Washington: Freshwater snails cause the death of about 10,000 people every year, in comparison to the three traditional predators – lions, sharks and wolves – which kill just 120 across the globe annually. The freshwater snails, which live in rivers and lakes, get inside the human stomach to lay their eggs, which causes deadly disease schistosomiasis.
The symptoms of the deadly disease can include paralysis of the legs and vomiting blood. However, the biggest danger is posed by malaria-carrying mosquitoes, which are the cause of 725,000 deaths every year. Bill Gates released these figures as part of his campaign to eradicate malaria.