When you think of killer animals, odds are you picture a lion, a shark, maybe an elephant. Shockingly, the most destructive animals on Earth are in many cases a lot more modest - and bound to kill through disease, and venom, rather than by razor-sharp teeth.

The 10 deadliest animals combined kill less than a million humans per year.

According to a 2019 report, humans are technically the most dangerous species, causing nearly half a million deaths annually. Putting aside our own problems, the following are the animals that kill the most people.

10. Lions - kills 200 humans per year

The lion is still a ferocious predator that you wouldn't want to mess with, even though you might have guessed that the king of the jungle, who doesn't live in the jungle, would be higher up on this list of the world's most dangerous animals. Its 114 dB roar ought to be sufficient warning.

The lion is a terrifying animal that typically attacks at night and uses sharp claws to cause severe wounds and bites that can break bones and crack your skull. These big cats hunt in small groups and surround their prey before lunging for the kill.

If you get too close to a pride, they may also charge you. Particularly during romance or when with cubs. These majestic big cats attack for the sake of their young and their hunger.

9. Hippos - kills 500 humans a year

The hippopotamus could be seen as a surprise entry on this list due to being a herbivore, yet because of its great arrangement of chompers and forceful nature it is quite possibly the most risky dangerous on earth.

Hippos fight with their long (up to half a metre) sharp canines, and a single bite from one of them can split a person in half. The force of a hippopotamus bite is nearly three times that of a lion's.

Hippos are known to attack and tip over boats in defense, mistaking them for predators, as they are fiercely territorial and can attack humans when they approach their habitat. The hippo has even been known to eat its own kind out of desperation.

8. Elephants - kills 600 humans per year

An elephant who always remembers… to kill! The strong elephant is one of the world's most dangerous creatures because of its sheer size and can go after people in different ways.

Elephants typically kill people by stepping on them. The force of being stomped on and knocked back by an African elephant, which can weigh up to eight tonnes, would easily be sufficient to kill.

Additionally, an elephant's trunk can be used to pick up people and toss them into the ground. Using their tusks, elephants have also been known to kill people.

7. Crocodiles - kills 1,000 humans per year

The crocodile is a broadly brutal creature that causes up to 1,000 revealed fatalities a year. You should be able to tell by looking at those teeth why these reptiles are so dangerous.

The Nile crocodile has the strongest bite force of any animal in the world—up to 5,000 psi—while the saltwater croc has only 3,700 psi—the second-most powerful bite of any animal.

Saltwater crocodiles eat their prey and can do a death roll to make the experience even more painful. Nile crocodiles simply crush their prey with their ridiculously powerful bite before frequently swallowing it whole.

Crocodiles are extremely territorial and aggressive, and they will attack anything that enters their habitat, frequently trapping prey in the water.

6. Scorpions - kills 3,300 humans per year

These ancient and aggressive creepy crawlies sting with their tail and inject venom into their prey. With over 2,600 species of the arachnid, only around 25 carry a powerful enough toxin to kill humans.

One of the most dangerous is the deathstalker (clue’s in the name). These yellow death bringers can be found across the dry and arid landscapes and deserts of North Africa and the Middle East. They are not to be trifled with.

The venom carried by a deathstalker is enough to kill the young, elderly, and those with lingering medical problems including heart conditions. Healthy adult humans can be killed by a deathstalker’s sting too, mind, it’s just less likely.

5. Assassin Bugs (Chagas disease) - kills 10,000 humans per year

The deadly Chagas disease is primarily spread by assassin bugs. These parasitic hunter bugs are a genuine danger in Focal and South America because of this.

The assassin bug bite or consumption of cold food or drink that has been infected by the insect and/or its feces, which carry the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi (T.cruzi), can transmit the potentially fatal Chagas disease.

4. Dogs (rabies) - kills 59,000 per year

When it comes to rabies, man's best friend can also be his worst enemy. You could also ask any postman about dog attacks or close calls.

Dogs like to guard their owners against possible intruders and will attack by biting. While deaths from dog attacks are uncommon, human deaths from rabies transmitted by dog bites are not unheard of, primarily taking place in poorer parts of the world including Africa and Asia.

"Dogs are the main source of human rabies deaths, contributing up to 99 percent of all rabies transmissions to humans," states the World Health Organization (WHO). It is sent by spit using chomps, scratches, and direct contact with tainted regions on the dog.

3. Snakes - kills 138,000 humans per year

Dangerous snakes can be found the world over and can kill humans in various and brutal ways.

For instance, the black mamba can kill a person with just two drops of its venom from a bite, while pythons can swallow an entire adult.

Pythons assault by folding their long bodies over and contracting their prey, choking out them and breaking their bones. After that, they swallow their prey whole with their slender jaws. Indeed, they in all actuality do develop sufficiently enormous to swallow a whole individual, with pythons known to grow up to 10 metres long.

2. Humans (homicides only) - kills 400,000 humans per year

Yeah, we know, this one’s a bit of a cheat, but humans are technically the second-most dangerous animals on the planet when it comes to human deaths. That is just when you count homicides.

"Globally, 0.7% of deaths in 2019 were the result of homicide," states ourworldindata. In Latin America, manslaughter rates are higher than different regions of the planet, with crimes representing "more than 7% of passings in El Salvador."

Humans aren’t alone in killing their kind. It happens all across the animal kingdom. When we get true crime podcasts about lions or chimpanzees is another thing entirely.

1. Mosquitoes - kills 725,000 per year

Mosquitoes are the most dangerous creatures on the planet, killing 725,000 people each year through spreading illnesses like intestinal sickness. Just female mosquitos bite, making them the most vicious.

Through their high limit with regards to killing, this tiny flying bug has guided the course of mankind's set of experiences on different events, crucial for American freedom and the ascent and fall of Rome.

Malaria infection is particularly bad in Africa, with the region accounting for 95 percent of cases and 96 percent of deaths worldwide.

If you plan to travel to areas where mosquitoes are a problem, purchasing and installing a mosquito net is the best way to keep out mosquitoes as much as possible.

Source: BBC