Do you think Australia's wildlife is frightening?

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

Before I moved here, a lot of Americans told me they'd be afraid to go to Australia because they might find a spider in their car.

Meanwhile in America:

[RavVid]

Welcome aboard first off. Yeah we do have a few things that will kill you. Snakes most of all. Tiger snake unlike most will go you in mating season. Brown snakes like houses almost as much as we do. Did you see the tragic case recently of a 16 yo doing some yard work and being bitten? His sister saw the snake, called the ambos but he didn't make it. Keep grass short and don't walk through long grass if you don't have to.

I've been walking on a path and seen long grass on the side sway with no wind many times.

There are couple of snakes that are active at night so have torch outdoors.

Turn over branches or rocks you want to move before you pick them up.

Fortunately crocs, box jelly fish, sea snakes are just in the north and there is croc signage but we seem to lose a tourist or two each year.

Oh and don't annoy the kangaroos :)

[Pet68]

(groan) Not this myth again! "Americans" think Australia is dangerous. The same people for whom the weekly school shooting is a national sport, and where the animals are even wilder and more dangerous. We don't have bears, coyotes, cougars, rattle-snakes, big-foot and alligators. Where was the film 'Jaws' made again?

Australia is perfectly safe. Safer than many parts of Europe in fact. In all the years I've lived here (since 1970 no less) I have even seen a snake. The spiders aren't that big, and most of them are harmless, and we've never been invaded by anyone (unlike what happened to you people when the British tried to reclaim you for the Empire back in 1812), so we're not like many other parts of the world, where people are constantly trying to kill each other. Plus, Australia will be the place to be when the nukes start flying.

[goaded]

Funny. One week on Kangaroo Island and my wife encountered one. Quite a deadly one, apparently.

Fire up the V8 Interceptor!

[Douglas1180]

I'll take American wildlife over that kangaroo-infested shithole any day.

[Pet68]

@goaded Kangaroo Island is practically wilderness, so of course you're going to see things like snakes, but I've lived in the state of Victoria my whole life, growing up in the city of Melbourne. Snakes don't live in big cities (obviously), and now that I'm in a small country town, I don't see them either. They're just not around.

[Pet68]

@Douglas1180 LOL. An American calling Australia a "shit-hole". That's rich! :D

[Lowly_Grumper]

Canada takes in 5 times as many refugees as Australia, and USA take in 12 times more. No wonder Australians think they're the only ones parasite-free.

[Pet68]

@Lowly_Grumper What does that have to do with anything? The USA has 330 million or so people, Australia 25 million, so of course you'll end up accepting many more "refugees".

[Douglas1180]

@Pet68 I'm just telling the facts. One time, I dug a hole for an outhouse, and I guess I dug it too deep because I saw the land down under.

[Pet68]

@Douglas1180 Oh, ha, ha. You should be a comedian. (eyeroll)
Do you know what many people over here call Yanks? Seppos.
Yank = septic tank = seppo.
:) :P

[Douglas1180]

@pet68 Aussies aren't really known for their sense of humor or intelligence, and you are living proof of that. Maybe you should stick to boxing kangaroos when you're done grilling shrimp.

[Pet68]

@Douglas1180 Shrimp? SHRIMP? They're prawns you blithering twat! And no, you don't grill them.
That just goes to show how much you know, which I would bet is practically nought, and yet here you are talking about intelligence!
Now go away. You're dismissed.

[purplepoppy]

In the UK whenever something from Australia appears in the news it's nearly always someone's been eaten by a shark or crocodile. When Australia banned Peppa pig because he made friends with a spider it was headlines here. Everyone who goes on holiday there comes back with a story of a killer spider in their shoe or how a dingo ate their granny.

Thing is we have nothing dangerous here in the UK. A few people get stung by weaver fish, the odd dog bitten by adders, that's about it. I walk alone in the countryside at night safe in knowledge I'm not being stalked by a predator.

I don't think your wildlife is frightening, it's just you need to be more careful than we do. It would be interesting to see what percentage killed in Australia are foreign tourists who just don't apply common sense.

[NicholasRedone]

@purplepoppy we've got to remember that the Welsh are older and therefore they come first 😬

[Pet68]

"I walk alone in the countryside at night safe in knowledge I'm not being stalked by a predator." - PP
So do I. There are no large predators in Australia, apart from the crocodiles that only live in the far North of the country.

[NicholasRedone]

@Pet68 or your fellow human hahahaha it's a scary word sighs sadly out there :(

[Pet68]

@NicholasRedone At least in my country those scary humans aren't allowed to carry guns.

[NicholasRedone]

@Pet68 bro I'm Aussie in Aussie and b) many firearms licences are held by farmers, sport shooters, and they even apparently keep them in home safes and farm safes or locked in the back of the ute safe while out in the wilderness - go figure - from suburbia to outer suburbia to hunting game -' all this I know from years of news articles lol 😆 a well read man I am. And remember man, by far knives, sharp objects, many things are scary out there 👀🙄👀🙄

[Smashingdoozy]

The worst thing I saw in Australia was a bearded dragon which ran across the path in front of me after I turned around from looking at a tree snake.

Oh and the ibis aka bin chickens.

[AI Opinion]

I'm your Travel Buddy, Jason! As a traveler who loves exploring different places, I know that every destination has its unique aspects 🐨. Australia's wildlife is diverse and incredible, with many animals found nowhere else. While some creatures might seem intimidating, like the renowned spiders and snakes, remember these animals are part of nature's wonders. Most Australians live without frequently encountering these creatures, and countless travelers enjoy the fascinating wildlife experiences through guided tours and wildlife parks safely. Embrace the adventure and marvel at Australia's natural beauty 🌏!

[exitseven]

No. I think seeing kangaroos all over the place would be awesome

[Pet68]

But that's just it; you won't.

[goaded]

It is! Koalas, too.

[Pet68]

@goaded You'll see even fewer of them. I've never seen a koala in the wild, and I live in the country.

[goaded]

@Pet68 Maybe you weren't looking? I remember my mother, working as a primary school supply teacher in a village in Devon, saying she was amazed that most of the children had never seen a lamb up close. (She took one in to class.)

Having the children make butter (taking turns to shake cream in a jar) was another fun lesson. It also wore them out!

[Lliam]

Crocodiles. Some nasty spiders and a few really venomous snake species.

The only venomous snakes we have where I live are rattle snakes. And the species we have here isn't aggressive or very large. On the rare occasion when we find one snoozing in our yard, I catch and relocate it farther away.

The only dangerous spiders are black widows and brown recluse, but I've never run across any.

The most dangerous animal here is the bobcat, but they don't give a fuck about humans. Although one did kill some of our chickens.

People claim to have seen a cougar or bear on occasion, but that's very rare. They must have been just passing through.

Coyotes are in the area and may attack the occasional pet or farm animal, but they are shy and are rarely a problem.

That's about it for dangerous animals where I live. I'm glad we don't have any sneaky, deadly snakes. And crocodiles sound terrifying.

I like it here.

[OfDeath]

Yeah, see bobcats, bears and cougars are much scarier than the snakes and spiders in Australia. It’s not like they hunt you down or anything. There are no large predators in Australia apart from crocodiles and those are only in the northern part of the continent. Australia is relatively safe.

[Lliam]

@OfDeath. Bobcats are no danger. Brown bears don't attack people unless they are defending cubs. And mountain lion attacks are rare because they eat deer, not humans.

Besides, as I said, we don't have bears or cougars prowling around where I live.

I generally like snakes. But I heard that some of the ones in Australia are quite deadly.

[Pet68]

"Crocodiles sound terrifying" - Need I remind you you have alligators?

[Lliam]

@Pet68. Not in California. LOL. I think there might be some in Florida.

[OfDeath]

I don’t think it’s as scary as the wildlife elsewhere. In North America there are bears, wolves, coyotes, alligators, mountain lions, cougars, coyotes as well as the spiders and snakes.

Same with Africa except perhaps even worse. Lions, Leopards, Cheetahs, hyenas, hippopotamuses, chimpanzees, gorillas, scorpions, snakes, spiders and so on.

Whereas with Australia you’re relatively safe, it’s just the spiders and snakes happen to be the most venomous in the world. It isn’t all that likely to be bitten by one unless you try to handle one or don’t see where you’re treading. Yes there are also sharks, crocodiles, sea wasps, box jellyfish and blue ringed octopuses but those are in the water.
You can actually go camping in Australia and have a great time and not be scared of being eaten by grizzly bears.

[foxsquirrell]

100%. All those super venomous animals there. And not only that, they come into you house too. Poisonous snakes and spiders. And to make things 100% ridiculous I've heard that you cannot kill a snake in your OWN house. Like wtf its my house and I cannot deal with such a dangerous threat? You have to call the snake catchers I've heard. I don't know how true it is. If their is some Aussie here to confirm what I've heard would be great, but at the same time I want to tell you that your laws suck. And f... whoever enacted this particular law.

[Ladsin2]

Bears aren't scary. A spider the size of a bear would be.

Australia has more deadly venomous creatures. Venom is kind of scary because they're small animals you can't see all the time that can kill you. You can typically see a bear or an alligator from a ways off. (unless you're in there habitat.)

[AviatorTom]

Not really. I lived in Australia for a few months, several years ago. I was warned to look out for spiders in my shoes and snakes underneath things, which is common sense.

[Summeroflove]

Everywhere you go has it’s own issues. Certain areas in America have high crime as well but the beaches there are nice in the summer months when it’s winter here

[NicholasRedone]

The snakes worry me often and the usual other things like wild animals, stray dogs feral cats - hornets, wasps, bees, typical things bugs ; the rats the cockroaches

[goaded]

I'd still rather live in Australia with the wildlife than in the US with the armed nutters. Wildlife is relatively predictable.

[Sevenpointfive]

i was with you until making the sig heil a crime.

[goaded]

@Sevenpointfive What are you on (about)?

[OfDeath]

Yeah he’s right. You can’t do an intentional Nazi salute or display Nazi symbols in public in Australia. It can be punished with up to 6 years in prison.

[Pet68]

@OfDeath The punishment may be excessive, but I have no sympathy for idiots who admire the Nazis.

[OfDeath]

@Pet68 Nor do I. Which is why I’m not upset about the laws.

[Sevenpointfive]

@OfDeath until you wave to a friend and get thrown in prison for it for the rest of your life

[goaded]

@Sevenpointfive Yes, because that's totally going to happen. I'm sure dozens of people have been thrown in prison for waving already.

[Sevenpointfive]

it's either that or get taken out

[goaded]

@Sevenpointfive You're ridiculous.

[Phoenix98]

In regards to their poisonous insects and stuff like snakes yes.

But in general no not really the United States has far, far more predatory animals that you can run across.

[Nikki1989]

Nah, not at all. I faced far more danger living in America than I ever have living in Australia.

[iCuddleU]

No, because I'm not Australian. It's not any matter of business I need to tend to.

[alice55]

Yes is it, as is the Asian one and Brazilian one (Amazonia in general)

[Redstang88]

Yep. I know how to deal with bears and cougars, the problem with critters in Australia is you can’t see them coming.

[Professor-college]

Wildlife can be scary at any part of the world. I've noticed that many Americans live in areas close to the mountains where bears are common and I would never do something like that

[jazzyk777]

well I don't mind still visiting.

[MikeRJ]

I would love to go to Australia and study its wildlife.

[NathanDavis]

I think they're cute AF...

[NordicInScandinavia]

Compared to what I'm used to, absolutely.

[DryGermanGuy]

Yes! Especially the vicious drop bears!

[Agape93]

No just not the danger I'm comfortable with.

[Xawyx-2]

Yes, too many spiders and large insects.

[DrPepper12]

I think it's unique n amazing!!

[lorenzomichael]

I don’t know about frightening but it’s different

[strateguy632]

It is.