# Seriously, are you reluctant to come to Australia because of dangerous wildlife? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 4, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612 "2010-01-04T13:34:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/61 "2010-01-05T05:21:58Z")
I have an irrational fear of crocs. They’re the only animals that strike me as actively malicious. I hear stories about people dipping their toes in the water and then suddenly disappearing with only a ripple to mark their passing. At least alligators leave you alone for the most part. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/62 "2010-01-05T05:57:11Z")
I realise that you acknowledge that your fear is irrational, but why do they strike you as actively malicious? A croc’s gotta _eat_ yanno. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/63 "2010-01-05T06:10:58Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > I’m going to come visit Australia in the next six months. New Zealand first, then Australia. I’m hoping nothing poisonous bites me, but I can’t say I’m staying up nights worrying about it. I think you should put me in charge of the Iraffegay Oardbay while you’re onegay. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/64 "2010-01-05T06:18:30Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > I realise that you acknowledge that your fear is irrational, but why do they strike you as actively malicious? A croc’s gotta _eat_ yanno. They just look _mean_. The alligators I encountered in Georgia just kind of eyed me with disinterest. Crocs, on the other hand, don’t strike me as the type to shrug and leave you alone, even if they’re not hungry. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/65 "2010-01-05T06:21:06Z")
Actually Wikipedia says that crocs tend to be more aggressive than alligators in general. So my fear isn’t _entirely_ irrational. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/66 "2010-01-05T06:44:04Z")
Pfft, a Serbian kills your archduke and you call that dangerous wildlife? But yeah, I’d love to come visit one day. I have enough common sense not to get hurt by wildlife and I’d enjoy seeing it but the real attraction would be the fishing. And the accent! ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/67 "2010-01-05T06:59:42Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > They just look _mean_. The alligators I encountered in Georgia just kind of eyed me with disinterest. Crocs, on the other hand, don’t strike me as the type to shrug and leave you alone, even if they’re not hungry. A big gator would gladly eat a tasty treat such as you. For them you’d make a nice meal. For a big croc you might be more of a snack. Six to seven meter long crocs are nasty prehistoric beasts that should be avoided at all costs, although I don’t know if Australian crocodilians get that large. The Indian ones do. ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/68 "2010-01-05T09:15:59Z")
[Australian Fauna](http://www.australianfauna.com/saltwatercrocodile.php) > [@](#): > > The Saltwater Crocodile is the world’s largest reptile. These amazing creatures are found on the northern coast of Australia and inland for up to 100 kms or more. The Saltwater Crocodile has been reported to grow to lengths of 7 metres!, but the average size of a Saltwater Crocodile is 4 metres long. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/69 "2010-01-05T14:21:51Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > I have an irrational fear of crocs. They’re the only animals that strike me as actively malicious. I hear stories about people dipping their toes in the water and then suddenly disappearing with only a ripple to mark their passing. At least alligators leave you alone for the most part. You could go to Sydney. I saw two salties there. One was at the aquarium, the other was at [Featherdale Wildlife Park](http://www.featherdale.com.au/index.htm). They were fascinating, and could not get me. There are no wild salties within 1000 km of Sydney, AFAIK. ---
**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/70 "2010-01-05T14:36:38Z")
I’m so scared of Koalas. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/71 "2010-01-06T02:42:18Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > Most of the critters are either nocturnal, or secretive, or rare, or all three. Wouldn’t be kangaroos, though. I live in Canberra, if you look here https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=hawker+canberra&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Hawker+Australian+Capital+Territory,+Australia&t=h&ll=-35.235454,149.077263&spn=0.01176,0.027874&z=16 the green building to the left is a major shopping mall, “wild” kangaroos live in the parallelogram of bush near the centre, and lots of other places close to suburbia. ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/72 "2010-01-06T10:00:30Z")
I lived in Florida for awhile so i would say money is my problem, and i need a passport. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/73 "2010-01-06T11:44:37Z")
It’d be just my luck that I’d get a seat on the plane next to a poisonous monotreme returning home from its trip to America and then, after listening for nineteen straight hours about its trip to Disneyworld, it’d bite me just as we were landing. ---
**Author:** ![Aghris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecccb3/32.png) [@Aghris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aghris)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/74 "2010-01-06T12:25:48Z")
I’ve travelled Australia for a few months about ten years ago. I was definitely cautious about the animal dangers, especially since the the most dangerous animal we have in Holland is probably the common house sparrow. I did not know what to expect. In all, it wasn’t too bad, although some experiences put me off: - One of the first days I was in the country, I stayed in a B&B that still had an outhouse. One night I had to go and noticed a big ass spider sitting on the toilet seat. Not knowing what it was (I didn’t know what a tunnelweb spider looked like, but I certainly didn’t want to take the risk) I took a waiting tray and threw it on it. At that moment I freaked: hundreds of tiny baby spiders (it seemed) were crawling everywhere from under the tray. I decided to do my business in the bushes. - A few weeks later I was in Cape Tribulation. Lovely spot, were it not for the fact that I was warned not to swim in the rivers, because of the freshwater crocodiles. I should also not swim in the river mouths, because of the saltwater crocs. I was also not advised to swim in the seas, as it was box jellyfish season. I needed to be careful in the woods, as the casowari (sp?) bird had been known to attack man. It’s still a wonder that the sand fleas weren’t deadly, so I could at least sun bathe. - Although cute, koalas can be very dangerous, as one of my travel mates found out. He was warned though, so it was his own fault. - Camping on Fraser Island is a whole lot of fun, as long as you mind the dingos. These dogs can be very aggressive. I think the only animal I’ve seen that did not have some means to kill man was the wombat, but I could be mistaken. Still, loved every minute of my stay though. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/75 "2010-01-06T13:40:25Z")
I voted for a) -loves me some critters ---
**Author:** ![cgg419](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cgg419/32/2847_2.png) [@cgg419](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cgg419)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/76 "2010-01-06T15:22:56Z")
> [@Savannah](#): > > Huntsman spiders. I’d love to see New Zealand a smidge or three more than Australia, even, but it’s those huntsman spiders that keep me off your continent. 🙂 > [@Giles](#): > > In nearly 50 years of living in Australia, I’ve never seen a huntsman spider. I have, however, seen several species of spider in my backyard that can kill you (though they probably won’t, since they rarely bite, and if they do, antivenemes are easily available). > [@Gleena](#): > > Huh, my cats gift me with the carcass of at least one a week, when I don’t see it crawling on the walls first. > > They’re big, not dangerous. Geez. [Clock Spider says it all](http://deepsquats.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/clockspider.jpg) I would LOVE to visit Australia to be honest, but I would have a heart attack if I saw one of those fuckers :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/77 "2010-01-06T16:09:59Z")
I spent six months in Australia studying abroad as an undergrad, and hell yes I’d go back. It’s an amazing place. I did see crocodiles (on a jungle boat thingie) and a huntsman (in the wild all by me onesies, but since I didn’t bother her she seemed disinclined to bother me). There was reportedly a 6’ snake living in Murdoch’s student village, but I never saw it. I did run across an echidna in Tassie, but he was just cute. (They’re venomous, aren’t they? Or am I mixed up with platypuses? Which are much smaller than you’d think.) I did see a huge ass spider in Brisbane, but it was an orb weaver and not much threat to me. Other than the fact that it was as big as my hand and I’m an arachnophobe, so I suppose I could’ve killed myself when I started back violently. It does rather seem that the whole country says “go away,” though. Can’t swim, ever, since if it’s not croc season, it’s jelly season; if it’s not jelly season, it’s octopus season; and if it’s not octopus season, it’s croc season. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/78 "2010-01-06T16:17:25Z")
> [@Aghris](#): > > - Although cute, koalas can be very dangerous, as one of my travel mates found out. He was warned though, so it was his own fault. It seems that the “don’t touch or approach a wild animal” rule that I live by in my daily life is one that is applicable in Australia as well. I followed it there, and had no problems. The closest I came to a wild animal was seeing some wallabies and hearing what I think was a dingo howling in Alice Springs. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/79 "2010-01-06T16:20:13Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > I did run across an echidna in Tassie, but he was just cute. (They’re venomous, aren’t they? Or am I mixed up with platypuses? Which are much smaller than you’d think.) Yes, echidnas are venomous, but I’ve never heard of anyone being stung by them. I’ve seen them in three different states in the wild, and even patted one in captivity – those spikes are not sharp, and certainly not dangerous like a porcupine’s quills. The closest I’ve been to one in the wild was one on a back road in Tasmania: it tried to escape from us by digging down into the (unsealed) road, but even unsealed roads are a bit tough for an echidna to dig into, so it finally gave up and scuttled off into the undergrowth at the side of the road. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/80 "2010-01-06T18:08:07Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Yes, echidnas are venomous, but I’ve never heard of anyone being stung by them. Cite? I found [this reference](http://books.google.com/books?id=Ys_NC1P9AX4C&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=echidnas+are+not+venomous&source=bl&ots=HwODeNty9D&sig=y-63o_TLCE4sxDLEktob-oFYUms&hl=en&ei=bc9ES53BKoK0NuLK5bIB&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CCMQ6AEwCA#v=snippet&q=echidnas%20non%20venomous%20spur&f=false), which says they may have a non-venomous spur. A platypus keeper at Healsville Sanctuary once advised me to keep my hand in a fist as I leaned in to pat a little hand-raised male, since, if he could get a grip on my fingers with his beak, he might be inclined to swing his hind leg around to stab me with his spur. If he had no anchor point, he couldn’t bend his body around enough to reach. I believe it was his ‘painful learning experience’ which led to [this paper](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1454022) being published. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612.md?page=5)