As fascinating as Australia might be, the Land Down Under is not without dangers, especially when it comes to the rich fauna. When choosing to travel to Australia, be sure to consider all the continent has in store, especially poisonous or lethal animals.
1. The Box Jellyfish
One of the most extremely lethal animals in the world, and implicitly Australian, often found on the continent. Found on the coast alongside the Great Barrier Reef, the box jellyfish possesses an extremely powerful venom. The stings are terribly painful and often fatal.
Be sure to include a bottle of vinegar in your first aid kit if you’ll be traveling in areas abound with these jellyfish. Vinegar applied for 30 seconds to the sting, then removing the tentacles with a towel, will reduce the damage. But you will need to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
2. The Taipan
The taipan is a large, fast and highly venomous snake often found throughout Australia. The taipan has the most toxic venom out of all the species worldwide, has a dark brown color and is often found in sugar fields where it hunts for rats. The snake is usually found in the far north of Australia, in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, where the winter is mild. Taipan’s usually stay away from people but once cornered or threatened, they strike several times.
3. Saltwater Crocodile
The largest living member of the crocodilians and reptiles, the saltwater crocodile can grow up to 18 feet (5.45 meters) in length and is often found in Thailand, Vietnam and Northern Australia. They have been known to take on animals such an adult water buffalo and have often attacked people. It is usually well camouflaged both underwater or on dry land and strikes at an amazing speed. Its most powerful attack - the death roll - consists of grabbing its prey and rolling powerfully until it dies.
4. Blue Ring Octopus
Another serious threat for those that wish to explore the waters of Australia is the blue-ringed octopus - one of the most toxic sea creatures in the world found off the coast of Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Even though the octopus is only the size of a golf ball, there is no known antidote for its powerful venom. It causes motor paralysis, eventually leading to cardiac arrest. First aid treatment consists of pressure on the wound and mouth-to-mouth breathing that can last for several hours.
5. Stone Fish
Known as the most venomous fish in the world, the stone fish lives on the bottom of the reefs, camouflaged as a rock. It lives above the Tropic of Capricorn but can be found in the Queensland Great Barrier Reef as well. It’s venom comes from the dorsal area, that is lined with 13 spines, causing shock, paralysis and tissue death depending on the severity of the sting. First aid consists of immobilizing the venom by bandaging the affected area then applying a hot compress. The pain is said to be so excruciating that it lead to amputating the affected limb.
6. Red Back Spider
This species found all over the continent is Australia’s most famous deadly spider. The red striped spider has a neurotic venom that induces severe pain, however, deaths are rare. Thousands of people are bitten but only approximately 20% of the victims require treatment. Generally, the children and the elderly are the most exposed to the spider’s threat. This is one of the few spider species that displays sexual cannibalism while mating.
7. Brown Snake
There are several types of brown snakes but the Pseudonaja is the genus commonly found in Australia. Known as one of Australia’s most deadly creatures, the brown snake has a venom which quickly kills if it goes untreated. Even young snakes are capable of delivering a fatal bite to humans.
8. Tiger Snake
The tiger snake is another of the many venomous snakes found Australia, particularly in the southern regions. The striped snakes are not generally aggressive and retreat whenever they have the chance. The tiger snake is known as one of the deadliest snakes in the world. Although anti-venom is readily available, mortality rates are around 45% if the bite is left untreated. In most states, the species is protected and any harming or injuring lead to a fine of up to $4,000.
9. Great White Shark
This exceptionally large shark known as the white death is known as world’s largest known predatory fish. They can be found in great numbers on the southern coasts of Australia and, even though they have often been depicted as fatal to humans, they do not target them as a prey. Many of the attacks we’re not fatal, the shark only performing test-biting, out of curiosity. Humans are not a good meal, considering the shark’s slow digestion compared to the human’s muscle to fat ratio.
10. Funnel Web Spider
The darkly colored spiders resembling tarantulas have fangs and chelicerae with ample venom glands, that can even penetrate fingernails or shoes. They can be found in the eastern coast of Australia, New South Wales, Victoria or Queensland. First aid consists of applying a bandage and wrapping the bitten limb. As with other spiders, the main treatment is the anti-venom.
sources: Wiki Commons, denn, tom_weilenmann
HotelClub Travel Blog is where the weird, the wacky and the wonderful world of travel comes together. You will find posts on anything from perfect places for bungee jumping to tips for travelling with pets! Get to know our writers by flipping through their profiles. We will also be featuring guest posts, blog carnivals, our favourite videos, photos and by subscribing, you will also be eligible to enter our fantastic new competitions!
Loading ...
My son read this and asked what about the “sea wasps”? Apparently, sea wasps are the same things as box jellyfish…
Im from Australia and really think that most people over dramatise the severity of these animals. You might die from them all but whats the chances.
Also you dont do a list starting with 1.. you need to do it as a count down from 10.
What? No mention of Drop Bears? They’ve got to be the most ferocious of all Australian fauna.
nice stuff.
Sea wasps typically refer to small jellyfish that cause a painful sting, but are not fatal or anywhere near as dangerous as a box jelly. Also, the photo above is not of a box jelly. As you can guess by their name, the box jelly has a squarish appearance, not that of a bell or a dome.
Those aren’t box jellies.
Good to see the Tiger Snake make an appearance!
Seen eight out of ten of these. Mind you the croc was in an enclosure
I would have to argue that the Sydney Funnel Web is more well known than the redback.
I saw australian series about navy who was attacked by the box jellyfish and it was scary! I think the guy didn’t make it at the end.
where is andrew symonds?
Folks, these creatures exist here in Australia, but they won’t chase you up the main street of town. Some further research on local fauna, rather than this ’shock horror” list, will pay dividends for the intending traveller. If, after your research, you’re still afraid, then perhaps Switzerland would be a better holiday destination for you.
the snake here isn’t “well known poison in the world”, the sea snake is still rank highest of them all. u did mention that both snake are top of the world, which are silly but I find Tiger snake are serious. mainly because you can’t attack them for defense otherise you get fine. but I can’t tell the different between both of them, I’d like see the whole body of tiger snake.
hi folks,
i’m missing the irukandji jellyfish that’s been found in northern queensland. i was under the impression that this stinger’s venom is even more leathal than the chironix box stinger/jellyfish…
right or wrong? please enlighten me.
i don’t think anybody would be deterred from going to australia by this list…you could make an equally terrifying list about the top 10 most dangerous animals in the united states (great whites, grizzly bears, rattle snakes, black widows, alligators, rosie o’donnell) and i don’t think people are ever deterred from going to our national parks or swimming at our beaches
rosie o’donnell is clearly more dangerous to the death of the human species than anything we’ve got.
i intended to emigrate to australia ,but thaks to this list and a similar countdown i ve seen on discovery chanel , i ve changed my mind…i wonder how do the people live there?u r in danger everywhere..on the land,in the water…..i was so fascinated with australia..it seemed the ideal place 4 everyone…but it seems it s just a zoo filled with dangerous snakes and insects…can u have a normal life there?
I spent 3 months in South Australia of 07. The only thing I saw was a red back spider in a potting plant from the garden in the middle of summer. I did not run screaming, I just let it be, and it let me be. I am going back there and would never let such a list prevent me from going. I am from the N.E United States, and there are no real dangerous animals that could kill you in my general area. I am more worried about the crime rate in the U.S than the animals killing me in Australia:)
I also went to Aussie in 07.And i loved it!And im now in the process of trying to move there.There’s dangerous animals all over this World. Everyone thinks Aussie is the worst place to live because of the poisonous creatures. It’s more dangerous living in the US then it is in Aussie with all the crime.
What a way to over dramatize things
I don’t think the point of this list was to frighten so much as educate. I sure learned some cool things. Kudos.
“The red striped spider has a neurotic venom…”
Does it turn you into Woody Allen
a friend who visited australia told me that some city are more dangerous than the others,from this point of view(dangerous creatures).for ex ,in brisbane there are more insects,lizards,jellyfish than in sydney.could somebody tell me pls if that s true?like i said i think australia is great ,i m in love with it,i m thinking to emigrate there,but i m not really a big fan of that dangerous creatures..and i m not so worried about me as much for my children.a small helpless child is an easier target ..could pls someone tell me the truth?
HEY Aly!Yes,there is more venomous creatures more north like Brisbane Australia then in other places of Australia.I went in Dec of 07 and saw it for myself and heard it from others there.But it is still a beautiful place.I’m in the process of trying to move to Perth,Western now were my fiance lives.
what about koala bears limas or gibsons monkeys exspeiciealie koala bears
I’m looking at moving to Perth, Australia with my husband and two young boys, from Canada. We’ve never been anywhere that we’ve had to worry about poisenous animals. Were we live, we’ve only had to worry about grizzly bears, certain types of wild cats in the mountains but nothing compaired to Australia. What animals do I have to worry about in Perth? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated so I can be fully prepared!
thanks eric…what does your fiance say?did she see something poisenous?
Hey aly…I’ve talked to my fiance about it and she said,Perth is about the best place to live,if you don’t want to be bothered with venomous creatures.She said there is some venomous spiders there but nothing like further up north.I hope that helps you out any.
I like All Kinds of Animals. But like to Know abuot the animals in Austalia. It was a project that my teacher had me to do Thank you for the help