What is the most dangerous animal in the world?

According to Bill Gates, the mosquito is the most dangerous animal in the world due to its prolific disease-spreading capabilities. Mosquitoes are found everywhere aside from Antarctica and are frequent vectors of malaria, killing approximately 600,000 people annually. Other diseases that mosquitoes carry include dengue fever, yellow fever and encephalitis.

The total number of yearly deaths attributed to mosquitoes is estimated to be 750,000. Mosquitoes are so abundant that they outnumber every other type of animal on Earth during breeding seasons, with the exceptions of ants and termites. Although mosquitoes transmit many blood pathogens, it is not believed that they are vectors to spread HIV.