Fact or fiction about dangerous creatures in Aus

[Daemos]

So,

I've been hearing rumors, I cannot classify them as fact as it's one of the situations where "a friend of a friend of mine told me this" so I am trying to get some classification. Since I cannot get any real specific details about the names of the creatures I figured this might get me some better answers than google.

1) Before putting your shoes on you need to smack the heal to check for spiders. If you get bit, you are dead in two hours.

2) snakes are everywhere, if you get bit (same story as above)

3) Poisonous insects are everywhere, go to sleep inside a mosquito net.

4) If you travel outside of major cities you will get attacked by wild animals.

5) If you get bit by a poisionous creature you will die since there are not that many antidotes

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[SFs Own Tone]

hey,
all of the stuff you heard is bogus. unless you're going out into the middle of the bush/outback, you're fine. Think less "discovery channel", and think more "travel channel."

 

[shan564]

1 and 2) Everybody walks around in flip-flops (or, as they say here, "thongs"). Nobody ever checks their shoes for spiders or snakes. Over 90% of snakebites (worldwide) happen because a person is trying to be macho and handle the snake (needless to say, it usually happens in younger guys).

3) Nobody sleeps inside a mosquito net. I've only heard of mosquito nets in Subsaharan Africa and Southeast Asia.

4) The only animals along the country roads are kangaroos, which are basically the Australian equivalent of deer. You're about as likely to get attacked by a dingo as you are to get attacked by a wolf or a bear or a crocodile in North America. Sure, you hear about an occasional bear attack in Wyoming, but it only happens when somebody is doing something stupid.

5) Don't know about that one, so I won't respond with insufficient information - but I'e never actually heard of it happening.


The average Australian lives about 3-4 years longer than the average American. Animal-related injuries/deaths are VERY uncommon, and they don't even bother mentioning it during medical school.

Australians have a similar concern about America - they think that there are too many guns, so there's a good chance that you'll get shot. Violent crime is so uncommon in Sydney that a lot of Australians are worried about getting shot when they go to America. Again, you won't get shot unless you put yourself in danger.

 

[naturalgut]

So,

I've been hearing rumors, I cannot classify them as fact as it's one of the situations where "a friend of a friend of mine told me this" so I am trying to get some classification. Since I cannot get any real specific details about the names of the creatures I figured this might get me some better answers than google.

1) Before putting your shoes on you need to smack the heal to check for spiders. If you get bit, you are dead in two hours.

2) snakes are everywhere, if you get bit (same story as above)

3) Poisonous insects are everywhere, go to sleep inside a mosquito net.

4) If you travel outside of major cities you will get attacked by wild animals.

5) If you get bit by a poisionous creature you will die since there are not that many antidotes

All true, especially for Melbourne. To get from Bourke Street to Lonsdale Street last week I had to mug two wombats and a galah, only narrowly escaped being mauled by a platypus.

 

[JanikeyDoc]

I have lived in Sydney for a little over a year. I have seen no dangerous creatures, maybe occasional bogans and yobbos, but that is about it.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Counter point:

in Adelaide, we not infrequently saw Brown Snakes in our backyard and in the foothills while walking the dogs. Rumor had it that the reason the house was for rent was that the owners saw a snake in the backyard while their toddler was out there.

The most common creatures we saw were gallahs, sulfur crested cockatoos, the occasional koala and of course, 'roos.

Clearly if you live in the CBD, you aren't going to be running into such wildlife.

I traveled widely outside the urban centers and was never once bitten, threatened or otherwise endangered by creatures.

 

[theunraveler]

So,

I've been hearing rumors, I cannot classify them as fact as it's one of the situations where "a friend of a friend of mine told me this" so I am trying to get some classification. Since I cannot get any real specific details about the names of the creatures I figured this might get me some better answers than google.

1) Before putting your shoes on you need to smack the heal to check for spiders. If you get bit, you are dead in two hours.

2) snakes are everywhere, if you get bit (same story as above)

3) Poisonous insects are everywhere, go to sleep inside a mosquito net.

4) If you travel outside of major cities you will get attacked by wild animals.

5) If you get bit by a poisionous creature you will die since there are not that many antidotes

Yup, its all true. Just this morning I had to wrestle with a salt water crocodile who wont let go of my thongs then on the way to school I had to run through a hail of bullets and explosions during a 30 min battle between the Triads and the police....

 

[shan564]

Yup, its all true. Just this morning I had to wrestle with a salt water crocodile who wont let go of my thongs then on the way to school I had to run through a hail of bullets and explosions during a 30 min battle between the Triads and the police....

Eh, it'll just toughen you up.

 

[theunraveler]

Eh, it'll just toughen you up.

Indeed I could feel the experience gained has allowed me to +10 to Fortitude and +10 to Strength.