4 ms·

I dunno man. The wildlife in Australia scares the shit out of me

oska 10y ago
There is very little to worry about there. Having your car break down or get bogged in a remote location is a much greater danger, but one that lots of tourists ignore.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- enraged_camel 10y ago
  Um, Australia is home to some of the most poisonous snakes and spiders on the planet. And outside of major cities, they crawl into people's homes and cars on occasion.
  - mb_72 10y ago
    Australian here. What you say is true, but avoid long grass (snakes) when out walking and check under the toilet seat (spiders) before sitting and you'll be fine. More importantly, make sure you look up constantly when around gum trees to avoid sudden and violent drop-bear attacks. The exact number of deaths and injuries caused by drop-bears is keep secret by the Australian government to avoid putting off tourists, but could well be more than zero.
    - enraged_camel 10y ago
      "Spiders under toilet seats" sounds terrifying.
    - shitgoose 10y ago
      i had to google 'drop-bear'... are spiders under the toilet seat also part of australian folklore or they are real?
      - HeyLaughingBoy 10y ago
        Considering that I live in rural Minnesota and if my shoes are left outside in summer, I check them for wasps or snakes before putting them on, I'd go for them being real.
      - vacri 10y ago
        Mostly folklore - there's even a song: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/redback-on-the-toilet-seat-lyrics-famed-aussie-poem/ http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/redback-on-the-toilet-seat-ly... A normal clean toilet is no danger, same as everywhere else in the world, but if you're going to the loo in one of those ramshackle open-to-the-elements rustic outhouses, you might want to check the seat.
      - enraged_camel 10y ago
        They are real: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/27/venomous-spider-bite-sends-man-sitting-on-the-toilet-to-hospital/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/27/venomous-spider-b...
      - mb_72 10y ago
        Real, but usually only if you have an 'outside toilet'; I had one of these in a WWII-era home located in a country area of Australia, and there would often be red-back spiders + eggs under the seat. Still, easily checked for and destroyed.
    - vacri 10y ago
      If you smear toothpaste on the back of your neck when walking through forests, the dropbears will slide right off.
  - vacri 10y ago
    Apart from one or two snakes, the cassowary, and the crocodile, dangerous Australian wildlife is pretty shy and sleepy. Make noise when you walk through scrub and the snakes, if any, will avoid you. The only particularly deadly spider lives only around Sydney, you have to go hunting for it, and there's antivenin for it. I've also never heard about snakes getting into people's cars. Sure, it probably happens, but it's rare if it does. Yes, the toxicity on paper of Australia's animals is sky-high, but that's not the full story. You're far more at risk of heatstroke than animal problems when travelling Australia.

oska 10y ago

There is very little to worry about there. Having your car break down or get bogged in a remote location is a much greater danger, but one that lots of tourists ignore.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
enraged_camel 10y ago
Um, Australia is home to some of the most poisonous snakes and spiders on the planet. And outside of major cities, they crawl into people's homes and cars on occasion.
- mb_72 10y ago
  Australian here. What you say is true, but avoid long grass (snakes) when out walking and check under the toilet seat (spiders) before sitting and you'll be fine. More importantly, make sure you look up constantly when around gum trees to avoid sudden and violent drop-bear attacks. The exact number of deaths and injuries caused by drop-bears is keep secret by the Australian government to avoid putting off tourists, but could well be more than zero.
  - enraged_camel 10y ago
    "Spiders under toilet seats" sounds terrifying.
  - shitgoose 10y ago
    i had to google 'drop-bear'... are spiders under the toilet seat also part of australian folklore or they are real?
    - HeyLaughingBoy 10y ago
      Considering that I live in rural Minnesota and if my shoes are left outside in summer, I check them for wasps or snakes before putting them on, I'd go for them being real.
    - vacri 10y ago
      Mostly folklore - there's even a song: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/redback-on-the-toilet-seat-lyrics-famed-aussie-poem/ http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/redback-on-the-toilet-seat-ly... A normal clean toilet is no danger, same as everywhere else in the world, but if you're going to the loo in one of those ramshackle open-to-the-elements rustic outhouses, you might want to check the seat.
    - enraged_camel 10y ago
      They are real: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/27/venomous-spider-bite-sends-man-sitting-on-the-toilet-to-hospital/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/27/venomous-spider-b...
    - mb_72 10y ago
      Real, but usually only if you have an 'outside toilet'; I had one of these in a WWII-era home located in a country area of Australia, and there would often be red-back spiders + eggs under the seat. Still, easily checked for and destroyed.
  - vacri 10y ago
    If you smear toothpaste on the back of your neck when walking through forests, the dropbears will slide right off.
- vacri 10y ago
  Apart from one or two snakes, the cassowary, and the crocodile, dangerous Australian wildlife is pretty shy and sleepy. Make noise when you walk through scrub and the snakes, if any, will avoid you. The only particularly deadly spider lives only around Sydney, you have to go hunting for it, and there's antivenin for it. I've also never heard about snakes getting into people's cars. Sure, it probably happens, but it's rare if it does. Yes, the toxicity on paper of Australia's animals is sky-high, but that's not the full story. You're far more at risk of heatstroke than animal problems when travelling Australia.