Tag Archives: Australia

The planets smallest continent, also has a large number of worlds most poisonous snakes and spiders.

Deadly Sea Critters: The Sea Wasp Jellyfish

Posted by on March 7, 2012 Comments Off

The sea wasp, or Chironex fleckeri, is one of several box jellyfish and possibly the most toxic, having been described as “the most lethal jellyfish in the world”.  The sea wasp is also the largest of the box jellyfish species.  It lives in the waters of North Australia all the way up to the coastal waters of the Philippines.

The venom of the sea wasp has been known to kill in as little as three minutes.  The sting is extremely painful, and in addition provides a triple threat to your body by attacking your skin, heart, and nervous system.

First aid for a sea wasp sting:  First the victim must be taken out of the water in order to provide first aid.  The area of the sting should be washed in vinegar, which will deactivate the venom.  Emergency medical services should be contacted for treatment as soon as possible.  While not all box jellyfish stings are typically fatal, the sea wasp’s sting is particularly dangerous and should be treated as such.

Disclaimer: The information in this post is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, emergency treatment or formal first-aid training.  If you find yourself in a life-threatening/emergency medical situation, you should seek medical attention immediately.

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Dangerous Sea Critters: The Stonefish

Posted by on January 2, 2012 Comments Off

The stonefish is native to the waters of Australia.  It has been called the most poisonous fish on the planet.  They tend to blend into their surroundings, and the usual way that a person is stung by a stonefish is by stepping on it.  Less frequently, someone is stung when picking a stonefish up with his or her hands.  It has toxic venom in its spines.  Stonefish can stay out of water for as long as a day.

A stonefish sting can be fatal and requires immediate medical attention.  An antivenom has been developed for the treatment of stonefish poisoning.

Featured Photo by walknboston
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Weird and Dangerous Mammals: The Platypus

Posted by on December 12, 2011 Comments Off

The platypus (Ornithorhyncus anatinus) of Australia is an odd creature.  It is a mammal, though one of the few in the world that is poisonous.  It has what looks like the tail of a beaver and the bill of a bird, and lays eggs rather than giving birth to live young.  It almost seems like a creature God created one day after getting really drunk or high.

Generally they don’t pose a huge threat to humans and don’t go out of their way to attack people.  However, the males have a poisonous spur on each hind foot that can inflict extremely painful wounds via the toxin they produce.  This toxin is powerful enough to kill smaller animals, though not enough to kill a person.  Still, the toxin can cause extreme, incapacitating pain and major swelling, as well as an increased sensitivity to pain that can last from days to weeks to even months.  Biologists have noted that not even morphine can block the pain caused by this toxin.

The platypus is found on the east coast of Australia, mostly along mud banks on waterways.

Featured Photo by Alan Couch

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Dangerous Reptiles: The Saltwater Crocodile

Posted by on December 10, 2011 Comments Off

The Saltwater crocodile is the largest of all crocodiles and indeed all living reptiles and can be found in a distribution ranging from the east coast of India, through Indonesia,  to northern Australia, sometimes popping up even further out than that, such as in the Sea of Japan.

They can grow to lengths of 20 feet/6 meters and weigh up to a ton.  Accurate statistics on the frequency of Saltwater Crocodiles attacks on people is limited to Australia, where there about one or two attacks per year.  The number might be higher save for the fact that there are many warning signs posted throughout Australia in at-risk areas reminding people to watch out for Crocodiles.  Still, the Saltwater crocodile (like other large crocs) is an apex predator, meaning it eats anything it damn well pleases, sometimes people, especially if you happen to wander into what it considers its territory.

Saltwater crocodiles are known to sometimes get adventurous,a s illustrated in a recent story in which an alligator walked into the home of a family living in the northern city of Darwin Australia, as you read about here.  It’s possible the crocodile was stalking the family’s pet dog.

On a recent trip to Australia, U.S. President Obama was provided with free crocodile insurance (in addition to all other sorts of protection afforded to important political leaders), which goes to show you how seriously a crocodile attack is taken in one of the places where they are most frequent and the locals are more well informed of the risks of having crocodile neighbors.

Attacks on humans by crocodiles aren’t uncommon in places in which both larger crocodiles are native and human populations reside.  However, just 6 of the 23 crocodilian species are thought to be dangerous to adult humans. Only individual specimens of 2 meters/about 6 and a half feet in length or greater will represent a real danger to people.  Crocodiles a of a smaller size aren’t considered able of killing a grown person, though a pet or a child (or perhaps an older person) could still be at risk.

The two crocodile species most well-known for preying on people are the Nile crocodile and Saltwater crocodile, though there are other dangerous species.

Featured Photo by thinboyfatter

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Dangerous Snakes: Brown Snake

Posted by on November 28, 2011 Comments Off

Brown snakes are easily spooked and are likely to bite if you get too close.  Less than half of their bites contain an injection of venom.  There are few, minor effects at the site of the bite.

  • Sudden, quick collapse is frequently a feature of a brown snake bite with venom.
  • The victim will suffer from venom-induced consumption coagulopathy, which is sort of like bleeding to death from the inside out.  It’s not fun.

Other symptoms:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Breathing/swallowing difficulties
  • Convulsions
  • Renal failure

If given in time, an envenomed victim can be treated with an anti-venom.

Featured Photo by GregTheBusker

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Dangerous Arachnids: Sydney Funnel-Web Spider

Posted by on November 28, 2011 Comments Off

The Sydney Funnel-web spider is one of the most dangerous spiders in the world and are regarded by some experts to actually be the most dangerous.

Adult males are especially known to be aggressive and will readily defend themselves if feeling threatened. They’re attracted to sources of water, thus are commonly found in swimming pools.

While they sometimes fall  a body of water, they can survive immersed for up to several hours, still ready to deliver a nasty bite when removed from the body of water.  They are also found in garages and yards in suburban Sydney, the only place in Australia they are thought to live.

Funnel-webs are normally not aggressive. but will become so when defending themselves if frightened or threatened. During an attack the funnel-web spider will hold on and bite repeatedly, increasing the amount of venom going into the body of the victim.  The bite is painful due to the acidity of the venom and the large size of the fangs penetrating the skin.  Puncture marks and bleeding will be visible.

Should a threshold of envenomation be met, symptoms will start in a few minutes,  progressing rapidly:

  • Sweating
  • Goose bumps
  • Tingling around mouth and tongue
  • Twitching
  • Salivation
  • Watering eyes,
  • Elevated heart rate
  • Elevated blood pressure

As the venom progresses through the body:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • ShoMrtness of breath (caused by airway obstruction),
  • Confusion,
  • Writhing,
  • muscle spasms,
  • Pulmonary oedema
  • Metabolic acidosis
  • Hypertension

The final stages include:

  • Dilation of the pupils
  • Uncontrollable muscle twitching
  • Unconsciousness,
  • High level of pressure in the skull
  • Death

Featured Photo by ta-graphy
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Dangerous Arachnids: Redback Spider

Posted by on November 28, 2011 Comments Off

The Redback spider originates from Australia and is considered to be very poisonous and dangerous.  Its red markings will remind Americans of the black widow spider.  Redbacks are one of the most dangerous spiders in all of Australia.  Its venom possesses a neurotoxin toxic to humans.  Anti-venom for their bites is commercially available.

Redback spider bites almost never cause significant illness and deaths are even more infrequent.  A large number of bites will not cause envenomation or any associated symptoms to  develop.  Kids, older people, or those with preexisting medical conditions are at a significantly higher risk of major side effects and death from a bite.

The large majority of Redback bites take place in Australias warmer months, from December to April.  Bites mostly occur when a person puts a hand or foot too close to the Redback’s web, or if a spider is hiding in a pair of boots or other clothing.

Featured Image by Allan Henderson

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Dangerous Snakes: The Inland Taipan

Posted by on November 28, 2011 Comments Off

The Inland taipan is found in Australia and is a very poisonous snake, considered by most to be the most poisonous land snake in the world.   While very, very venomous, the inland taipan is reclusive and prefers to evade trouble than resort to an attack.  Specimens can sometimes grow to lengths of 10 – 12 feet.

The venom of the Inland taipan is made up of a multitude of neurotoxins which overloads the nervous system of the bites victim, causing headaches, nausea, blurred vision, and paralysis of the lungs.  An anti-venom is available. Read more »

Dangerous Sea Critters: Irukandji Jellyfish

Posted by on November 28, 2011 Comments Off

The Irukandji is a very poisonous, tiny jellyfish.  The bell fo the jellyfish (the boy, shaped like a bell) is about the size of a thimble.  This can make them very difficult to see for swimmers and surfers in the waters of Australia.  Its prey is mostly small fish and would prefer to stay away from humans, but they encounter us in habitat and pose a threat to the little guys (probably due to us being a million times bigger than them).

Making the situation extra difficult to manage is fact that when they do sting, the sting is almost unnoticeable.  When the victim pulls away, the stingers are torn off the tentacles of the jellyfish and remain in the body of the victim.

Within about 10-30 minutes of poisoning, Irukandji syndrome sets in, usually causing extreme muscle cramps and pain as well as headaches, sweating, vomiting, and feelings of having a heart attack or impending doom.  The symptoms can span from hours to weeks, and victims typically need hospitalization. As with the venom of other box jellyfish species, vinegar will deactivate unfired nematocysts (the small embedded spines which carry the venom) on the skin but will have no effect on the venom already in the body. When properly treated by medical professionals, a single sting is normally not fatal

Irukandji are typically found on the Australian coast and are attracted to warmer waters.  They are particularly a threat in the Summer months.

In a more recent attack, a young man poisoned by an irukandji described the ensuing feelings of intoxication as such: “I was swimming off the point about 4pm, took a dive to go under and felt a sharp pain in the neck. My legs started to feel numb, then it went straight through my body. It felt like a balloon exploding inside my rib cage,” he said.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/teen-stung-by-deadly-jellyfish-20111216-1oxfo.html#ixzz1iFpxPqPS
Featured Photo by Cory Doctorow

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Alligators vs. Crocodiles: Whats the Difference?

Posted by on November 20, 2011 Comments Off

Freaky albino alligator

For a long time, I had no idea regarding the differences between alligators and a crocodiles.  The recently I remembered I had internet access and decided to do some sleuthing.  Turns out, they’re actually two different species!  Crazy right?

Here’s some other stuff I was previously ignorant of -

  1. Alligators and crocodiles only share one habitat on the planet: Southern Florida.
  2. Alligators have wider, shorter U-shaped snouts, crocodiles have V-shaped snouts.
  3. Alligators have a strong preference for freshwater, and crocodiles can better tolerate seawater than alligators because of specialized glands which can filter out salt.  Both can survive in either, though.
  4. Although alligators are fearsome predators and very dangerous, crocodiles are considered more actively aggressive. Larger crocodiles are all to happy to prey on people, while alligators are not inclined to do so.  Alligators will still attack if provoked.  Still, crocodiles seem to be much more prone to actually attacking people.  It’s much easier to find stories of croc attacks, as displayed by the following new stories:

Featured Photo by Edgar Zuniga Jr.
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