Can you name the deadliest animal in the world?

Mosquitoes. That's right, mosquitoes. As creepy little transmitters of diseases such as the current Zika virus epidemic (linked with causing the birth defect microencephaly), West Nile virus, malaria, chikungunya, and dengue fever, mosquitoes kill over 1 million people every year according to the World Health Organization.

This fascinating video from PBS shows how they suck your blood:

I am using insect repellent this summer after watching that video!

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I wrote about an emerging mosquito-borne virus with the strange name of chikungunya in a pair of posts last year. This is a virus that was first discovered more than 50 years ago, but as far as arthropod-borne viruses ("arboviruses") go, it's been a minor player for most of that time, as other…
I hate this time of year when mosquitoes come out in droves to feast on unsuspecting victims. If only garlic and silver crosses worked... The problem with mosquitoes is that they are known to transmit numerous diseases such as malaria, west nile virus, yellow fever, rift valley fever, dengue fever…
This is an updated version of the first post I wrote this year. The scientists in question were looking at ways of recruiting bacteria in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue fever. They've just published new results that expand on their earlier experiments. Mosquitoes are…
A public-health nightmare is unfolding in Brazil, where the mosquito-borne virus Zika has been linked to nearly 4,000 cases of microcephaly – infants born with abnormally small brains and heads. Around 20% of adults with Zika don’t develop symptoms, which include fever, rash, and joint pain, so…

Aren't humans the deadliest animal in the world?

It's the Honey Badger!