When you see that word “jaws” most people related to a shark when in facts, several other critters have powerful jaws and use them to attack people as well or others will bite in a different way or even sting. What are the odds to be the victim of a shark attack compared to other critters’ attacks? Let’s find out what the statistics tell us.

Did you know that someone in the United States seeks medical help for a dog bite every 40 seconds? In fact, dog bites represent 85 percent of bite wounds. There is an estimated 4.7 million victims every year and 10 to 20 of them are fatal, mostly affecting children.

Did you know that 15 of bite wounds treated in United States emergency rooms are done by cats? Also, the most common human bite for adults is called the closed-fist injury which occurs when punching someone in the mouth.

Did you know that there are venomous snakes in all U.S. states to the exception of Alaska and Maine? In fact, the 60 percent of the 7,000 snakebites that occur every year are inflicted by rattlesnakes. Snakebites fatalities affect 10 to 15 people every year while it affects 1,000 victims in Malaysia and 10,000 to 20,000 victims in India during that same period of time.

The Komodo dragon which has 60 shark-like teeth that carries approximately 50 strains of bacteria which make its bite so toxic that its victims would die of a huge infection a few days later. There are also the Gila monster and the Mexican beaded lizard are the two venomous lizards in the world. The Gila monster’s injects a poison that affects the nervous system and will cause swelling, severe pain, nausea, fever and faintness in its victims.

Did you know that Florida averages 7 alligator’s attacks per year? In fact, a 12 feet long, 665 pound alligator has an average bite force of 2,125 pounds which is the equivalent of the weight of a small pickup truck.

Did you know that more than 3 million people die from mosquito-borne diseases every year? In fact, mosquitoes are the carriers of several serious diseases such as: the yellow fever, malaria, dengue fever and West Nile virus.

Did you know that all the 35,000 species of spiders are venomous but only a handful is harmful to humans? In fact, the symptoms of a spider bite can range from severe pain, tissue damage, respiratory failure, coma and even death. The black widow which is responsible for most fatalities related to spider bites in the United States has venom 14 times more toxic than a rattlesnake.

Amongst the 1,000 species of scorpions, only 25 to 50 species are harmful to humans. In the United States, the only dangerous one is the bark scorpion while Mexico is home to 7 lethal species which cause 1,000 fatalities each year.

Did you know that contrary to people’s belief, the puffer fish is not the most commonly encountered poisonous fish as it is the stingray. In the United States, 11 species of stingrays cause 2,000 stings every year.

Also, did you know that the most poisonous jellyfish commonly called either the box jelly or the sea wasp has enough venom to kill 60 adult humans? This specie can be the size of a basketball, has 10 to 60 tentacles that can measure up to 10 feet in length and can cause death within minutes by causing respiratory failure if the victim does not receive medical attention right away.

As you can see, shark attacks may be remembered the most but are definitely not the most common or the main cause of fatalities either in the United States or in the world.