![]() ![]() Group A streptococci Credit: Juan Gaertner / Science Photo Library via Getty However, some have argued that we can’t exactly blame mosquitoes for being the “killers” behind deaths from these diseases, any more than we consider humans to be “killers” when we unknowingly transmit diseases like tuberculosis or COVID-19 to one another. This saliva secretion allows pathogens carried by the mosquito, like the parasite that causes malaria or the viruses that cause yellow or Dengue fever, to infect the human. When a female mosquito bites a human to feed on their blood, she secretes saliva containing proteins that stop the blood from clotting too quickly. ![]() Malaria alone is estimated to kill over 400,000 people per year – mostly young children – a matter of major global public health concern. They’re not intentionally plotting against us, but their bites spread deadly infectious diseases such as malaria, Zika virus, yellow fever and Dengue fever. Often labelled the world’s deadliest animal, mosquitoes are estimated to kill a staggering 1 million humans per year. Mosquitoes Credit: Scott Smith / Corbis Documentary via Getty So how scared should we be? Like many animals, swans can definitely become aggressive when they feel threatened or are protecting their young, so it’s probably best to give them a bit of space during nesting season. Swans have also been shamed for attacking and killing each other and, as introduced species, for damaging local habitat and ecosystems. There’s Mr Asbo, the white swan who rose to fame in 2010 for attacking rowers on the River Cam in England, and the case of a US kayaker who sadly drowned after apparently being attacked by a swan. Swans Credit: Antagain / Gettyĭo swans make you think of fairy tales and graceful ballet dancers? You’re not alone, but the elegant birds also have a growing reputation for being a little dangerous. In fact, lamprey flesh is considered a delicacy in many human cultures. Pretty scary if you’re a fish, but luckily lampreys aren’t very dangerous to humans. The lamprey hunts by stabbing its prey with its teeth and using its rough tongue to scrape away the victim’s skin and tissue to feed on its blood. Like sharks, their skeletons are made of cartilage, not bone. The eel-like creatures don’t have scales, fins, or even jaws – instead, their circular mouths are lined with several rows of sharp teeth. They may look like aliens, but lampreys are actually an evolutionarily ancient family of fish. If someone is stung by an Irukandji jellyfish, the first-aid protocol is: remove them from the water, clean the sting area by dousing with vinegar (if available) or seawater, and call 000. The several Irukandji species are actually nowhere near as deadly to humans as the related box jellyfish Chironex fleckeri,but in some ways they’re scarier, as they’re so tiny – with bells only a couple of centimetres in length – and hard to see, with almost transparent bodies. Getting stung leads to the potentially life-threatening Irukandji syndrome, which includes symptoms of severe pain, muscle cramps, nausea and vomiting, difficulty breathing, and sometimes respiratory failure or cardiac arrest. ![]() Both the ‘bell’ (main body) and tentacles carry highly venomous stingers. These tiny jellyfish, found in tropical waters including around northern Australia, carry a mean sting. Irukandji jellyfish Credit: Adam Kalaitzis / Getty Halloween is just around the corner, so we’ve asked the staff here at Cosmos to nominate their favourite scary creatures to share with you.
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