deadly australia!

adamski8

Anyone have any first hand experience of being bitten or close encounters with australias posinous/dangerous animals? any tips for avoiding these animals when in cities or are they rarely seen?

Crumble Froo

thanks be to god, no, but we did have a scary false alarm in work last week when one of the kids got what appeared to be an insect bite, i took her out to the more experienced teachers, and suddenly everyone's talking about whitetail spiders being more prolific around the south island now...

fortunately, twas only a bee, we found it a while later, but that's the closest ive come to any of those scary creatures.

daiixi

Rarely seen. Don't go outside picking up logs and rocks without thick gloves on and you should be fine.

hussey

I was attacked by a drop bear before!

Berty

Poisonous snake in Rottnest Island off the West Coast of Australia and went out the back of my sisters house in Perth to find a red backed spider in the drain. They are attracted to anywhere with water on account of the heat.

If that bit the baby it would die if it bit me they said I would have around 40 minutes to get treated or I would die. Nice

adamski8

hussey wrote: »

I was attacked by a drop bear before!

a drop bear!!!!! ok i think thats one dangerous creature too far for me, think ill cancel my trip;)

hussey

.

PhiliousPhogg

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=651337

Somebody also told me about such thing as a flying mouse that can jump a few metres. When she was doing a nightime nature tour in a rainforest up around Cairns one jumped onto her.. and she freaked, naturally.

The Sweeper

We have brown snakes, tiger snakes and white tail spiders around us here. The snakes are out in the garden, the spiders occasionally in the house. We also have redback spiders on the outside windows, huntsmen spiders in the house (not poisonous, but like the biggest damn house spider you ever saw, and v. quick). Found a Victorian funnell web under one of my pot plants about three weeks ago - that was an evil looking bastard all right. Sydney funnell webs are poisonous, Victorian funnell webs would make you sick and give you a headache, but shouldn't kill you. They live mostly around the Dandenongs, so the one I found was a little bit outside usual territory.

Have seen everything listed above, but no dramas to date (touch wood).

AngryHippie

I'm in Queensland (bris) at the moment, havent seen a dangerous creature since I got to the country, but there are a good few outside the city. I'm more worried about the animals that look at me and see dinner (sharks and crocs) not too panicked about spiders, most aren't agressive (so I've been told) haven't seen a snake yet, but I know what taipans and Browns look like. they are the major ones, and of course sea snakes (avoid). The only thing that leaves are Jellies, The box (kinda square looking) and the Irukandji ( small and lethal) but these are seasonal (so I've been told).
Yeah, the aussies like to ****e on about dangerous animals and how they are everywhere, but Aussie or asian motoriosts are definitely more dangerous....

the dee

I haven't encountered much. We think we have a redback spider out in the back garden but he leaves us alone. I got a tick once in Queensland, not sure where it came from, I hadn't been rolling around in the grass or anything. I picked it off and freaked out when someone told me it looked like a paralysys tick. But it turns out they're harmless to people.

watna

ok, after reading MAJD's post I'm glad I live in New Zealand and not Australia! The worst thing we have is white tailed spiders and they are extremely rare and only give you a blister where you're bitten.

A freind got bitten a month or two ago and had a huge blister on her foot for about 3 weeks. She had to take antibiotics to stop it getting infected but that was pretty much it.

preddy

Just leaving New Zealand after a month and not a spider in sight (not a big fan at all) heading to either Syd or Mel for 5months next are there many of the creepies around the big cites, would i be better in a place high up or without a garden?

Oh and anybody know the seasons of the jelly fish in oz waters?

Jumpy

I have been bitten by two spiders (both black house) had a dog killed by a snake in the house, I have also cut the head off a red belly black coming down our driveway with a shovel (I had the shovel...snakes dont have hands).

My mother also got bitten by a Tasmanian devil that jumped over an enclosure in an animal park. Got her on the finger.

happyoutscan

Nothing to over-worry about really. Me and the missus just back from 4 months in Oz - checked out Perth and Melbourne before spending 3months totting up about 12,000km (with only 2 near-kangaroo death moments) camping and exploring between Melbourne and Cooktown up North as well as Uluru etc. Drove over a snake; had a quite relaxed monitor lizard stroll through our camp one evening; almost attacked by a small bird protecting its eggs while attempting a late-night wee.

Think those were the only times I was in danger from nasty Oz critters.

If travelling around just familiarize yourself with the 'critters' indigenous to wherever you may be. Don't worry bout the funnel web spider when you are in Perth cause they are pretty much confined to the Sydney area and even then most have never seen one etc etc etc. Loads of info over there anyway.

When camping don't wear flipflops in overgrowth and always use a flashlight at night, keep tents closed and shake shoes before putting on etc.

We swam and surfed (like rubbish) in shark-infested waters with no problems. Its advisable not to swim early in the morning or at dusk, that's feeding time supposedly. Did a shark dive which only convinced us that even though they are nasty evil feckers them great-whites are quite chilled out anyway. What they DO worry about more than anything over there are the 'stingers' (jellyfish, not sting-rays). These are prevalent from Nov for a few months and are taken very very very seriously. Plenty of beaches well-manned with lifeguards and signs explaining beach and surf conditions, stinger and croc warnings etc. Identify possible rips. Pay heed and you will be grand, it's a fantastic place. Hope this helps.

The Sweeper

Hahaha had a huntsman in the bed this morning. Got up early, came back in from bathroom, himself goes round his side of the bed to get something and lets a Homer Simpson scream - huntsman on the bed, just peeking out from under the duvet (or doona, as they're called down here). Let himself catch it and put it outside (don't kill them - they eat cockroaches. Anything that eats cockroaches qualifies as 'good creepie crawlie'.)

Good job the cat didn't see it - I've seen him run straight up the curtains and across the ceiling trying to catch a huntsman...

BarryCreed

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

Hahaha had a huntsman in the bed this morning. Got up early, came back in from bathroom, himself goes round his side of the bed to get something and lets a Homer Simpson scream - huntsman on the bed, just peeking out from under the duvet (or doona, as they're called down here). Let himself catch it and put it outside (don't kill them - they eat cockroaches. Anything that eats cockroaches qualifies as 'good creepie crawlie'.)

Good job the cat didn't see it - I've seen him run straight up the curtains and across the ceiling trying to catch a huntsman...

even though I detest spiders, pics, we need pics!!:eek:

hexagramer

hehehe.......creepy crawlies are the best >p

The Sweeper

BarryCreed wrote: »

even though I detest spiders, pics, we need pics!!:eek:

I'll take pics next time I think of it, assuming I can take a decent pic and also protect spider from cat at the same time. Our ceilings are varnished pine boards (this is a country-style weatherboard home where I live) full of knot holes. We wake up occasionally to our cats, sitting on the footboard of the bed, staring at the ceiling, and making that peculiar cheeping noise cats make when they see something they want to hunt but can't get at.

One of the cats will chase anything that's on the ground, but another will literally, parkour-style, go up curtains, screen doors, bookcases and towel rails to get enough height to get a spider on the ceiling.

The_B_Man

Been in Sydney since september. Havent seen a single interesting spider/snake/lizard.

We did see little small baby huntsmen, i tihnk, but we stuck them in a plastic beer cup upside down and blew smoke into it to get them stoned. then we released them into next doors house. we have some baby lizards in the back garden somewhere but as soon as ya walk out, they scarper. quite boring really. Spent about a month in brisbane and did all the east coast. didnt see anything at all really!