If asked to picture a dangerous animal, bears, tigers, snakes and sharks are probably the first things that spring to mind - but there are plenty of animals much closer to home that a) you wouldn't consider a threat and b) have killed people. Take a look at...
1. Doomed by a DeerDeer are herbivores and are (at least in theory) harmless to humans. However, each year, there are around 440 human fatalities from drivers striking deer that have meandered onto the roads of America. Technically, deer are one of the most "dangerous" animals in the USA from this alone.
Less commonly, they can directly attack humans. Deer can use their horns to deadly effect – something 62-year-old Regis Levasseur found out the hard way. Acting as a beater during a hunt in France, Levasseur cornered a deer only to have it charge him – the deer managed to tear out his throat using its antler tips!
The beetles can also carry Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite responsible for Chagas disease. The beetles pick up the parasite by biting infected hosts and pass it on via the contaminated feces they leave in their wake.
If the droppings get into the bloodstream (for example, due to the open wound left by a bug bite), the parasite can infect the unfortunate host. This disease is no joke - over 10,000 people die from Chagas each year.
Cockerels naturally develop wicked keratin-sheathed bone spurs that they use to rake at threats. Birds used in cock-fighting may have their spurs augmented with a small knife – it was one of these blades that ripped open Ochoa and let him bleed to death.
4. Man's Best Friend?Even before the advent of the Bully XL breed, dog attacks were a serious problem - in 2016 there were 45 direct fatalities from dog attacks in Europe alone. The odds of a healthy adult human being killed by a normal dog are fairly low, but a physically vulnerable individual may not be able to fend off an attack – and some breeds of dog are more than capable of mangling a healthy adult.
Furthermore, dogs are a major vector for rabies - 99% of rabies cases that result in human death start with a rabid dog bite - and around 59,000 people die per year from the disease.
The resulting condition is schistosomiasis, a parasitic infestation that grows inside the blood vessels and slowly destroys organs. This is a particular issue in Africa, and the World Health Organization estimated an annual global death rate of over 11,000.
6. Bled by a BeaverBeavers are water-dwelling rodents best known for building dams. They can be surprisingly dangerous, however - as a Belarusian man found out when he got too close in the hopes of getting a photograph. The beaver took umbrage, sinking those long and sharp wood-cutting teeth into his thigh. The razor-sharp incisors laid open an artery, and the unfortunate explorer bled to death on the forest floor.
There are few initial symptoms, but the larva can infect muscles, eyes, skin and even the central nervous system. This results in headaches, blindness or seizures, and can potentially culminate in death - in fact, an estimated 50,000 people die each year due to neurocysticercosis.
The bites themselves are fairly harmless, usually causing a small but itchy swelling, but the real danger comes from the diseases they carry. Researchers estimate that 700,000 people die each year as a result of vector-borne diseases (i.e. malaria, West Nile virus, Zika) carried by these beasts.
9. Crushed by CattleIt's easy to think of these bovines as docile livestock, content to eat grass until they are culled - but in reality, a cow is a large chunk of muscle and bone that can react violently to potential threats.
Walkers (especially ones with dogs) that spook a herd may find themselves bludgeoned to the ground and trampled. Of the 22 farm-related deaths between 2015 and 2020 in the UK, the majority involved cattle.
The swan maintained the assault, seeming to actively block any route to the shore. Eventually, cold water and exhaustion overwhelmed Hensley, leading to a death by drowning. It seems that this aggressively territorial reaction is fairly commonplace in male mute swans defending a nest - though typically without such lethal consequences.
- Doomed by a Deer
- Biohazard Bugs
- Knifed by a Cockrel
- Man's Best Friend?
- Deadly Flukes in Harmless Snails
- Bled by a Beaver
- Terror of the Tapeworm
- Mugged by a Malignant Mosquito
- Crushed by Cattle
- Savaged by a Swan
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| Scarier than you'd think... (R Sen) |
Less commonly, they can directly attack humans. Deer can use their horns to deadly effect – something 62-year-old Regis Levasseur found out the hard way. Acting as a beater during a hunt in France, Levasseur cornered a deer only to have it charge him – the deer managed to tear out his throat using its antler tips!
2. Biohazard Bugs
Small blood-sucking insects, triatomine bugs (sometimes called kissing bugs), can be found in the cracks of American buildings. They bite humans when threatened or hungry, leaving a painful mark - and, in some cases, inducing anaphylactic shock.The beetles can also carry Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite responsible for Chagas disease. The beetles pick up the parasite by biting infected hosts and pass it on via the contaminated feces they leave in their wake.
If the droppings get into the bloodstream (for example, due to the open wound left by a bug bite), the parasite can infect the unfortunate host. This disease is no joke - over 10,000 people die from Chagas each year.
3. Knifed by a Cockrel
In 2011, 35-year-old Jose Luis Ochoa was involved in an organized cock-fighting match in California. It should be noted that this "sport" is both illegal and cruel, so Ochoa received a hefty dose of karma when one of the birds slashed his thigh open.Cockerels naturally develop wicked keratin-sheathed bone spurs that they use to rake at threats. Birds used in cock-fighting may have their spurs augmented with a small knife – it was one of these blades that ripped open Ochoa and let him bleed to death.
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| Do you believe in karma? (Ticka Kao) |
4. Man's Best Friend?Even before the advent of the Bully XL breed, dog attacks were a serious problem - in 2016 there were 45 direct fatalities from dog attacks in Europe alone. The odds of a healthy adult human being killed by a normal dog are fairly low, but a physically vulnerable individual may not be able to fend off an attack – and some breeds of dog are more than capable of mangling a healthy adult.
Furthermore, dogs are a major vector for rabies - 99% of rabies cases that result in human death start with a rabid dog bite - and around 59,000 people die per year from the disease.
5. Deadly Flukes in Harmless Snails
Aquatic snails are small, harmless mollusks that graze on algae in streams and ponds. They can also carry certain kinds of trematode worms, parasites that can infect humans that enter their water.The resulting condition is schistosomiasis, a parasitic infestation that grows inside the blood vessels and slowly destroys organs. This is a particular issue in Africa, and the World Health Organization estimated an annual global death rate of over 11,000.
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| Beavers have quite a bite... (Mark Ma) |
6. Bled by a BeaverBeavers are water-dwelling rodents best known for building dams. They can be surprisingly dangerous, however - as a Belarusian man found out when he got too close in the hopes of getting a photograph. The beaver took umbrage, sinking those long and sharp wood-cutting teeth into his thigh. The razor-sharp incisors laid open an artery, and the unfortunate explorer bled to death on the forest floor.
7. Terror of the Tapeworm
Whilst it is revolting to think of, many tapeworms can use humans as part of their lifecycle. A human that consumes infected beef or pork that hasn't been properly cooked may become infected themselves.There are few initial symptoms, but the larva can infect muscles, eyes, skin and even the central nervous system. This results in headaches, blindness or seizures, and can potentially culminate in death - in fact, an estimated 50,000 people die each year due to neurocysticercosis.
8. Mugged by a Malignant Mosquito
The odds are you've had some kind of experience with these airborne pests. These small insects supplement their diet with blood, and sometimes that blood comes from a human.The bites themselves are fairly harmless, usually causing a small but itchy swelling, but the real danger comes from the diseases they carry. Researchers estimate that 700,000 people die each year as a result of vector-borne diseases (i.e. malaria, West Nile virus, Zika) carried by these beasts.
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| Moo! (Wolfgang Hasselmann) |
Walkers (especially ones with dogs) that spook a herd may find themselves bludgeoned to the ground and trampled. Of the 22 farm-related deaths between 2015 and 2020 in the UK, the majority involved cattle.
10. Savaged by a Swan
One Saturday morning outside of Chicago, a 37-year-old man drowned at the beak of a swan. Anthony Hensley was out kayaking when one of the water-birds charged and capsized his craft.The swan maintained the assault, seeming to actively block any route to the shore. Eventually, cold water and exhaustion overwhelmed Hensley, leading to a death by drowning. It seems that this aggressively territorial reaction is fairly commonplace in male mute swans defending a nest - though typically without such lethal consequences.
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