangerous large land animal in Africa is the hippopotamus. Despite their primarily vegetarian diet, the world's third-largest land mammal is extremely aggressive and territorial.

The combination of sheer size (males average 3,300 lbs), sharp teeth, and mobility both in and out of water make for a fearsome beast indeed.

While sharks are among nature's most feared predators they are not one of the most dangerous, at least for humans. Only approximately 10 people are killed by sharks annually. But that doesn't mean they can't be terrifying.

CREATURES like sharks and spiders are feared by many but they don't actually top the list of the deadliest animals in the world.

Below is a list of the world's deadliest creatures in terms of how many humans they kill a year, according to research posted on the Bill Gates blog Gates Notes and Business Insider.

15. Sharks – six deaths a year

Thanks to the classic film Jaws, lots of people fear sharks.

Although the predators are pretty deadly they don't actually kill as many people as you would think.

In 2014, there were only three human deaths from shark attacks and in 2015 there were six.

This is thought to be the average number a year.

14. Wolves – 10 deaths a year

Wolf attacks aren't common but they still occur enough to make the list.

Very few happen a year on average but because of two decades when wolves killed a few hundred people in India, the average has gone up.

13. Lions – over 22 deaths a year

It's difficult to get a definite number for lion deaths and estimates vary from year-to-year. A 2005 study found that since 1990, lions had killed 563 people in Tanzania alone, an average of around 22 a year. More deaths are likely to have happened in other parts of Africa.

12. Elephants – 500 deaths a year

Far more elephants are killed by people than the creatures killing humans.

However, attacks and accidents do still occur.

11. Hippos – 500 deaths a year

Hippos are often considered one of the most deadly animals in Africa.

They are known for being aggressive towards humans and sometimes tip boats over using their massive bulk which can be up to 9,000lbs.

With sharp teeth and powerful jaws they have the ability to crush a human to death.

10. Tapeworms – 700 deaths a year

A surprising addition to the list is the tapeworm.

The parasite burrows into your gut and causes an infection called cysticerosis.

9. Crocodiles – 1,000 deaths a year

These scaly predators have been considered responsible for the most human deaths in Africa.

Concrete numbers are difficult to gather as most attacks take place in remote areas and are not widely reported but 1,000 deaths is the best estimate.

8. Roundworms – 4,500 deaths a year

The Ascaris roundworm causes an infection called aschariasis.

They are the most common form of parasitic worm in humans.

Aschariasis is a condition that affects the small intestine and it can be deadly.

More children are affected by these parasites than adults.

7. Tsetse fly – around 10,000 deaths a year

These flies can give you a disease called sleeping sickness.

It can cause headaches, fever, joint pain, and itchiness before leading to neurological conditions.

However, it is thought that the number of deaths that this insect causes is decreasing.

6. Assassin bug – around 12,000 deaths a year

As its name suggests, the assassin bug is deadly.

They bite and suck your blood.

Through doing this they can give you a disease called Chagas disease, which causes infection and inflammation of human tissues.

5. Freshwater snails – around 20,000 deaths a year

Freshwater snails carry parasitic worms that can give people a disease called schistosomiasis.

This occurs when larval forms of the parasite penetrate the skin when victims come into contact with infested water.

The disease is most commonly found in Africa, Asia and South America where millions of people contract it each year leading to thousands of deaths.

Symptoms include abdominal pain and anal bleeding.

4. Dogs – 35,000 deaths a year

This figure relates specifically to dogs with rabies.

Around 99 per cent of rabies cases are caused by dogs, according to the WHO.

3. Snakes – 100,000 deaths a year

Snakes are thought to kill around 100,000 people each year but the number could be much higher as reliable data from all countries with deadly reptiles has been difficult to obtain.

Business Insider notes that there is a troubling global shortage of antivenom.

2. Humans – 440,000 deaths a year

According to fairly recent statistics, humans are the the second most deadly animal in the world.

This almost makes us our own worst enemy.

Worryingly, you are more likely to be murdered by someone you know.

1. Mosquitos – 750,000 deaths a year

Mosquitos are the biggest killer because they spread diseases easily and quickly.

A mosquito bite can lead to deadly conditions like malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever.

Malaria by itself is responsible for more than half of mosquito-related deaths.

What are the most poisonous animals in the world?

Here are seven of the most deadly creatures...

• The box jellyfish is widely regarded to be the most posionous animal in the world and contians a toxin that can cause heart attacks
• Cobras, typically found in the jungles of India and China, can spit a venom which can result in death in a very short space of time and just 7ml of their venom is enough to kill 20 humans
• The marbled cone snail is a sea creature that can release venom so toxic it can result in vision loss, respiratory failure, muscle paralysis and eventually death and, to make things worse, there is no anti-venom avaliable
• Posion dart frogs are small and brightly coloured but have glands containing a toxin that blocks nerve signals to muscles, causing paralysis and death
• Puffer fish are considered to be a dangerous delicacy because some of their anatomy contains a hazardous toxin which, if ingested in a large quantity, can cause convulsions, paralysis, cardiac arrhythmia, and ultimately death
• The Brazillian wandering spider, also known as the 'banana spider', has venom that is so high in serotonin it can paralyse and kill
• Death stalker scorpions have a fitting name as enough venom from one can cause a lot of pain and respiratory failure

Dad who bought an eight inch snake has seen it grow into the world's biggest ever Burmese python measuring over 18ft

In other animal news, a colony of poo-eating sloths were found lurking in toilets and devouring "handfuls of human excrement" in Peru.

A gay penguin couple in a Dutch zoo are so desperate for a baby that they stole an egg.

And, there's a new and supposedly more accurate method to working out how old your dog would be if they were a human.

Are you afraid of any animals? Let us know in the comments...

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