Influenza is a viral infection that attacks your respiratory system — your nose, throat and lungs. Influenza is commonly called the flu, but it’s not the same as stomach “flu” viruses that cause diarrhea and vomiting.

What is type B influenza? Influenza — commonly known as the flu — is a respiratory infection caused by flu viruses. There are three main types of influenza: A, B, and C. Types A and B are similar, but influenza B can only pass from human to human.

There are two main types of influenza (flu) virus: Types A and B. The influenza A and B viruses that routinely spread in people (human influenza viruses) are responsible for seasonal flu epidemics each year. Influenza A viruses can be broken down into sub-types depending on the genes that make up the surface proteins.

A bacterial infection may develop following infection with viral influenza. Signs of a bacterial infection include: Feeling short of breath. A fever that doesn’t go away.

Of all the species in the world, the largest—and most dangerous—is the saltwater crocodile. These ferocious killers can grow up to 23 feet in length, weigh more than a ton, and are known to kill hundreds each year, with crocodiles as a whole responsible for more human fatalities annually than sharks.

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The saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus) may be the deadliest of all snakes, since scientists believe it to be responsible for more human deaths than all other snake species combined. Its venom, however, is lethal in less than 10 percent of untreated victims, but the snake’s aggressiveness means it bites early and often.

Which Animal Kills the Most Humans in the US per Year? It’s Not What You Think.

• Bears – 1 person per year.
• Venomous snakes – 6 people per year.
• Spiders – 7 people per year.
• Non-venomous arthropods (ants and other insects) – 9 people per year.
• Cows – 20 people per year.
• Dogs – 28.
• Bees, wasps, hornets – 58.
• Deer – 200.

The following data is taken from the CDC’s 2017 report .

1. Heart disease. Number of deaths per year: 635,260.
2. Cancer. Number of deaths per year: 598,038.
3. Accidents (unintentional injuries) Number of deaths per year: 161,374.
4. Chronic lower respiratory diseases.
5. Stroke.
6. Alzheimer’s disease.
7. Diabetes.
8. Influenza and pneumonia.

Between 2015-16 and 2019-2020 the HSE investigated 142 incidents. Only 22 of them resulted in a death and the majority related to people who worked with cattle. Members of the public accounted for only four of those deaths, the HSE confirmed.

If you see or encounter a cougar:

1. Never approach the cougar or offer it food.
2. Immediately and forcefully show the animal that you’re a human: Put small children behind you or pick them up.
3. Otherwise, face the cougar.
4. Try to appear larger than the cougar.
5. Do not take your eyes off the cougar or turn your back.

While many people fear the possibility of running into one of these big cats on a hike or in the wilderness, it turns out cougars are perhaps even more startled by the sound of a human’s voice. So much so that they are willing to abandon a fresh kill.

Cougars like to prey on deer, though they also eat smaller animals such as coyotes, porcupines, and raccoons. They usually hunt at night or during the gloaming hours of dawn and dusk.

If you see a coyote during the daytime, you should exhibit caution, as that coyote may have become habituated to humans (and may be more likely to attack). If you are approached by a coyote, you should yell, wave your arms, and/or throw something at the coyote (do not run away).

Throw small stones, sticks, tennis balls or anything else you can lay your hands on. Remember the intent is to scare and not to injure. Spray with a hose, if available, or a squirt gun filled with water and vinegar. Shake or throw a “coyote shaker”—a soda can filled with pennies or pebbles and sealed with duct tape.

These include:

1. Homemade noisemakers [PDF]
2. Whistle or small air horn (you can purchase small air horn “necklaces”)
3. Squirt guns.
4. Pepper spray.
5. Sticks or other objects to throw towards (but not at) the coyote.

When are coyotes most active? Coyotes are not strictly nocturnal. They may be observed during the day, but are generally more active after sunset and at night. You may see and hear coyotes more during mating season (January – March) and when the young are dispersing from family groups (October – January).

Although it is possible, coydogs in urban settings are unlikely because: Coyotes are highly seasonal breeders; dogs are not. Coydog females have a shifted estrus cycle that does not coincide with the coyote period. Domestic dog and coydog males do not tend to litters, whereas male coyotes do.

Life Expectancy In captivity, coyotes can live 13 to 15 years but in the wild, most die before they reach three years of age.

Coyotes are opportunistic predators and feed on a wide variety of food. A coyote’s favorite food items are small mammals, such as rabbits, mice, voles and shrews. Coyotes will also eat birds, frogs, skunks, berries, insects, occasionally beaver, and carrion, especially road-killed deer.

Coyotes eat fruit including berries and watermelons. They will also eat cats and dogs.