The world's deadliest animal isn't a shark or even a human. Drawing from a graphic from Bill Gates' blog, we decided to rank the world's deadliest animals.
Most of the deaths caused by animals, it turns out, have less to do with the animals themselves than the diseases they unwittingly transmit.
Note that some numbers are harder to get an accurate read on than others, so these are for the most part rough estimates - sometimes very rough. And the list is representative of different kinds of deadly animals, but it's by no means comprehensive.
Here are some of the animals responsible for the most human deaths. The scariest predators aren't as dangerous as you might expect - but don't underestimate the little guys.
15. Sharks: 6 deaths a year
Jose María Melero Tejedor/YouTube ()
Shark attacks are pretty rare. In 2014, there were just three deaths globally related to shark attacks, and in 2015, there were six, which is about the average.
14. Wolves: 10 deaths a year
John Moore/Getty Images ()
Wolf attacks are not common in many parts of the world where wolves live.
A review of wolf attacks found that very few happened in the 50 years leading up to 2002 in Europe and North America, though there were a few hundred reported over the course of two decades in some regions of India, averaging out to close to 10 per year.
13. Lions: 22+ deaths a year
Kenya.AP/Vadim Ghirda ()
Estimates for lion-related deaths also vary year-to-year. A 2005 study found that since 1990, lions have killed 563 people in Tanzania alone, an average of about 22 a year.
Additional deaths likely occur outside of Tanzania, but it's difficult to find a concrete global number.
12. Elephants: 500 deaths a year
Thomson Reuters ()
Elephants are also responsible for a number of deaths per year - a 2005 National Geographic article said that 500 people a year are killed in elephant attacks.
Far more elephants have been killed by people.
11. Hippopotamuses: 500 deaths a year
REUTERS/Ivan Milutinovic ()
For a long time, hippos were considered the most deadly animal in Africa. Hippos are known for being aggressive toward humans, including tipping over boats.
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