10 beasties that scare us silly

10. Wasps

Contrary to common belief, wasps only sting when aggrivated or disturbed. You are therefore more likely to be stung if you try to swat them or wave them away than if you ignore them. That's easier said than done though when one lands on top of your Solero!


9. Other humans

It's no wonder that we fear other folk in the UK. Britain's crime rates are at an all-time high and it is now home to the highest assault levels in Europe. It is also the most burgled nation in Western Europe and has high rates of car theft, robbery and pickpocketing. Jeepers!


8. Sharks

Sharks bring out an innermost fear in most humans. In pounding surf, strong currents, and murky water, sharks sometimes mistake the movements of humans for those of their normal food, and attack. However, in reality, you are over 1,100 times more likely to die in a bicycle accident then in a shark attack


7. Lion

While attacks on humans are unusual, lions (usually male) do seek out human prey every now and then. A man-eating lion was killed by game scouts in Tanzania in 2004. It is believed to have killed and eaten at least 35 people in a series of incidents covering several coastal villages. You should be safe in Britain however, unless a big cat escapes from your local Zoo.


6. Insects

There are more than 900,000 known species of insects in the world, all of which are vile to most humans. Although most of them are small enough to swat or trample on, they do have a mass-murderer in their ranks. Like i mentioned in 1 of my earlier posts - the creature responsible for the most human deaths world-wide is the mosquito.


5. Dogs

Although we are supposedly a nation of dog lovers, man's best friend came fifth in the poll. Dog attacks on humans are very rare, but a small minority of "predatory" dogs can strike without warning. If you do find yourself the target of a rampaging Pitbull, avoid eye contact and back off but do not run away. Also, never try and break-up two fighting dogs.


4. Crocodile

Out of all wild predators who attack humans for food, the Saltwater and Nile Crocodiles are the most prolific and dangerous. Each year, hundreds of deadly attacks occur in the central ranges of Africa and Southeast Asia. If you suddenly find yourself on a croc's menu, you should shove your arm into it's glottis, that's a sensitive breathing flap in a crocodile's throat to you and me.


3. Rats

Despite enjoying a population boom, rats limped in at third on 9%. There is no official record of the number of rats in Britain, but in 2002 it was estimated at 60m - one for each person. As well as carrying salmonella and Wiel's disease, rats will readily feed on humans if we will hold still for long enough. There are numerous reported cases of attacks on people in the past few years, particularly babies, who were attacked by rats as they slept in their cribs. Arrrggghhh!


2. Snakes

Snakes often bite their prey when feeding, but occasionally, they sink their fangs into human flesh. Slightly more men than woman were scared of snakes in Britain - 20% to 19%. One animal psychologist, Dr Roger Mugford, said: "This is a reaction common to all primates. If you were to show a model snake to a chimp or an orang-utan in a zoo they would run away in terror. This goes back to the when we lived in the jungle as cavemen."


1. Spiders

There are over 34,000 species of spider world-wide (except Antarctica). Almost all are fanged and venomous. Lucky for us, less than 0.5% are able to penetrate human skin and, of those, only a handful are considered dangerous. Most spiders are shy and not naturally aggressive, most bites occurring when the spider is provoked or trapped. However, more spiders are being kept as exotic pets and occasionally they turn up unexpectedly in supermarket fruit shipments.