Up to 3 m. Brown to almost black. The 'asp' that legendarily killed Cleopatra. Symbol on pharaohs' crowns (uraeus).

Powerful neurotoxin + cytotoxin. Top killer in North Africa and the Sahel. Mortality 20% without antivenom.

Savannas, semi-deserts, oases of North Africa — Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Sudan, Mali, Niger, Chad, Mauritania.

Active day and night depending on temperature. Spreads hood when threatened. Common near villages hunting rodents.

Yellow-brown, 8-12 cm. Massively thick tail. Genus name 'Androctonus' means 'man-killer'. Causes most scorpion deaths in North Africa.

Highly toxic — kills people regularly in North Africa. Children most vulnerable. Mortality 8-50% without antivenom depending on age.

Deserts and scrublands of North Africa — Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, Sudan.

Nocturnal. Hides under rocks, in cracks, sometimes in homes. Defensive — quick to strike when disturbed.

Yellow scorpion 7-11 cm. Slender pincers, thick stinger tail. Most venomous scorpion in the world by neurotoxin potency.

Powerful neurotoxin cocktail. Mortality in children up to 70% without antivenom. 1-2 mg of venom worth $39,000 on research market.

Deserts of North Africa — Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Chad, Niger, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan.

Nocturnal. Hides under stones, in burrows, in shoes left outdoors. Aggressive — strikes repeatedly. Glows green under UV.

Africa carries about 36% of global rabies burden — 21,476 deaths per year, almost all transmitted by dog bites. Most victims are children under 15.

Once rabies symptoms appear, mortality is near 100%. Post-exposure vaccination works only before symptoms. Stray dogs are main reservoir. Major problem in DRC, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania.

Across all of Africa. Highest rabies burden: DRC, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Nigeria, Kenya. Eradicated in: South Africa (urban), Egypt (mostly).

Stray and unvaccinated dogs are main reservoir. Children most vulnerable due to height and inability to defend themselves.

Small (30-60 cm) but deadly viper with serrated scales. Causes the most snakebite deaths in West Africa — more than any other species in the region.

Hemotoxin causes uncontrolled bleeding, kidney failure. Responsible for thousands of deaths annually in the Sahel. Highly aggressive — rubs scales together producing a sizzling warning.

Dry savannas and scrubland of West Africa — Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ghana, Chad, Cameroon, Benin.

Nocturnal. Hides by day in cracks and under debris. Common in farmland — most bites occur during harvest. Strikes with extreme speed.

Up to 85 cm. Sand-coloured with characteristic horn-like scales above each eye. Featured in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Hemotoxic venom causes severe local damage. Mortality low with antivenom. Strikes by lateral sidewinding motion across sand.

Sandy deserts of North Africa and Middle East — Sahara from Morocco to Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan, Mali, Niger, Chad, Mauritania.

Nocturnal. Buries in sand with only eyes and horns visible. Sidewinding locomotion. Often bitten by travelers stepping on it.

Stocky, aggressive shark up to 3.5 m. Uniquely tolerant of fresh water — found in the Zambezi 200 km inland, in Lake Nicaragua.

Top contender for most dangerous shark to humans. Hunts in shallow, murky water where people swim. Many attacks attributed to great whites are actually bull sharks.

Coasts and rivers — South Africa (Indian Ocean), Mozambique (Zambezi), Egypt (Red Sea), Senegal, Ghana coast.

Aggressive and territorial. Tolerates salinity from 0 to 53 ppt. Attacks unprovoked more than other sharks.

Up to 6 m — Africa's largest snake. Non-venomous constrictor. Powerful enough to kill and swallow antelope, and rarely, humans.

Kills by constriction — suffocates prey. Documented fatal attacks on humans, including children. Bite from backward-curving teeth causes deep wounds even without constriction.

Savannas, forests, near water across sub-Saharan Africa — from Senegal to Ethiopia, south to South Africa.

Ambush predator. Often near human settlements hunting rats and poultry. Females guard eggs. Can go months between meals after a large kill.