Some time ago, a very good friend of mine informed me that she was going to Australia to further her career in midwifery, and I thought 'Good on you, girl' or thoughts to that effect, here was somebody who's had an ambition and was actually doing it, living the dream as it were. And Australia too, a country chock full of beautiful people if Home and Away and Neighbours are anything to go by (well chock full is a bit of an exaggeration given the size of the place). Its somewhere I always wanted to go, but, there was a section in the Lonely Planet guide to the Country on 'Dangers and Annoyances' and these all seemed to be members of the animal kingdom that had an alarming ability of killing you. Which brings me seamlessly onto a TV programme I watched in the wee small hours at the weekend entitled 'Deadly Down Under', and this fascinating (if thats the right word) piece examined a selection of Australia's homicidal Fauna.
I suppose the late Steve Irwin did a lot to highlight some of the lethal snakes native to the Country; I will always remember him finding a Brown snake under the bonnet of his car, before proceeding to pull it out to show the viewers and as you can imagine, it certainly wasn't happy, let alone ready for its close up. The Eastern Brown Snake is the worlds second most venomous snake after the Inland Taipan - guess where that blighter lives? This snake's venom is so potent that there is enough in one bite to kill 100 people...or 250,000 mice. A quarter of a million mice! You'd never need a cat again!
But the one creature featured in this programme which really did put me off my pizza was the infamous Sydney Funnel Web spider. Now, I should point out that I will never join the spider fan club; I wouldn't stamp on one, but at the same time I'd never keep one as a pet, and if one comes into the house it soon goes back out again with the assistance of a glass and something flat, like an envelope. But if one of these B*****ds appeared in my front room, it would be a different kettle of fish! The thing I find so unsettling about the Funnel Web is its fearless attitude - it won't scuttle off if disturbed, the thing rears up at you as if to say 'come and have a go if you think your hard enough'. So, if one moved into my house, I'd move out. If they weren't the stuff of nightmares (to me) I'd be highly impressed by this critter - according to wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_funnel-web_spider they can even survive falling into a swimming pool for several hours and STILL be able to bite you when fished out. Hows that for gratitude? The Red Back Spider was also featured, though this cannibalistic (you ask the males) species is a lot more timid than the Funnel Web, generally delivering most bites when hiding in somewhere like a shoe that somebody inadvertantly sticks their foot into.
One thing I wasn't aware of was to do with antivenom for anyone unfortunate to be bitten by a snake or spider...TV dramas give the impression that a slug of antivenom to a bite victim will make everything hunky dory almost as soon as its given; not so - in some cases it can take several doses, and complications such as kidney damage can ensue.
The final deadly creature in the programme was the Box Jellyfish, or Sea Wasp, which holds the dubious accolade of having the most deadly venom in the entire animal kingdom, and since the 1950's it has been responsible for over 5000 deaths. Floating close to the shore, the Box's defences, nematocysts, fire whenever anything brushes against its tentacles, and to deactivate any that have not discharged venom, vinegar which is available on any at risk beaches, is poured over. By all accounts, the pain of being stung by a Box Jellyfish is excruciating, and the marks it leaves prove that. Further delving also reveals that the worlds most venomous fish, the Stonefish also makes the coast of Queensland one if its territories which leads me to ask myself, how is it that so many potentially dangerous animals are all native to, or at least resident in, Australia?
Its short sighted to say 'I'm not going to Australia because there's too many things waiting to bite me', I mean, the poisonous Adder snake is native here in the UK and how many times have I encountered them? Never. People obviously do encounter these animals, but I don't suppose Sydney dwellers are constantly assualted by angry funnel webs, and I doubt there is a Taipan under every old log, even so I would probably be a little wary if I ever went. So I dedicate this ramble to Melissa, and remind you to shake your shoes whenever you go anywhere or wear flip-flops!
If anyone has had any encounters with deadly spiders and snakes Down Under, though someone would actually have to read this waffle first, I'd be interested to hear from you.
I suppose the late Steve Irwin did a lot to highlight some of the lethal snakes native to the Country; I will always remember him finding a Brown snake under the bonnet of his car, before proceeding to pull it out to show the viewers and as you can imagine, it certainly wasn't happy, let alone ready for its close up. The Eastern Brown Snake is the worlds second most venomous snake after the Inland Taipan - guess where that blighter lives? This snake's venom is so potent that there is enough in one bite to kill 100 people...or 250,000 mice. A quarter of a million mice! You'd never need a cat again!
But the one creature featured in this programme which really did put me off my pizza was the infamous Sydney Funnel Web spider. Now, I should point out that I will never join the spider fan club; I wouldn't stamp on one, but at the same time I'd never keep one as a pet, and if one comes into the house it soon goes back out again with the assistance of a glass and something flat, like an envelope. But if one of these B*****ds appeared in my front room, it would be a different kettle of fish! The thing I find so unsettling about the Funnel Web is its fearless attitude - it won't scuttle off if disturbed, the thing rears up at you as if to say 'come and have a go if you think your hard enough'. So, if one moved into my house, I'd move out. If they weren't the stuff of nightmares (to me) I'd be highly impressed by this critter - according to wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_funnel-web_spider they can even survive falling into a swimming pool for several hours and STILL be able to bite you when fished out. Hows that for gratitude? The Red Back Spider was also featured, though this cannibalistic (you ask the males) species is a lot more timid than the Funnel Web, generally delivering most bites when hiding in somewhere like a shoe that somebody inadvertantly sticks their foot into.
One thing I wasn't aware of was to do with antivenom for anyone unfortunate to be bitten by a snake or spider...TV dramas give the impression that a slug of antivenom to a bite victim will make everything hunky dory almost as soon as its given; not so - in some cases it can take several doses, and complications such as kidney damage can ensue.
The final deadly creature in the programme was the Box Jellyfish, or Sea Wasp, which holds the dubious accolade of having the most deadly venom in the entire animal kingdom, and since the 1950's it has been responsible for over 5000 deaths. Floating close to the shore, the Box's defences, nematocysts, fire whenever anything brushes against its tentacles, and to deactivate any that have not discharged venom, vinegar which is available on any at risk beaches, is poured over. By all accounts, the pain of being stung by a Box Jellyfish is excruciating, and the marks it leaves prove that. Further delving also reveals that the worlds most venomous fish, the Stonefish also makes the coast of Queensland one if its territories which leads me to ask myself, how is it that so many potentially dangerous animals are all native to, or at least resident in, Australia?
Its short sighted to say 'I'm not going to Australia because there's too many things waiting to bite me', I mean, the poisonous Adder snake is native here in the UK and how many times have I encountered them? Never. People obviously do encounter these animals, but I don't suppose Sydney dwellers are constantly assualted by angry funnel webs, and I doubt there is a Taipan under every old log, even so I would probably be a little wary if I ever went. So I dedicate this ramble to Melissa, and remind you to shake your shoes whenever you go anywhere or wear flip-flops!
If anyone has had any encounters with deadly spiders and snakes Down Under, though someone would actually have to read this waffle first, I'd be interested to hear from you.
