9781422275832

Ultimate Danger Ultimate Danger Ultimate

The Ultimate Book of

John Perritano

Ultimate Danger Ultimate Danger Ultimate

The Ultimate Book of

Ultimate Danger Ultimate Danger Ultimate

• D a n g e r • U l t i m a t e

The Ultimate Book of Dangerous Animals

The Ultimate Book of Dangerous Insects

The Ultimate Book of Dangerous Jobs

The Ultimate Book of Dangerous Places

The Ultimate Book of Dangerous Sports & Activities

The Ultimate Book of Dangerous Weather

Ultimate Danger Ultimate Danger Ultimate

The Ultimate Book of

John Perritano

Mason Crest Philadelphia • Miami

Ultimate Danger Ultimate Danger Ultimate

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D Broomall, Pennsylvania 19008 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free) www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2020 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN (hardback) 978-1-4222-4226-1

ISBN (series) 978-1-4222-4224-7 ISBN (ebook) 978-1-4222-7583-2 Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress.

Developed and Produced by National Highlights Inc. Editor: Peter Jaskowiak Interior and cover design: Annemarie Redmond Production: Michelle Luke QR CODES AND LINKS TO THIRD-PARTY CONTENT

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Ultimate Danger Ultimate Danger Ultimate

Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text, while building vocabulary skills. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowl- edge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weav- ing together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, provid- ing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments, and much more! Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connect- ed to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminol- ogy used throughout the series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field. Contents Series Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Chapter 1: Dangerous Bloodsuckers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Chapter 2: Dangerous “True Bugs” and Pests . . . . . . . . . 23 Chapter 3: Dangerous Bees, Wasps, and Hornets . . . . . . . . 37 Chapter 4: Dangerous Spiders and Other Arachnids . . . . . . . 45 Chapter 5: Dangerous Ants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Series Glossary of Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Further Reading and Internet Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Author’s Biography and Photo Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . .80

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Series Introduction The Ultimate Danger set explores hair-raising hobbies, crime-ridden cities, death- dealing hurricanes, and much more. But what makes something dangerous? The answer may depend on your perspective. For example, some people would say that guns are so inherently dangerous that having one in the house is unthinkable. But to those who feel comfortable around guns, it’s fine to have weapons in the house—even desirable!—as long as they’re stored properly. Or consider this: most Americans think of New Zealand as a faraway land with breathtaking scenery and . . . who knows, maybe surfing? The point is, Americans don’t know all that much about New Zealand, and it looks adorably harmless to us from so far away. But to New Some Information on Information Boxes Each entry in this set includes an information box that provides basic facts about that topic. Most are self-explanatory, but a few require a little bit of explanation. In Dangerous Animals , one category is called “IUCN Red List.” This refers to a database created by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The IUCN assesses the population levels of animal species, and also whether that population is growing or declining. Each species is given a designation, such as “Endangered,” “Vulnerable,” or, if it’s doing well, “Least Concern.” The Dangerous Places volume has chapters on dangerous cities and countries—both use population information from the World Population Review website. Almost by definition, the countries and cities covered here tend to be unstable, meaning good data can be difficult to come by. In addition, some countries don’t report trustworthy numbers, and movements of refugees can shift population levels rapidly. In the “Dangerous Countries” chapter, the information box also gives travel advisory information from the U.S. State Department, which assesses the safety (or lack thereof) of countries to help tourists decide whether or not to visit them. Countries are put into four categories, with increasing levels of danger:

• Level 1 (exercise normal precautions) • Level 2 (exercise increased caution)

• Level 3 (reconsider travel) • Level 4 (do not travel)

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Zealand’s indigenous Maori population, who were robbed and oppressed during two hundred years of imperialist rule, New Zealand may not seem quite as adorable. Given all that, it’s clear that “dangerous” is subjective. The term can also be a vaguely insulting one in some contexts. Consider the people of St. Louis, a city frequently included on lists of “most dangerous cities” due to its high rate of violent crimes per citizen. Many residents are annoyed about the city they love ending up on those lists. They’ll hold forth passionately about how the statistics are misreported, misunderstood, and just generally unfair. But not everyone finds “dangerous” to be insulting—for some, the word indicates something that’s a heck of a lot of fun. Three of this set’s six volumes ( Dangerous Jobs, Dangerous Places , and Dangerous Sports & Activities ) are partly or entirely devoted to dangers that humans actively pursue . Even those of us who would rather not dance with actual danger can’t get enough of TV shows and films that scare us, startle us, and let us experience danger at a distance. Some of us even read (and write!) books about the topic. So, without further ado, let’s check out the ultimate in dangerous creatures, activities, and events.

Series Introduction

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Words to Understand appendage: body part incubate: keep eggs warm until they hatch malaria: a serious and sometimes fatal disease that infects and is spread by certain types of mosquitoes pathogen: bacterium, virus, or microorganism that can cause disease proboscis: an elongated mouthpiece on insects through which they suck and feed

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Chapter 1

Dangerous Bloodsuckers

S ome insects love blood, and perhaps none love it more than fleas, mosquitoes, ticks, and lice. All of them need life-sustaining blood to survive. Like tiny vampires, they’ll fly or hop onto a person or animal and drink the blood of their prey. Although there are hundreds of thousands of insect species, only 10,000 or so feed on the blood of live animals. Mosquitoes are always thirsty. They are slender and have long legs. They also have a long proboscis , a straw-like appendage that they use to slurp blood. There are so many ticks in the world that it is hard to keep track of them all. They’ll land on you and your pets. Some even carry diseases that can kill. Lice are creepy little things that nest on you and feed on your blood. For many, fleas, mosquitoes, ticks, and lice are the vilest of creatures—true-born parasites that can infect humans and animals with a variety of diseases. All can unleash a variety of terrible ailments that can kill or, or at the very least, make you very sick.

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Fleas For many, the tiny flea is the nastiest creature on the planet. Just ask the woman in California who was hospitalized after one bit her in 2018. The bloodsucker had feasted on the woman just before she contracted a potentially fatal disease called typhus. The disease is mostly spread by fleas that hop on animals such as raccoons, mice, and domestic pets, such as cats and dogs. In this case, doctors suspected that the fleas were on the woman’s outdoor cat. Fleas are so-called hematophagous insects. In other words, both the male and female feed off animal blood. Like all insects, fleas have three pairs of legs and three different body parts. They also see through compound eyes. Fleas are an ectoparasite, and unlike their prehistoric ancestors, they do not have wings. Instead, fleas rely mostly on their very strong legs to move from host to host. There are 828 flea subspecies. Approximately 95 percent of these feed on mammals, and the rest live on birds. Fleas have a four-stage life cycle. Once flea eggs hatch, they turn into larvae and begin to feed on organic matter. The larvae eventually form cocoons, which is the pupal stage. In about three to four weeks, the adult fleas appear and begin seeking blood meals.

Oriental Rat Flea

The oriental rat flea is perhaps the most infamous flea in world history. Originating in Asia, these fleas hitched a ride to Europe on the backs of rats during

Scientific Name: Xenopsylla cheopis Range: Temperate climates, but it also inhabits warm, tropical, and subtropical regions Life Span: 376 days Danger: Carries the bacteria that causes plague

the 1300s. They carried with them the bacteria that caused the Black Death, or bubonic plague. The plague killed millions in Europe during the Middle Ages.

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Plague is caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis. The fleas pick up the germs when they bite infected rats, mice, or squirrels. Rat fleas transmit disease as they feed, squirting saliva or partly digested blood into a human or animal. Like all fleas, the rat flea does not have wings, but its powerful legs allow the pest to jump from place to place. Experts have documented sporadic cases of the plague in modern times, including in Vietnam during the war there in the 1960s and 1970s. Every once in a while, someone in the United States contracts the disease as well. For instance, a young boy in Idaho developed plague in 2018. He received treatment and recovered.

Plague doctors wore bird-like masks because they thought the masks offered them protection from disease. It would not be until the early 1900s that people understood that plague was transmitted by fleas rather than through the air.

Northern Rat Flea

The northern rat flea is one of the most plentiful flea species in the world. It specifically likes to feed on the blood of

Scientific Name: Nosopsyllus fasciatus Range: Native to Europe, but found all around the world Life Span: 4–17 months, depending on climate conditions Danger: Carrier of bacteria that cause plague and tapeworm

rats and mice. The insect is not only a carrier of the bacterium that causes the bubonic plague, but it can also transmit rat tapeworm, which in rare instances can infect humans. The northern rat flea is one of the smallest fleas on the planet, being roughly 3 to 4 millimeters

(.11–.15 inches) in length. Like all fleas, the northern rat flea thrives in hot, humid environments. While they don’t generally infest dogs and cats, as other fleas do, the

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northern rat flea can be a huge concern in areas where rodents commonly live. They like to hide out at camp sites and along hiking trails, among other places. When there aren’t enough mice, rats, or other rodents around, rat fleas will seek food from humans and their pets. The bugs begin life as small white eggs nestled around rat or mice nests. Unlike the oriental rat flea, which survives on blood, the northern rat flea typically chows down on flea droppings and animal hair when the insects are in the larval stage. Only when the pupa emerges from its cocoon does the rat flea begin drinking animal and human blood.

Chigoe or Sand Flea

Unlike some fleas, sand fleas don’t have the ability to kill you, but they can make you itch like nobody’s business. Originally from South

Scientific Name: Tunga penetrans Range: Tropical environments Life Span: Less than a year Danger: Painful, itchy bites

and Central America, sand fleas migrated to Africa in the 19th century, and later moved on to India and Pakistan. They prefer living in warm climates, and

often infest beaches, stables, and pigsties. You can also find them in the desert. As a rule, fleas are accomplished jumpers, but not the sand flea. When they attack humans, these nasty biting parasites will chomp down on a person’s feet, creating itchy lesions—a condition called tungiasis . The flea buries itself under the skin near the surface of a person’s feet, making itself at home between the toes. New World Disease Historians believe the explorer Christopher Columbus was victimized by sand fleas. Apparently, the fleas bit him in 1492 when he and his crew landed in Hispaniola, opening up the Western Hemisphere to European colonization.

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When the sand flea bites, a white-colored nodule with a dark spot emerges on the victim’s skin. The bite can be painful and itchy. Moreover, female sand fleas will burrow under your skin to lay their eggs. They leave a tiny opening in the skin, through which they defecate and breathe. The female will also use the hole to push out a creamy fluid containing the eggs.

A health care worker removes sand fleas from a patient’s feet in Kenya.

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Lice Lice are small, wingless insects that live on birds and mammals. One species in particular, the human louse, thrives in filthy and overcrowded conditions. They multiply quickly, jumping from person to person, from clothing to clothing, with ease. Some of these parasites carry typhus and other diseases. There are three different kinds of louse that like to live on humans: head lice, body lice, and pubic lice. Of these, only body lice carry disease. Lice have narrow heads and oval-shaped, flat bodies. Most lice, with the exception of human body lice, are extremely devoted, living on one host for the duration of their lives. Their mouthparts are extremely well suited for feeding exclusively on blood. Those parts pierce the skin, transmitting a substance through their saliva that clots blood. Body lice have been terrorizing humans for millions of years, moving with us as we migrated around the globe. Body lice transmit parasites that cause a variety of diseases, including typhus, trench fever, and relapsing fever, a disease categorized by periodic bouts of fevers. Thousands of body lice can live on one person, and each louse can bite its host up to five times a day. The insects thrive in unsanitary conditions. During World War I (1914–1918), for example, soldiers living and fighting in squalid, rat-infested trenches suffered continuous infestations, giving rise to “trench fever,” a disease marked by a high body temperature, headaches, eye pain, and muscles soreness, especially in the legs and the back. Typhus, caused by the bacterium Scientific Name: Pediculus humanus Range: Worldwide Life Span: 30 days Danger: Diseases such as typhus Body Lice

Rickettsia prowazekii, is another disease transmitted by body lice. Typhus epidemics

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