World's deadliest animal

If you weren't satisfied with our ideas from this previous post and you're still looking for an insect-themed costume idea, perhaps you'd like to go as the world's most deadly animal. 

It's not a shark or a rattlesnake... and it doesn't have fur, fangs or claws. It's a real-life bloodthirsty vampire that flies among us and is responsible for 750,000 deaths per year.

We're talking about mosquitoes. 

Although a bite isn't immediately fatal, their ability to carry and spread disease to humans makes mosquitoes more deadly than sharks, snakes, wolves, crocodiles or lions.

Malaria, Zika, West Nile, EEE virus, dengue, chukungunya and yellow fever are all potentially fatal diseases which are transmitted by mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes reproduce quickly and adapt easily to new environments, making them a growing concern worldwide. In the height of the season, make sure you follow the three Ds of mosquito control.

And if you want to dress up as a mosquito for Halloween, here's a costume you can assemble in under an hour, thanks to the folks at NPR:

In less than an hour, we made a mosquito costume, using supplies from a drugstore. A pair of large sunglasses stand in for big bug eyes. Two pipe cleaners affixed to a headband are the antennae. We bought pre-made Halloween fairy wings, then spray-painted them black. For the mosquito's beak, we rolled up a piece of black paper 2 feet by 3 feet and used elastic thread to attach it to the head. The final touch: an oversize sweatshirt — red for all the blood this mosquito's been drinking — with skin patterns created by black electrical tape. We hope you don't get swatted!

Related: Do you invite the bite? Why mosquitoes are attracted to some people more than others.