This is sort of getting away from the thread
That is priceless!! You mean a salamander is not a lizard?? And another thing,,,, I love to swim. Being from Michgian we have the Great Lakes and I love the water. What about those crazy Box Jellyfish they got swimming around there!! Sounds to me like the land and the water are not too safe. Oh Yea, let's not forget the crocs in the fresh water.. I think my bucket list just sprung a leak.
Keep OZ on your bucket list or better still get it off the list by visiting.
We may have lots of biting, stinging things, but I would rather line up here against the snakes, spiders, box jellyfish, sharks, blue ringed octopus, stone fish, crocodiles, ants, scorpions, centipedes and monotremes than mix with your gun-toting crazies that seem to hate the world and everyone in it and want company in the afterworld by sending a bunch off before them. When I visited Canada and the USA I never saw or heard the gunfire of a mass murderer but the media would have you think there is a high risk. I won't get into the gun debate, that is your issue to sort, but here the Government seized/bought all self loading firearms in a national buyback scheme after a crazy shot 35 people.
More people die from motor vehicle crashes in Australia in a year than die from all the nasties in a decade. The media makes hay (perhaps the media should be on this forum) about animal caused deaths. In Western Australia (WA) we have had about 20 deaths in 100 years from shark attacks and of that 7 in the last 3years, giving the title to WA of Shark Attack Capital of the World.
The media went into a frenzy greater than a pack of white pointers feeding on a dead whale, yet hardly a word on the 500 or so . road deaths in the same 3 years. The government will spend thousands and thousands of $ on shark patrols, helicopters, boats, professional shark hunters, drum lines, electronic tagging of sharks, but scarcely any money on the 50 miles of road leading from my place to Perth and more people have died on that road in 3 years than have from shark attacks in WA .
Funnel web spiders have a small range in and around Sydney. Redback spiders are everywhere but not fatal, very uncomfortable. My wife got bitten on her back, a few hours observation in hospital and then sent home. USA has several closely related species, the black widows.
I can think of only 1 person that I know personally who has been bitten by a snake. He is still alive but not in the best of condition, damage to organs/ blood etc can be extensive and ongoing. Moral of the story, do not play with them.
Stats show that about 70% of snakebite victims are men and got bitten while trying to catch/kill the snake and a high proportion had alcohol on board. Other moral, if you must play with snakes do not do it when drunk.:cool2:
We have 2 species of crocs a freshwater one grows to about 5 feet and is not regarded as a man eater, but with razor sharp fish catching teeth do not play cause you could get hurt. The saltwater type is different, can live in fresh water and salt and grow to 20 feet or so and can kill a cow can travel extraordinary distances out to sea. A 16 foot croc is estimated to weigh up to a US ton (2000 lbs) and the very largest at about 22 or 23 feet could weigh 2 tonnes (4400lbs). The saltie is the worlds biggest land and riparian (river) predator a 16 footer could have a bite strength of 3700 lbf and a 23 footer estimated bite force as 7730 lbf nearly 3/4 the estimated bite force of t. rex. They only live in northern regions and again do not play.
To really whet your appetite an American tourist Ginger Meadows a young lady was taken by a big salty, reported in the LA times April 2, 1987
Crocodile Lunges at Boat Carrying Victim of Attack - Los Angeles Times carrying
Despite the nasties Australia is a safe place to visit, you are more likely to suffer injury driving around your home state.
A great place to visit and your $ is now worth more than our $
