Professional surfer Mick Fanning escaped unscathed from an attack by a large shark - after fighting back and striking the animal. Did he do it right or was it sheer luck?
Image: Fotolia/James Thew
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Sharks and scorpions? The world's deadliest animals aren't what you thought
People are terrified of sharks but when you look at the number of people actually killed by them, you realize that the truly dangerous killers are others.
Image: AP
11. Sharks / wolves
People killed each year: around ten. Sharks and wolves scare many people. And there is no doubt that wolves and some shark species can kill you. But very few of them actually do. Each year there are only around ten deaths caused by either species throughout the world. You have a bigger chance of being killed by your toaster.
Image: AP
10. Lions / elephants
People killed each year: around 100. That you could be killed by a lion doesn't seem far-fetched and it does happen. Perhaps more surprising is that your chances of falling victim to an elephant are just as high. The world's largest land animal can be quite aggressive and once it becomes enraged, it certainly has the mass and strength to be dangerous.
Image: picture alliance / blickwinkel/D. u. M. Sheldon
9. Hippopotamus
People killed each year: around 500. There are countless children's toys in the shape of hippos and why wouldn't there be? They look cute with their puffy snouts and stocky builds. And they are herbivores. But don't let that fool you. They are territorial and quite aggressive and don't need provocation to come after you, so steer clear if you can.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa-Zentralbild
8. Crocodiles
People killed each year: around 1,000. Many people are probably just as scared of crocodiles as they are of sharks or lions and rightfully so. Crocodiles are carnivores and kill prey sometimes much larger than themselves including small hippos, water buffalo and, in the case of saltwater crocodiles, even sharks.
Image: Fotolia/amnachphoto
7. Tapeworms
People killed each year: around 2000. Tapeworms are parasitic flatworms that live in the digestive tracts of all sorts of vertebrates ranging from whales to mice, and humans as well. They usually find their way into our bodies as eggs or larvae via contaminated food. The infection can be treated with medication but the parasites still kill 200 times as many people as sharks do.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Loznak
6. Ascaris roundworms
People killed each year: around 2,500. Ascaris worms are another parasite contracted in a way similar to tapeworms. But they don't stay in the intestinal tract. Once the eggs hatch, they burrow through the gut wall, travel to the lungs, up the windpipe, are coughed up and swallowed again to return to the intestine where they grow into adults. Ascariasis affects around 1 billion people worldwide.
People killed each year: around 10,000. Tied in fifth place are three killers with a death toll of 10,000 each. Although to be fair, it's not the animals that are the killers here, but the parasites they carry. Schistosomiasis can be contracted from contaminated water, Chagas disease and sleeping sickness through insect bites. So make sure to bring bug repellant when you visit affected areas.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
4. Dog (rabies)
People killed each year: around 25,000. Rabies is a viral infection that can be contracted from many different animals but in countries where rabies is common among dogs, humans get it from them in 99 percent of cases. And rabies is sneaky. It can take months for symptoms to show and when they do, the disease is almost always fatal. The good news is that both dogs and humans can be vaccinated.
Image: picture-alliance/ZB/B. Wüstneck
3. Snakes
People killed each year: around 50,000. Yes: In case of doubt, steer clear of snakes. Many species aren't deadly, some aren't venomous at all but there are enough deadly snakes to make these reptiles the world's third biggest killer.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/blickwinkel/B. Trapp
2. Humans
People killed each year: around 475,000. Yes, we made the list, too. After all, we are incredibly creative when it comes to finding ways to kill each other. This earns us the sad honor of second place amongst the killers of man.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
1. Mosquitoes
People killed each year: around 725,000. In places like Germany, they are just a nuisance, elsewhere they can be harbingers of death. And again it is the diseases they carry, not the animals themselves that kill. Malaria alone kills about 600,000 people a year. Dengue fever, yellow fever and encephalitis are transmitted by mosquitoes too, making the tiny insects the world's biggest killers.
Image: Fotolia/Kletr
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Surfer Mick Fanning was certainly in great danger during the shark attack. An adult shark can easily bite off an arm or leg. Still, the risk of actually being bitten by a shark are minimal. You've got a much bigger change of being killed by an elephant, struck by lightning or dispatched by a rogue coconut. Last year, sharks attacked 72 people in unprovoked incidents. Three of them were killed.
But, if you, like Fanning, happen to be one of the unlucky few to have an unfriendly encounter with a shark, it is important to know what to do. Dr. Alison Kock, a shark expert from Cape Town has been studying the predatory behavior of these fish for more than 15 years and has recommendations on how to avoid an attack:
Sharks are curious animals. If big sharks get too curious it can be dangerousImage: imago/Westend61
1. No two attacks are the same. "Whether a shark will attack, depends on the situation. We are not able to predict it," explains Kock, "It can depend on the species of shark, size of shark, the visibility under water, the temperature or many other factors."
More than 97 percent of attacks worldwide take place along the U.S. East Coast and in the waters of Australia, South Africa and Hawaii. The safest way to avoid a shark attack? Don't jump into the water in those regions. On the other hand: Who would want to skip a refreshing swim?
2. If you are already enjoying a swim in the water and see a shark, there's a good chance that one can get out of that situation unscathed: "Sharks usually attack with high speed from below. If you see a shark at the surface, it can only mean, that he has not decided to attack, yet," the marine biologist says.
The best thing for a surfer to do in this situation is to get on the surfboard and paddle slowly back to the coast. "It is important to keep your eyes on the animal. Sharks know when they are being watched and will be more cautious." If you have no surfboard at hand, swim calmly but quickly back to shore, while keeping an eye on the animal.
3. Mick Fanning was unable to retreat, as the shark had gotten caught up in the line that secures a surfer's ankle to his or her surfboard. "In this situation he reacted just right: Make yourself big, watch the shark, try to bring the surf board between you and the shark and swim towards the coast," says Kock. If the shark does not attack by itself, you should not attack either as this could antagonize it.
4. If the predator comes too close for comfort, Kock recommends giving it a strong, sharp whack on the eyes or gills. "This is the most sensitive and effective area to deter a shark. In some cases it has caused the shark to move away, and when the shark gets that close one has few options."
5. The worst possible way to react in case of a shark attack is to do nothing. The shark may become curious and take a "test bite." If an adult great white decides to have a nibble, it could cost you an arm or a leg, making the swim back to the coast all the more difficult.
