Australia's Top Ten dangerous Animals 81 By MrMarmalade Box Jellyfish Box Jellyfish Irukandji Jellyfish Irukandji Jellyfish TaipanSnake head TaipanSnake head Tiger Snake Tiger Snake Seawater Crocodile Seawater Crocodile Great White Shark Great White Shark Red Back Spider Red Back Spider Funnel Web Spider Female Funnel Web Spider Female Funnel web Spider Victoria Funnel web Spider Victoria Platypus Platypus Kangaroo Kangaroo Cane Toad Cane Toad The Promise The Promise Australia's Top Ten Dangerous Animals Australia's Top Ten Dangerous Animals And Some Not So Dangerous Australia definitely has its fair share of some of the world's most painful and poisonous creatures. We have deadly spiders, and of the top ten most deadliest snakes of the world, Australia has six on the list. Did you know even our humble platypus produces one of the most excruciating venoms known? Here are Australia's top ten dangerous creatures. 1. The Box Jellyfish 2. Irukandji (A Jellyfish) 3. Salt Water Crocodile 4. Blue Ring Octopus 5. Stone Fish 6. Red Back Spider 7. Brown Snake

8. Tiger Snake 9. Great White Shark 10. Funnel Web Spider And some not so Deadly: Kangaroos Cane Toads AKA The Agly Australian. Introduced In Queensland from Haiwaii in 1935 to fight the a pest on the the sugar crop, The Cane Beetle 122 Cane toads were imported they bred with enthusiasm and two months later, when they were releasedin sugar growing areas they numbered 3,000 and have been Multiplying ever since. These cane Toads killed everything except the cane Beetle. (Killed by Pesticide in due couse.) The East coat of Australia have now in excess of 2,000,000 Cane Toads on the East Coast of Australia moving to Western Australia. When Threatened the toad secretes a poison,bufotoxin, from sacs behind their eyes. Secretions kill most native animals, including the saltwater crocodile, and they give humans a very nasty bite. Not enough to kill you, just enough to make you very sick. The Box Jellyfish also known as a Sea Wasp) is a very dangerous creature to inhabit Australian waters. The Jellyfish has extreme toxins present on its tentacles, which when in contact with a human, can stop cardio-respiratory functions in as little as three minutes. This jellyfish is responsible for more deaths in Australian than Snakes, Sharks and Salt Water Crocodiles. The creature has a square body and inhabits the north east areas of Australia. The tentacles may reach up to 80 cms in length. It is found along the coast of the Great Barrier Reef. Curiosity:Some years ago, a Cyclone was forming on the Pacific Ocean, far away from the shore. At the same time an unusual migration of box jellyfish, to rivers and mangroves in the region was filmed. The sea became literally free of jellyfish. This fact attracted Scientists' attention; despite knowing about the Cyclone, they had no idea which direction it was heading in, or even if it was going to dissolve somewhere in the Pacific. The fact is that 48 hours later, the region suffered one of the worse Cyclones in history. How the box jellyfish had a previous knowledge about the event is still a mystery. Last causality: January 2006 - A 9 years old girl was with the family in a beach in the Australian Northeast. Even taken to the nearest hospital, she couldn't survive the toxins of the Box Jellyfish. Note: Never try to remove a box jellyfish tentacle from someone (unless wearing gloves), or you may find yourself in the same position as the victim! Likewise, when resuscitating the victim, take care not to touch affected areas of the person or parts of the box jellyfish with your body.

This deadly species of jellyfish is related to another deadly jellyfish, the irukandji jellyfish. The Irukandji (Carukua barnesi) inhabits Northern Australian waters. This is a deadly jellyfish, which is only 2.5 centimeters in diameter, which makes it very hard to spot in the water. This is a species of jellyfish which has become known about in recent years, due to deaths of swimmers in Australia. In 2002, Richard Jordon was stung whilst swimming off the Coast of Hamilton Island. He was a 58 year old British tourist; unfortunately he died a few days later. This deadly species of jellyfish is relater to another deadly jellyfish, the box jellyfish. Amazing Fact: The Irukandji jellyfish is only 2.5 centimetres in diameter, but can cause death to humans within days. Saltwater Crocodile(Crocodylus porosus) (The World's Largest Reptile) The Saltwater Crocodile is the world's largest reptile. These amazing creatures are found on the northern coast of Australia and inland for up to 100 kms or more. The Saltwater Crocodile has been reported to grow to lengths of 7 metres! but the average size of a Saltwater Crocodile is 4 metres long. They reproduce in the wet season, with the female crocodile laying up to 60 eggs at a time. When the crocodiles are born, only a very small number of these survive in the wild and grow to be adult crocodiles. The crocodile is now a protected species in Australia, however if human danger is a factor, the crocodile will be moved away from possible contact. Many years ago Australia used to export crocodile skin, this is now illegal. Amazing Animal Fact: The temperature of the saltwater crocodile's egg will determine the sex of the new born crocodile. The saltwater crocodile is the World's largest reptile. Last year a German tourist was killed while swimming in the Northern Territory. (In a place marked DANGEROUS - DO NOT SWIM, CROCODILES LIVE HERE!) That's why it is very important to ask local people if the place you plan to swim in is safe or not. By the way, Crocs are a protected species in Australia and if you kill one you are in trouble, but they can kill you anytime they want. Be sure about that. Blue Ring Octopus The Blue Ring Octopus is a deadly venomous octopus which inhabits warm waters and shallow reefs off the coast of Australia. It also lives off the coast of New Guinea, Indonesia and the Phillipines. This octopus has distinctive blue rings (hence its name) on its body and eight tentacles. With the tentacles spread, it is about 20 cms in diameter. It feeds on small sea creatures, and wounded fish. Amazing Fact: If an octopus loses a tentacle, they can regenerate and grow a new one. The Stonefish is another of Australia's deadly marine creatures. They inhabit

shallow waters along the coast. The stonefish is well camouflaged in the ocean, as it is a brownish colour, and often resembles a rock. This is why it is called the Stonefish. It has thirteen sharp dorsal spines on its back, which each have extremely toxic venom. Amazing Animal Fact: The venom of a stonefish can kill a human in two hours. People swimming in the ocean need to take care, as they can unknowingly step on a Stonefish and have venom injected into their foot. The stonefish feeds on other small fish or shrimp Red Back Spider (Latrodectus hasselti) The Red Back Spider is Australia's most well known deadly spider. They are found all over Australia, and are common in urban areas. The Black Widow Spider (found in the USA) is a close relative of the Red Back. These spiders are usually found under logs, rocks, bricks, sheds and outdoor toilets. The Red Back Spider feeds on insects, but can take down small lizards and crickets. These spiders are small in size, the females being about 1cm long and the males about 4mm long. Amazing Fact: Only the female red back spider bite is dangerous to humans. Female funnel-web spiders spend most of their life in their burrows, but do occasionally hunt on the surface at night. Adult males however leave their burrows and wander in search of females, particularly during summer and autumn. This is when most encounters with humans occur, with males accidentally wandering into houses and garages, often via gaps under doors. The males spend their entire short adulthood seeking as many receptive females to mate with as possible. Habits, Mating and Reproduction Male funnel-webs approach the females' hidden burrows, possibly by following the scent of their chemical attractants. During mating, the male must restrain the female from striking him with her fangs using the spurs on his second legs, while he transfers sperm via his palps into her genital opening. The female then spins a pillow-shaped silk egg sac, into which she lays over 100 eggs. She cleans and turns the egg sac several times during incubation and will defend it vigorously if disturbed. The spiderlings hatch about three weeks later, and stay with the mother for a few months. After two moults, they leave her burrow, dispersing by foot to eventually make their own burrows. Juvenile males will stay in their burrows until their final adult moult, after which they will become wanderers. Funnel-webs mature in about two to four years, with the females living to ten or more years, and the males dying about six to nine months after maturity. Toxicity Bites are most prevalent during summer and autumn when males leave the burrows in search of females. Accidental encounters with wandering males usually occur in gardens, houses, garages and sheds - particularly ground-level dwellings on concrete slabs. Bites are dangerous and can cause serious illness or death. The venom appears to

particularly affect primates (ie humans), whereas other mammals - such as cats and dogs - are relatively resistant. The male Sydney Funnel-web Spider is more dangerous than the female. This is because the toxic venom component that attacks the human and primate nervous system so severely is only present in male spiders. Initial symptoms after a bite include local pain, mouth numbness, vomiting, abdominal pain, sweating and salivation. Antivenom is available and no deaths have occurred since its introduction. The last deadly spider bite in Australia was recorded in 1955! The Sydney Funnelweb Spider appears only in and around Sydney. Its venom can be dangerous to frail and weak people. The much touted Redback Spider is not deadly. A bite can cause great discomfort and makes some people sick, but it doesn't kill. Snakes - Of the 10 most dangerous snakes in the world, 8 are Australian. The most poisonous snake in the world is the TAIPAN, whose venom is strong enough to kill 100 adults with only one bite. In second place comes the Brown Snake, capable of sending many to heaven with one bite also. In third, the Tiger Snake, this is as dangerous as the Brown. To the ones who wish to visit the Coast line and walk on the hills over the grass, be aware that it may be dangerous especially during summer time. If bitten, a bandage wrapped around the area is the best thing you can do before getting help as soon as possible. (Try to remember the colour and shape of the snake to describe to the doctor). If you get in a situation where you have a snake a few feet away from you, the best thing to do is to stand still, and wait for the snake to leave. Pursuing the journey of showing someone how to sell 100 widgets in a week. I was with a young lady, who had thoughts of being a star, who could also sell those magic100 widgets in a week. This week we were in a Sydney suburb, 23 miles out of the heart of Sydney. Drove the car into a large factory complex and approached the front door of the Factory. Several large screams came bursting out through the door. They were loud and piercing screams of anguish and fear. The two of us rushed in to the office expecting to see a lady having fallen off a ladder. We did not know what to expect. There was a lady, who was extremely distressed. Across from her desk was a large snake, wondering whether it should flee or fight. Before this snake could come to any decision, a burly man with a shovel in his hand, belted the snake a killing blow from the shovel. It took one blow. This gentleman or should we say white knight on a charger dealt the snake three heavy blows. The snake did not have a chance. It was killed. The police arrived and every thing settled down, they were going to recommend the white knight for a bravery award. I was scared and the young lady with me was not as scared as I was. I was impressed with her. Stayed selling widgets for a long while. Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis) The Australian Brown Snake The brown snake is approximately 1.5 metres long, and is one of Australia's more deadly creatures. They have venom which can cause death to humans relatively quickly if left untreated. Brown snakes up to 2.3 metres have been recorded in Australia. They feed on small creatures, such as mice and rats, small birds, lizards or even other snakes. These snakes are found in Eastern Australia, however they are not found in Tasmania.

Further Information on the Brown Snake: The common tiger snake is found in southern and usually around a metre long, and have a striped Snake). This is not always the case however, as seasons and the age of the snake. They can grow eastern Australia. They are marking (hence the name Tiger the markings can change due to the up to 1.5 metres in length.

These are venomous snakes, and will attack if they are disturbed or threatened. Otherwise, they can live quietly. They are also often territorial, and will live in the same area for years. They are also found in suburban areas, even in the newer suburbs. An elderly woman was bitten by a tiger snake while she pruned the ivy on her fence, in Kew (an inner suburb of Melbourne, in 2003). Death resulted from this bite. However this is quite rare these days, as anti venene is readily available. These snakes feed on all types of creatures; they happily feed on frogs, fish, small birds and other small mammals. They also eat other reptiles such as lizards. The Taipan is the most venomous snake in Australia. Male and female are both very aggressive if cornered, but for the most part, taipans steer clear of humans. The Taipan has the longest fangs of any Australian snake, and can be up to a half-inch long. The Great White Shark. The Great White Shark or affectionally known as the "Great White" belongs to a group of sharks named Mackerel Sharks. Its common name was derived from the shark's white underbelly. They are solitary animals, but have also been reported to swim in pairs or groups. They are found on all coasts of Australia, and furthermore throughout the World. They range between 3.5 to 5 metres long, and weigh on average 1,300kg. The females are large than males. The Great White is grey in colour from the top and white underneath. They have on average 2,800 teeth in their mouth, all in rows and triangle in shape. They are slanted on an angle inwards, which helps keep hold of their prey. Being predatory animals, they feed on other fish, including other sharks. They can even tackle small whales. Amazing Fact: Great White's also eat animals that are already dead. They attack their prey once, and then wait and let their prey bleed to death. They have an amazing sense of smell, and can pick up blood in water a long way away. This helps them to track down their prey, or potential prey. Amazing Fact: Shark's need to swim, or they will sink! The Great White is constantly swimming, or it will begin to drop in the ocean. Note 1: The White Shark is not the most dangerous shark in Australia. "Bull Sharks" had killed more people than all others combined Nota 2: Evict to swim between sunset and sunrise. These are the hours sharks are looking for food especially when the water is murky. Nota 3: Only ten people die in the world every year by shark attack. But 150 die

from a coconut falling right on the head. Nota 4: Australia was second place in the world in 2004 for shark attacks, loosing only to United States, but Australia had more deaths as a consequence of the attacks. See below, statistics of shark attacks in Australia since 1791 Shark Attacks = A: Deaths = D: Last Attack = LA NSW A123 D61 LA1993 QLD A90 D39 LA2006 WA A31 D10 LA2004 SA A28 D15 LA2005 VIC A19 D8 LA1970 TAS A8 D4 LA1993 NT A2 D2 LA1938 Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) The platypus is found in eastern Australia. They live aside freshwater rivers or lakes, and create burrows for shelter and protection. They are active mainly at nighttime hours, and use their webbed feet for swimming. When swimming the platypus has its eyes shut. They swim underwater for 2 minutes, before returning to the surface for oxygen. They can however stay underwater for up to 10 minutes, and due to their natural buoyancy, they need to be underneath another object to do this. The Platypus has a wooly furred coat and range from 30cm to 45cms in length and the tail about 10 to 15 cms. The wooly furred coat actually has three different layers. The first layer keeps the animal warm, by trapping air, the second layer which provides an insulating coat for the animal, and lastly the third layer of long flat hairs to detect objects close by. These creatures weight on average between 1 to 2.4 kilograms. They have an average lifespan of 12 years. This lifespan may be shortly diminished, as the platypuses biggest threats are snakes, goannas, rats and foxes. Another big threat to the platypus is man, via waterway pollution or land clearing. Platypuses feed on insect larvae, worms or other freshwater insects. They do so mainly at night, by the use of their bill. They turn up mud on the bottom of the lake or river, and with the help of their electroreceptors located on the bill, find many insects and freshwater insects. They store their findings in special pouches behind their bill, and are consumed upon returning to the surface. Amazing Fact: Platypuses can consume their own body weight in food in a 24 hour period! Male platypuses are larger than the female. They reproduce by mating which occurs once a year, between June - October. The female lies between 2 - 4 eggs and incubates these for a two week period. When a young platypus is born, they feed from milk from the mother. The mother secretes this milk from large glands under the skin, the young platypus feed from this milk which ends up on the mothers fur.

If you thought this was a cute and cuddly Australian animal, well, you are only half correct. The male platypi have a hollow spur about 15 millimetres in length on the inside of both hind legs. This in turn is connected to a venom gland, and the platypus uses this spur to defend itself against predators. Amazing Fact: The male platypus has venom strong enough to can kill a small dog, or cause excruciating pain among humans. Since only the male platypus has this venomous spur, and the gland peaks during mating season, many suggest it is normally used in aggressive encounters between other male platypus. A baby platypus is not called a puggle, which seems to be a common misconception. There is no official name for a baby platypus, but a common suggested name is "platypup". The last deadly spider bite in Australia was recorded in 1955! The Sydney Funnelweb Spider appears only in and around Sydney. Its venom can be dangerous to frail and weak people. The much touted Redback Spider is not deadly. A bite can cause great discomfort and makes some people sick, but it doesn't kill. Kangaroo- are not really dangerous in the wild, but think about running one over while you driving?! They are about half the size of a cow and can cause serious damage to your car and its occupants. Kangaroos in Australia are free roaming and in huge numbers. On one of our trips, we counted 27 dead in 80 Km (50 miles) of road. For more safety on the roads outside urban centres, try not to drive between sunset and sunrise. To minimize problems with the increasing number of Roos in Australia, the Government authorized the culling of 15,000 kangaroos in 2002. Kangaroos are wild but you would not call them dangerous. Although many years ago I was driving a 1,000 Miles out of Sydney on a rough country road in the middle of the night and a Kangaroo, jumped on the roof of my car. Wrote the car off, I was not hurt nor was the kangaroo. I not sure who was the most scared. Him or me. It's very difficult to be a victim of these animals while you are in Australia, but this page was created to alert you of their existence. Every one of these animals has an important role to play in nature, and despite the fact that they can harm us; they should be protected from unnecessary killing. It is just a matter of leaving them alone. By the way, traffic accidents in Australia kill more people every year than all these animals together. Share it! Rate it: up down [flag this hub]