Saturday, March 14, 2009

World's Most Dangerous Animals

Deadliest animals in the world ranked by estimated number of human fataliteis per year :

Over 2 million deaths per year resulting from malaria infection caused by mosquito bites. The mosquito is a member of the family Culicidae; these insects have a pair of scaled wings, a pair of halteres, a slender body, and long legs. The females of most mosquito species suck blood from other animals.





2. Snake.
Over 100,000 deaths per year. Snakes, also known as ophidians, are cold-blooded legless reptiles closely related to lizards, which share the order Squamata. There are also several species of legless lizard which superficially resemble snakes, but are not otherwise related to them.



3. Scorpion.
Up to 5,000 deaths per year. A scorpion is an invertebrate animal with eight legs, belonging to the order Scorpiones in the class Arachnida.






4. Crocodile.
Up to 2,000 deaths per year. A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae. The term can also be used more loosely to include all members of the order Crocodilia: i.e the true crocodiles, the alligators and caimans and the gharials. The crocodiles, colloquially called crocs, are large aquatic reptiles that live throughout the Tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia.



5. Elephant.
Over 600 deaths per year. Elephantidae is a family of pachyderm, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea in the class Mammalia. Elephantidae has three living species: the African Bush Elephant and the African Forest Elephant and the Asian Elephant.






6. Bee.
Over 400 deaths per year. Bees are flying insects, closely related to wasps and ants. There are approximately 20,000 species of bees, and they may be found on every continent except Antarctica. Bees are adapted for feeding on nectar and pollen, the former primarily as an energy source, and the latter primarily for protein and other nutrients.



7. Lion.
Over 250 deaths per year. The lion is a mammal of the family Felidae and one of four "big cats" in the genus Panthera. The lion is the second largest cat, after the tiger. The male lion, easily recognized by his mane, weighs between 150-225 kg. In the wild, lions live for around 10-14 years, while in captivity they can live over 20 years.





8. Hippopotamus.
Over 200 deaths per year. The hippopotamus, from the Greek,is a large, plant-eating African mammal, one of only two extant, and three or four recently extinct, species in the family Hippopotamidae.





9. Jellyfish.
Over 100 deaths per year. Jellyfish are marine invertebrates belonging to the Scyphozoan class, and in turn the phylum Cnidaria. The body of an adult jellyfish is composed of a bell-shaped, jellylike substance enclosing its internal structure, from which the creature's tentacles suspend.



10. Shark.
30-100 deaths per year. Sharks are fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a streamlined body. They respire with the use of five to seven gill slits. Sharks have a covering of dermal denticles to protect their skin from damage, parasites and to improve fluid dynamics.








Source : absoluteastronomy.com


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