Deadliest animals in the U.S. are not what you’d think

What’s the deadliest animal in the United States? That is, what animal is directly responsible for more human deaths than any other?
You might think bear, cougar, alligator or shark, but you’d be way off.
Farm animals, stinging insects and dogs are responsible for the most human deaths in the U.S., according a study by Stanford University researchers.
The researchers analyzed the mortality rates associated with both venomous and nonvenomous animals in the U.S. from 2008 through 2015.
They documented 1,610 deaths caused by animals in that period. Of those, 924, or 57%, were the result of nonvenomous animals and 686, or 43%, were from venomous animals.
According to U.S. government statistics, the largest number of deaths fell into the “other mammals” category. This grouping primarily includes horses and cattle, the researchers said.
“Previous work has identified that horse and cattle account for over 90% of farm animal-related fatalities,” the researchers said in a report. “Severe injuries and fatalities on the farm can result from these interactions with large animals.”
Dairy farming in particular is a known dangerous work environment, they said.
Farm animals and other unclassified mammals accounted for 576 deaths during the eight-year period. That’s 36% of total deaths by animal, the most of any category.
Hymenoptera (hornets, wasps, and bees) accounted for 30% of human deaths by animal, the second largest category. They claimed 478 lives during the research period.
The third most deadly animal in the U.S. are dogs, which were responsible for 272 human deaths in the period. That’s 17% of all fatalities caused by animals. Children four years old or younger had the highest number of fatalities.
There were 34 dog-related human deaths each year in the period 2008-2015. That compares with 28 annual dog-related deaths in 1999-2007 and 19 annual dog-related deaths in 1979 to 2005.
“Dog-related injuries and fatalities remain a substantial public health concern, with over 4.5 million dog bites annually in the United States resulting in an estimated 310,000 to 323,000 people treated in U.S. emergency departments,” the report said.
DogsBite.org compiled a 13-year fatality report identifying breeds of dogs involved in U.S. attacks from 2005 to 2017.
In that period, 433 Americans were killed by dogs. Pit bulls caused 66% of these deaths. Rottweilers, the second-leading canine killer, inflicted 10% of attacks that resulted in human death. Combined, the two dog breeds accounted for 76% of the total recorded deaths.
The Stanford University report had some limitations, the researchers said. For one, it didn’t include traffic fatalities caused by deer in the U.S., which is a “growing public health concern,” the report said. It also didn’t include deaths caused by diseases carried by mosquitoes, ticks and other bugs.

Related reading:

The deadliest animals in America revealed: Study finds more people are killed each year by FARM ANIMALS, insects, and dogs than large predators (Daily Mail; March 2, 2018)

An Update on Fatalities Due to Venomous and Nonvenomous Animals in the United States (2008–2015) (ResearchGate)

America's Most Dangerous Dog Breeds (Statista)

Of mosquitoes and men: The world’s deadliest animals (Tech-media-tainment; April 6, 2015)

The world’s deadliest animals (Tech-media-tainment; Jan. 24, 2011)