Five surprisingly deadly creatures in your backyard

Razor-sharp teeth and poisonous venom may sound scary, but wildlife officials have known for decades that some of the deadliest creatures in the United States are the innocent-looking creatures you least suspect.

This week, North Carolina officials warned locals to protect themselves and their pets from a deadly invasive species, native to South America, with a very mild-mannered name: the “Apple Snail.”

The snail joins the poisonous, slime-covered Hammerhead worm on the list of less-than-intimidating, but dangerous invasive species that have spread across America in the past year.

Not to be outdone, the US has many of its own, dangerous species and unexpected threats worth watching out for.

Below are five deceptively deadly animals across the country that could be in your backyard. Here’s how they kill and how you can protect yourself.

Colorado River Trail (Incilius alvarius)

The Colorado River Toad, also called the Sonoran Desert Toad, has become infamous in recent years for its secretions of psychedelics, including 5-methoxy-dimethyl-tryptamine, also known as the “God molecule.”

Although some celebrities, like Mike Tyson, claim that these hallucinogens have taken them to the afterlife and back, the toad ooze has proven to be a real killer for the unfortunate pets that got in its way.

“This deadly, slow-moving amphibian is an easy catch for a playful pup,” according to the Adobe Veterinary Center in Tuscon.

“More dogs die from these things than rattlesnakes,” said Amy Burnette of Arizona Game and Fish NBC affiliate KING-TV.

“So it’s definitely something you want to keep an eye on.”

Burnette’s advice to dog owners in the desert southwest is to be prepared to aggressively rinse their dog’s mouth if he tries to eat the psychedelic toad.

“Take a garden hose and take it from the corner of (your dog’s) mouth and swish it toward the front of the mouth,” she said

“Just keep flushing those toxins out (…) you want to get all that toxin out and you want to get your dog to the vet as quickly as possible.”

Striped skunk (Mephitis Mephitis)

Forget their smell: Skunks can be just as deadly a vector for rabies as animals like raccoons and stray dogs, which are more commonly associated with the disease.

Although bats are still the most common carriers of rabies in the U.S., accounting for 33 percent of all animal cases, the humble skunk ranks high at No. 3, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Skunks are doing well 20.3 percent of all recorded cases of rabies among animals, behind raccoons (30.3 percent) and bats.

In August, three rabid skunks prompted health officials in Macomb County, Michigan to euthanize several pets that fought with the rabid skunks in their area.

“Given the proximity of the skunks in question, residents are strongly encouraged to use caution for themselves and their pets if they see a skunk due to the potential for local transmission,” county health officials said.

The CDC and other agencies note that abnormal drooling, aggressive behavior and “biting imaginary objects” are all possible signs that a skunk, or any other animal, may be infected with rabies.

Cows

Humans can kill and eat them in record numbers, but cows are adept at responding in kind.

About 22 people are killed by a cow each year, according to data collected by the CDC between 2003 and 2007.

According to research from both the CDC and livestock industry Heifer International, the typical cause of death is kicking or trampling – but the majority of those lives are lost only when the cow’s hooves collide with the cow’s head or chest.

Dr. Joseph Forrester of the Medical College of Wisconsin crunched the CDC data on animal-related deaths for the journal Wilderness and environmental medicine in 2012.

It turned out to be a daunting task, as the 655 deaths within the CDC data were all placed in a generic category called “other mammals.”

“We looked at previous articles on this category and it seems like the biggest ones are probably cows and horses,” Forrester said. Outdoor magazine.

‘Unfortunately we don’t know the exact percentages, but the majority of livestock numbers appear to match the areas of the country with the most farms and farm workers.’

Bees, hornets and wasps

According to Dr. CDC data analysis. Forrester, bees, hornets and wasps kill about 79 people every year, mostly men (80.9 percent) and mostly adults over 35 years old (93.1 percent).

While many people know to be wary of these insects, especially those with an allergy to the creatures’ stings, the federal agency has warned the public that these numbers are likely an underestimate.

Without an allergic reaction, it would take as many as 500 stings to kill a child and more than 1,100 stings to kill the average adult, the agency reports, although some Africanized honey bees do indeed attack in swarms of that staggering size.

In 2019, even as stabbing fatalities increased over the past five years, the CDC warned that their numbers were likely underreporting the problem because doctors incorrectly diagnosed allergic reactions such as a heart attack or heat stroke.

According to the CDC, a total of 1,109 people died from bee, hornet and wasp stings between 2000 and 2017, despite these underestimates.

“Deaths ranged from a low of 43 in 2001 to a high of 89 in 2017,” the federal health agency said in its 2019 report.

The best way to protect yourself, according to the Mayo Clinic, is to get tested for allergies and get your shots.

“People who have a severe allergic reaction to a bee sting have a 30 to 60 percent chance of anaphylaxis the next time they are stung,” according to the Mayo Clinic’s bee sting site.

“Talk to your doctor or an allergy specialist about prevention measures such as immunotherapy (‘allergy shots’),” the group advises, “to prevent a similar reaction if you get stung again.”

White-tailed deer

Deer kill more people year after year than any other animal in the United States.

The peaceful-looking, graceful herbivores are responsible for more human deaths than almost every other predator combined.

Zoologist Michael Conover, professor of wildland resources at Utah State University, conducted one the most comprehensive recent studies of human deaths caused by animals within the United States.

Of the more than 700 deaths attributed to animals each year, Conover estimates that about 440 deaths – nearly two-thirds – are caused by collisions between deer and motor vehicles.

The bushy-tailed creatures kill more people each year than bears, wolves, coyotes, cougars, snakes, sharks and alligators combined.

The mating season in November is the riskiest time for both drivers and deer, according to Marianne Gauldin of the State of Alabama’s Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division, because the deer literally become reckless with lust.

“They’re hyper-focused on being able to reproduce, and that causes them to lose some of their sanity,” Gauldin told the paper. Washingtonpost. ‘They are actively looking for nurses, hunting for nurses and running after nurses to get the chance to breed.

‘And they do that with tunnel vision (…) that literally runs across the road.’