Sharks, lions and snakes may strike fear into your heart, but they do not even come close to being the deadliest animal on earth. Of the top ten deadliest creatures to humans, most are smaller than a Toonie! And sometimes distinguishing between a cute animal and deadly one isn’t an easy task.

In fact, a few of the creatures on the list of the World’s Deadliest Animals might surprise you. The number one animal kills more than 700,000 people; all thanks to a bite from this small and seemingly innocuous animal.

This infographic on the World’s Deadliest Animals was posted by Bill Gates on his blog as part of Mosquito Week. Why are mosquitoes the deadliest animal? Mosquitoes carry diseases, including malaria (which kills more than 600,000 people every year); dengue fever virus; Rift Valley fever virus; yellow fever; chikungunya virus; West Nile virus; Lymphatic filariasis; and Japanese encephalitis.

“Personally I’ve had a thing about sharks since the first time I saw ‘Jaws,’” Gates wrote on his blog. “But if you’re judging by how many people are killed by an animal every year, then the answer isn’t any of the above. It’s mosquitoes.”

Humans kill about 475,000 other humans every year, claiming second place. It also demonstrates once again that we are often our own worst enemy. Finally, rounding out the top three are snakes. Which is not surprising, since there are over 600 venomous snakes in the world.

Did any animals on the list surprise you? Or have you had any scary encounters with one of the above animals?

Source: http://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/Most-Lethal-Animal-Mosquito-Week