Here in Australia we have quite a few deadly critters and beasts:
- Spiders
- Snakes
- Sharks
- Crocodiles
- Jellyfish
- Octopus
- Starfish
- Cone Shell
- Ticks
- Bull Ants
- Centipedes
I'm only going to cover half of the list today, the most glamorous ones so to speak...
Spiders:
This spider here is the Huntsman, and although the fangs look formidable they're actually pretty harmless:
Sydney Funnel Web
This next spider on the other hand, is the Sydney Funnel Web (Atrax Robustus), this is the world's MOST VENOMOUS SPIDER (he has a Guinness World Record). They're found around Sydney, Australia's most populous city. The venom can kill within 15 minutes if you don't follow the proper first aid procedures (or are just bitten in a bad spot). The issue with funnel web spiders is two-fold, they are supremely venomous and they appear to know it as they don't back down or run away...
Snakes:
The list is too long to go into fully here, but lets just say we have 6 of the 10 most venomous in the world!
Fun Fact: All our native snakes are all protected, yep, that's right, if you kill one for no good reason you can go to prison or be fined up to AU$77,000
Eastern Brown Snake
Our most deadly is not the most venomous. Deadly being a weighted combination of venom toxicity, abundance, and behaviour. The most deadly is the Eastern Brown Snake, a man was sadly killed just yesterday by one. He passed away within 45 minutes of being bitten.
The Eastern Brown (Pseudonaja textilis) is an aggressive, swift moving and lethal animal. If left alone they are generally harmless, but if you corner or even approach one it will coil and strike if you're in range. Apparently the bite itself is almost painless, some people report only thinking they're been scratched by a dry leaf in the wind, but the progressive onset on the venom causes horrific outcomes.
Inland Taipan
Of special mention is the Inland Taipan (Pseudonaja textilis), Also known as the FIERCE snake, it's the world's most venomous, fortunately it's reclusive and rare and the only people known to have been bitten by them are snake handlers who all survived.
Sharks:
Great White
Not uncommon the world over, sharks need little description here. Australia is home to two notable species, the Bull Shark, and the Great White.
Most of the victims are surfers or swimmers. The best prevention is to only swim between or surf near the "red flags" which is the supervised life guard system we have here.
Here's the business end of a Great White
Crocodiles:
Saltwater or Freshwater. The freshwater crocodile is the smaller of the two.
Saltwater crocodiles can grow up to 7 meters (23ft) in length and around 1,000 Kg. It's a little hard to underestimate the danger of one of these prehistoric beasts. They are an Apex predator with almost impregnable skin, frightening teeth & jaws, and an ability to lurk and launch a surprise attack that Navy Seals would envy.
Crocodiles eat Bull Sharks as a snack.
Yet, it seems every year there is another hapless tourist who seems to ignore the warnings and stands too close to the water in an area they shouldn't, or better yet, decides to go for a swim at night... wow!
Jellyfish:
The Box Jellyfish
Apparently this jellyfish has 24 eyes, is an agile swimmer, and has been named the worlds most venomous creature, really, a "Jelly"fish? Yep.
According to wiki "Researchers at the University of Hawaii's Department of Tropical Medicine found the venom causes cells to become porous enough to allow potassium leakage, causing hyperkalemia, which can lead to cardiovascular collapse and death as quickly as within 2 to 5 minutes "
Right, so it's almost invisible, can see, and swims with great agility, fantastic. (The reason I wear a full length wetsuit when entering the Ocean"
So how did you like the list so far, thinking of coming to visit us any time soon!?
Which one of these is your worst nightmare?
If you like the list let me know and I'll follow up with more info and the rest of the list next time...