Before we get into how some of our deadliest wildlife COULD kill you, it's important to stress how unlikely it is to happen: incredibly unlikely.
For example, out of the estimated 600 million individuals who visited the Australian coast in 2023 there were just four fatal shark bites, while fatal attacks on humans from the world's largest reptile (the saltwater crocodile) occur less than once per annum.
To put this into perspective, 1,600 people are killed and 22,000 injured in traffic incidents each year in Australia: so the bush could be the safest place to be.
This is therefore a theoretical comparison of the different killing methods that some of world's deadliest animals use.
The worst ways to die from a wildlife encounter
Mutilated by a crocodile
With their prehistoric looks and effective camouflage, chances are that the victim won’t see the croc that gets them until it’s far too late. Crocodiles are a group of semi-aquatic reptiles that lurk in water, looking like lazy logs.
- 7 deadly reptiles, from snakes to lizards
- Crocodile vs alligator: what's the difference between these two fearsome predators?
Appearances are deceptive, and when a crocodile attacks, it can launch itself a full body-length forward or upward in fractions of a second. Those huge, powerful, toothy jaws will snap shut, before the crocodile drags its victim into the water, performing what’s known as a ‘death roll’.
Victims can die from blood loss, drowning or dismemberment – the death roll is designed to tear its prey apart to make it easier to swallow.
Blood loss from a shark bite
Contrary to popular belief, most shark attacks on humans are a case of mistaken identity, curiosity, confusion or territorial – and highly unlikely to happen. As Steve Backshall says, you are more likely to die taking a selfie.
Exceptionally sharp, the forces from a shark's jaws are focused on a small area. The teeth of a great white shark are large, flat, triangular and serrated: ideal for tackling large and agile prey. In contrast, those of the grey nurse shark are long, slender and pointed, while those of the zebra bullhead shark resemble a five-pointed crown.
Theoretically, the great white can exert force of up to 18,000 Newtons, though smaller sharks will exert less pressure. The pressure forces the shark's teeth into flesh, tearing and cutting, often causing catastrophic bleeding from just one investigatory bite. Victims can go into shock and lose blood, so it’s often this that results in death, coupled with the fact that attacks happen at sea and away from the safety of the shore.
Organ failure from a mosquito bite
They may be tiny, but these little insects are the deadliest insect in the world, as well as one of the deadliest animals on the planet, killing thousands of people every single day. To be entirely accurate, it’s not the mosquitos themselves, but the disease they carry – malaria – that is deadly.
It is caused by a small parasite carried by the Anopheles mosquito. The malaria parasite infects the red blood cells of victims, causing symptoms such as fever, chills, aches, diarrhoea, vomiting, coughing and bloody urine. It’s not necessarily fatal – good care and medical treatment can help.
But if the victim is unfortunate enough to have poor access to medical aid, or be young, malnourished, older or immunocompromised, the chance of death becomes significantly higher.
Malaria kills because it affects the properties of red blood cells. They are unable to flow freely through smaller blood vessels, causing blockages that can lead to organ failure, strokes and death.
Internal bleeding caused by a snake bite
Venomous snakes are a group of animals that humans are understandably cautious of, but the most venomous of all is the inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) from Australia. You're unlikely to ever come into contact with one as they live in remote areas and are shy and docile, but they can attack with astounding accuracy and their venom is the most toxic in the world.
The venom can include neurotoxins that affect the nerves, brain and tissues of the victim. It also holds hemotoxins that affect the blood, and myotoxins that impact muscles.
On top of this, it contains haemorrhagins that affect blood vessels, which increases the venom absorption rate, making everything that much worse.
Antivenom exists and is highly effective, but unfortunate victims may have already suffered the rapid onset of convulsions and partial paralysis of facial and eye muscles, and even after receiving the antivenom, recovery still takes weeks.
Blood loss by lion bite
Lions are apex predators, usually found in Africa – or at least 97% are; there is also a small population of around 670 lions living in Gir National Park in north-west India.
Most of the hunting is done by females, who stealthily stalk their prey in teams of three or four before pouncing and killing them. They have a top speed of 46mph.
A lion’s canine teeth grow up to 10cm in length with a bite force around 650-1000psi, depending on the size of the individual. They knock their prey off balance, then kill it with a bite to the back of the neck or throat, or suffocate it, which in most cases is at least a quick end for its prey.
Severed spinal cord by tiger bite
It’s estimated that around 50 people are killed by tigers each year, likely due to the fact that tigers and humans increasingly occupy the same land and come into contact more frequently.
Tigers are particularly stealthy hunters and sneak up on their prey. The bite force the world's biggest cat exerts is around 1050psi, which allows them to take down much larger prey compared to their body size.
Once their prey has been floored, a bite to the front or back of the neck will either sever the jugular vein, leading to rapid exsanguination and death, or will sever the spinal cord, also resulting in death.
Heart or lung failure from scorpion sting
In mainly developing countries, people still live at risk of being killed by a scorpion. Although this is becoming rarer with time and the development of cheaper antivenoms, there are around 3,000 estimated fatalities across the world each year.
To put this into context, however, there are an estimated 2,200 species of scorpion in the world, and only 30 of these produce venom toxic enough to be fatal.
The most deadly scorpions belong to the Buthid family. The venom has complex toxic properties that affect nerves and brain, heart and blood, and kidneys, as well as causing pain and swelling near the site of the sting. A human, particularly they very young or very old, can die through heart or lung failure if untreated.
It’s also possible for people who’ve been stung previously by scorpions to have an allergic reaction to a subsequent sting, causing anaphylactic shock.
