SO what is the most deadliest animal in Australia?
The answer may surprise you.
A recent article in Australian Geographic revealed between 2000 and 2010, there were 254 reported and confirmed animal-related deaths in Australia according to an online database of coronial cases.
That’s probably not surprising, considering our country’s reputation – home to some of the world’s most deadly snakes, scary spiders, plus some surprisingly venomous critters such as the cone snail, box jellyfish and blue-ringed octopus.
And let's not forgot our most ferocious predators, sharks and saltwater crocodiles.
We even have a plant, the Gympie Gympie Stinging Tree, that while not fatal, has a sting so excruciating it may have once been investigated for use in biological warfare.
But surprisingly it was none of these creatures who topped the list of animal killers.
It was in fact, horses, cows and dogs.
Of the 254 confirmed and reported animal-related deaths during that 10-year period, horses, cows and dogs were the most frequent culprits, accounting for 137 deaths.
Horses (including ponies and donkeys) were the most ‘deadly’ animal in Australia, causing 77 deaths in 10 years, mostly related to falls.
Cows (including bulls and cattle/bovine) accounted for 33 deaths – 16 by causing motor vehicle accidents, the rest by crushing, piercing or ‘unknown’.
The majority of the 27 deaths caused by the third biggest killer, dogs, were from attacks, with those deaths mostly occurring in children under four years old and in elderly people.
Next up was our beloved kangaroo, which (indirectly) caused the deaths of 18 Australians from 2000-10 (mostly related to car accidents), followed by bees which killed as many people as sharks (16 each).
Only at seventh and eighth place on the list do we encounter the notorious snakes (14 fatalities) and crocodiles (nine fatalities), followed by emus which caused five deaths, all indirectly from motor vehicle accidents.
Other deadly animals included fish, sheep, goats, camels, cats and jellyfish, which caused 39 deaths combined.
Almost three-quarters of victims were male and most of the deaths occurred either on public roads, in the home and on farms.
