Sharks? lions? snakes? No. Mosquitoes. Many of us view mosquitoes as more of an annoyance than a threat, but the tiny insects are far and away the deadliest animals on earth.
The World Health Organisation estimates that 725,000 people are killed each year by mosquito-born diseases. A staggering 200 million people are at least temporarily incapacitated by malaria alone, of which 600,000 die.
Dengue fever, yellow fever and encephalitis are also deadly diseases carried by mosquitoes.