• Blog
  • About
  • Contact
Francene--Blog. Year 2014

Snails kill more people than huge creatures.

4/30/2014

8 Comments

 
When reading the news this morning, I came upon this information that animals with large teeth and fearsome reputations such as the lion, tiger, or shark are not the world’s worst killers.

If you judge a creature’s killing prowess by the number of human fatalities they cause every year, the tiny mosquito comes out on top.
Picturewww.dailymail.co.uk
Next down, little brown freshwater snails cause the deaths of more than 10,000 people every year. They live in rivers and lakes in subtropical and tropical regions across the globe. When people drink the water, they ingest snail eggs. These burrow into the human stomach to lay their eggs, which cause deadly disease schistosomiasis associated with poor living conditions, overcrowding, and lack of sanitation or clean water. Symptoms can include paralysis of the legs and vomiting blood as well as flu-like symptoms caused by the immune system reacting to the eggs.

While humans wipe out 475,000 fellow people in murders and wars, the three traditional predators kill only 120 across the globe annually.

So … beware the little freshwater slug.


Here's a news report from TMU News, April 20, 2009

Killer Snail Kills German Reseacher

Suluwasi Indonesia

Today the body of Hans Feinkelstien of the Invert Research Foundation was found in a remote location of Suluwasi Indonesia by a local fish collector. Hans has been missing for 10 days when he failed to return from a scientific study of Anentome Helena or commonly called the Assassin Snail in the aquarium hobby.

His body was discovered in a quiet pool near the Faketun River where Hans had been conducting his field studies. According to reports there was little left of Hans but that the entire body was covered by Anentome Helena. The Medical examiner that examined the body has determined that Hans was attacked and killed by the Anentome Helena. “All indications are that the snails he had collected were the cause of his death. We have found evidence to indicate that Hans was first attacked by the snails he had collected and then fell into the river as he struggled for his life.” stated the state medical examiner who examined the body.

“This is why we need tighter restrictions of importation of species into the United States” screamed the senator from Guam when she heard the news. “I will get this bill through even if the science behind it is based on the same science the global warming scientist use. I mean how long before a Anentome Helena attacks and kills a child why they are cleaning their Spongebob Fish Tank.”

There have been reports of Anentome Helena attacking and killing dwarf shrimp and according to researchers it would not be that big of a jump to assume that larger animals are on the menu. Anentome Helena has not been really studied in depth and the death of Hans has set back all information on this species by years since all his notes were lost when his notebook fell into the water with him.

I don't think I'll bother installing an aquarium. If I tripped, knocking the lid ajar as I fell, some of these slimy creatures could sense my helplessness and slither up and over the glass to suck the life out of me where I lay. 

8 Comments
Jacqui Malpass link
4/29/2014 07:31:08 pm

The only word I can think of is ug!

But thanks for the warning. Amazing what you can learn about our fellow creatures

Reply
Alexandria Ingham link
4/29/2014 10:23:23 pm

Wow! There is certainly truth in the saying "you learn something new every day." Thanks for sharing this interesting fact.

Reply
Nick link
4/29/2014 10:43:35 pm

HA! Great final para!

Reply
Tami Principe link
4/30/2014 12:28:27 am

How sad Hans passed away. I wish his notebook didn't fall into the water as well, I'm sure it contained a lot of important information to contribute to science and this species. Thank you for sharing such an important blog.

Reply
Sophie Bowns link
4/30/2014 02:19:55 am

Snails, killing people? I have NEVER heard this!

Reply
Alana link
4/30/2014 07:30:40 am

Ah, the famous TMU (Totally Made Up) news reports from the FAKEtun river infested by Assassin Snails (at least that name isn't Totally Made Up). Francene, you have more of a sense of humor than I had suspected! Incidentally, there are no Senators from Guam in the U.S. Senate as Guam is a territory, not a state, but it does have its own internal legislature with elected Senators.

Reply
gask
5/1/2014 07:59:17 am

Why do trends and stories from year ago keeping popping back up? Have we really become that uninspired?

Reply
jory
5/2/2014 03:11:55 am

You should do your research a bit better. The snails don't lay their eggs in humans, they are merely carriers of parasitic worms. If you wan't to pinpoint the killer organism, it's not even the snails. It is the same for malaria. Mosquitos carry a single-celled eukaryote called Plasmodium which is the actual cause of malaria.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Francene Stanley:
    Author
    I use news items in my fantasy novels.

    Born in Australia, I moved to Britain half way through my long life. If you like my writing, why not consider purchasing one of my books on the sidebar below?
    I blogged 260 days last year. Link.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

    Categories

    All
    Animals
    Birds
    Earth
    Environment
    Experience
    News
    Novel
    People
    Society
    Writing

    RSS Feed

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.