Australia is a country renowned for its unique and distinctly dangerous wildlife from the smallest of insects to the impressive Great Whites that patrol the coastlines of the country. Here we look at their most fearsome creatures including the Blue Ringed Octopus.
A tiny and beautiful octopus that looks rather stunning, it is quite often missed as it hides in amongst coral reefs. With a painless bite that can go unnoticed, within five or ten minutes they can induce paresthesias, numbness, muscular weakness and a difficulty breathing and swallowing. There is no known antidote to these bites although they haven’t actually killed that many people. The best thing is just to avoid them and wait it out if you do receive a bite.
Box Jellyfish
With 15 tentacles reaching up to three feet in length with around 5,000 stinging cells in each, this is one painful beast that you definitely want to avoid if you can. There are very few species that have a sting strong enough to cause a human fatality however the severity of stings depend on the person and how many tentacles are involved and since they often swarm together they can be extremely dangerous.
Cassowary
Between 1.5 and 2 meters tall, if you see one of these suckers coming at you, you run. Flightless and with a middle claw that is 12cm in length and acts as a dagger, they are the world’s heaviest bird so it is best to avoid a scrap with them.
Funnel Web Spider
There are various different types of Funnel Web but the Sydney Funnel Web has a bite that is toxic to humans and should be treated in the same manner as a snake bite. Since the creation of an anti-venom in 1981, there have been no deaths from this spider recorded although it certainly has the ability to kill.
Saltwater Crocodile
Massive, aggressive and territorial, these beasts can weigh up to 1000kg. With powerful jaws and rows of serrated teeth, you don’t want to be on the snappy end of one of these although they rarely attack out of nowhere. Known to reach up to 7 meters in length, it is rare that they top 5m.
Sharks
With Bull Sharks, Great Whites and Tiger Sharks all patrolling Australian waters, swimming can be a bit of a perilous task. Of course, shark attacks are actually relatively low and most are surfers who have been mistaken for typical prey such as seals or turtles since sharks have notoriously poor vision. If you pay attention to notices and flags on the beach, you should be fine.
Snakes
There are around 100 different types of venomous snakes in Australia of which about 12 could inflict a wound that would kill. Brown snakes and the Eastern Taipan are the deadliest but most snakes are shy and won’t attack unless provoked with very few deaths per year resulting from snake bites.
Stingrays
Very rarely a threat to humans they have a painful sting that can cause damage depending on where they strike with deaths tending to come from blood loss rather than the sting itself. Playful and friendly creatures, they shouldn’t actually be viewed as aggressive.
Stonefish
The most venomous fish in the world that hides in rocky outcrops on the sea floor, they have a venom that is released by 13 spines and often human contact with them is entirely accidental as they step on them as they lie in wait for other prey. This venom can cause heart failure if not treated but an antivenom has been around since the 1950s.
Textile Cone Snail
With harpoon-like spines, these beautiful but deadly creatures have enough venom to kill 60 grown adults and are often accidentally picked up due to their beautiful, intricately patterned shells.