Jindabyne - Deadly Creatures

Deborah was cleaning rooms today along with her young Aussie helper Scott. In one of the bathrooms Scott found and carefully dispatched with extended arm one of Australia’s many poisonous spiders. He said it was a Whitetail, a small spider whose bite will within hours start to turn the skin gray, and within days eat away at your flesh leaving a wound that can only be repaired with a skin graft. Some online research suggests that is a significant exaggeration but it nevertheless is a good idea to avoid being bitten by this particular arachnid. The really nasty spiders here are the Redback (similar to the Black Widow) and the Sydney Funnel-Web. Still, thanks to the development of anti-venom, since 1956 nobody has died from a Redback bite and since 1980 nobody has died from a Sydney Funnel-web bite.

Australia is famous for its deadly creatures. In addition to the aforementioned spiders are venomous species of scorpion, jellyfish, octopus, stingray, stonefish, and snakes. In fact, of the ten most venomous snakes in the world, Australia has somewhere between seven and all ten, depending on your source. Even the shy little Platypus has spurs on its back legs that can deliver a viciously painful toxin to the unwary. And of course there are the infamous saltwater crocodiles and Great White Sharks.

Here are some more reasons I don’t swim:

Box Jellyfish – contact with its toxic tentacles can stop cardio-respitory function in three minutes. Box Jellyfish kill more people in Australia than sharks, snakes and saltwater crocs.

Irukandji Jellyfish- only about an inch in diameter, it can nevertheless cause death to humans within days.

Blue Ringged Octopus – deadly bite, no known cure.

Stonefish – named for its rock-like camouflage, it resides in shallow waters and is easily stepped on. It has thirteen sharp and extremely toxic dorsal spines. Its venom can kill a human in two hours.

Saltwater Crocodile – the world’s largest reptile, it ambushes those foolish enough to enter its habitat and stand too close to the water’s edge. The croc will clamp its jaws around the victim and dive underwater, corkscrewing violently in an attempt to drown its victim and rip it in half. Luckily, more than half of Australia's 100 or so croc-attack victims over the last century have survived. It is actually a protected species now.

Great White Shark – has an average of 2800 teeth in its mouth. Good for dentists; not so good for the rest of us.

Deborah's little friend.