Here are some of the reasons why you probably don’t want to visit Australia!
9 - Sydney Funnel Web Spider
The Sydney funnel web spider is named that because, well, it’s a funnel web spider,
and it’s native to Sydney!
These venomous spiders are found all over the city, and around the New South Wales coastline.
But at least these spiders apparently rarely venture beyond that.
It is considered the most deadly spider in Australia.
Sydney funnel-web spider venom contains a compound that makes the venom highly toxic
for humans and other primates.
However, the venom doesn’t affect the nervous system of other mammals.
This spider’s fangs are bigger than those of a brown snake!
So any bites from this spider is very painful because of the large size of their fangs that
leave obvious marks.
Well, that and the acidic venom!
Also, in some cases the spider will remain attached to someone until they aggressively
make the spider go away….ugh!
Just as its name suggests, this spider builds a funnel style web, which is how it lures
prey into its den.
Like many spiders the funnel web is active at night.
And listen to this crazy fact, these spiders can survive immersion in water for over 24
hours!
They do this by trapping air bubbles with the hairs on their abdomen!
These spiders have a habit of wandering around and falling into swimming pools.
Yeah, that’s gonna be a no for me dawg
8 - Portuguese Millipedes
If you’ve never been to Australia, that means you’ve probably have never encountered
the Portugese millipede.
These millipedes are much bigger than normal millipedes.
And the thing is, apparently it’s a thing that they invade homes in Southern Australia!
Back in 2017, millions of them invaded homes and businesses across southern Australia!
These millipedes are native to Europe, but they showed up in Australia in 1953 in the
town of Port Lincoln.
And because they aren’t a native species, they don’t have any natural predators.
And when animals don’t have natural predators…..well, they multiply!
In the 1970s, residents were reportedly removing the millipedes by the bucket load!
Also, the squashed millipedes have an awful odor.
That was perfectly designed by nature for them to repel predators.
In 2013, a train crashed in Perth because so many of these millipedes were on the tracks
and made it too slippery to stop!
Yeah, these millipedes are a fact of life in Southern Australia.
7 - Australian paralysis tick
Surprise surprise, a mysterious new meat allergy has scientists baffled, and it’s happening
in you guessed it…..Australia!
If you get bitten by the Australian paralysis tick, you develop a weird allergy to red meat.
So anyone that likes eating meat and develops this allergy because of this tick…..good
luck.
The allergy symptoms range from mild hives to severe nausea and vomiting!
Scientists are still trying to figure out WHY it’s happening, although they’ve found
out exactly what’s going on.
People who get bitten develop an allergy to “alpha-gal”.
It’s a carbohydrate molecule that’s found in most red meat.
Once someone’s bitten, they usually have to give up eating red meat entirely.
Even food that doesn’t have red meat and has some red meat-based ingredients can trigger
the allergy!
Some people who develop the allergy can also no longer tolerate dairy products.
So is there actually a cure for this allergy?
The answer is…..no, not really.
As with other food allergies, there IS the possibility that over time the sensitivity
diminishes, or may stop altogether.
But that really just depends on how well your body adapts because it may take years for
the allergy to go away!
This almost seems like a tick just takes over our bodies!
Kinda like animals that turn other animals into zombies!
Don’t miss our video on animals that turn other animals into zombies!
6 - Ballooning Season
In the Southern Tablelands of Australia region, ballooning happens once in awhile.
No, ballooning not as in hot air balloons or something, but ballooning as in millions
of spiders dropping from the sky!
What happens is that during a particular time of the year, particularly in May and August,
young spiders throw up threads of spiderwebs up in the air.
They use these webs as a parachute to lift themselves in the air and move through the
sky!
Basically, it causes the Australian countryside to look almost like it’s covered in snow!
Spiders can fly for hundreds of kilometres using this special silky trick.
Nobody really knows what motivates the spiders to start ballooning.
They just do it spontaneously!
Scientists are still trying to understand why and how spiders balloon to different places.
The spiders have been found floating more than 2 miles up in the air!
5 - The Top 3
You’ve probably never entered your bathroom and found a snake.
In Australia, snakes are just a fact of life.
Plus, Australia actually is home to at least ONE HUNDRED different venomous snakes!
For example, there’s the Eastern brown snake.
This snake is responsible for approximately 60% of fatal snake bites in Australia.
It can grow up to 6 feet long, and they’re famous for being very quick and aggressive.
Another example is the tiger snake.
They’re a highly venomous snake found throughout Southern Australia.
Tiger snakes accounted for 17% of identified snakebites in Australia between 2005 and 2015.
Another highly venomous snake species found in Australia is the Inland Taipan.
Here’s a crazy fact!
This snake has the most toxic venom of any reptile when tested on human heart cell culture!
It’s widely known as the most venomous snake in the world.
Then there’s the Coastal Taipan as well, another highly venomous snake that lives down
under.
If you’re keeping count, yes, Australia is home to the top three most venomous snakes
on land in the world!
4 - Mole cricket invasions The mole cricket is an odd-looking, burrowing
brown insect that’s about four centimetres long with characteristic shovel-like forelimbs,
beady eyes and a soft abdomen.
And yep this type of insect can be found in Australia.
It looks like someone got halfway through building one animal, forgot what they were
doing, and stuck another half of an animal on the other end and called it a day.
To say that it’s an odd-looking insect is to say the least!
On the front end, it looks like a mole, with its beady eyes and its little limbs equipped
with black claws.
On the back end, it looks like a cricket with its cigar-shaped body!
They spend most of their time underground.
Mole crickets are more flight than fight – they spend most of their lives underground, and
are only active at night, and only a few species are predatory.
These guys aren’t dangerous at all.
But really, just crazy looking.
Some types of mole crickets are so passive, they’ve opted for a vegetarian lifestyle,
feeding mainly on roots to get their nutrients.
But, during powerful storms they’re flushed out of their tunnels.
And that means they get everywhere.
And just like we don’t like having roaches everywhere, who wants to see mole crickets
everywhere after thunderstroms?!
3 - Irukandji jellyfish
Guess what, it’s not only on land in Australia that there are dangerous creatures.
It’s super dangerous just as well in the water!
If you want to go for a little swim in Australia, you’ll basically have to stay cautious.
Irukandji jellyfish isn’t just ANY typical jellyfish.
It’s one of the most venomous jellyfish in the world!
Irukandji jellyfish are usually found near the coast.
When a sting is properly treated, there’s not too much to worry about.
In Australia, it typically sends between 50-100 people into the hospital each year.
Unlike most jellyfish that have stingers only on their tentacles, the Irukandji jellyfish
also has stingers on its bell!
Scientists don’t know the purpose of this unique characteristic.
Their hypothesis is that these extra stingers allow them to catch more prey.
And that also means, sting more people!
Even though Irukandji jellyfish can be treated, the sting isn’t a fun thing to go through!
A person can get what’s called Irukandji syndrome with just a small amount of venom.
The venom induces muscle cramps in the arms and legs, severe pain in the back and kidneys,
AND burning sensations on the face!
2 - Box jellyfish
Meet the box jellyfish.
It’s the world’s most venomous creature.
Well, let’s hope that you don’t actually meet one in real life, because just one of
these guys carries enough venom to send off 60 people.
The toxins attack the heart, nervous system, and skin cells.
They're called box jellyfish because their bell, which is pretty much the top of the
jellyfish, has four corners.
These guys have trailing, stinging tentacles that can stretch up to 10 feet in length!
Up to 15 tentacles grow from each corner of the bell, and each tentacle has about 5,000
stinging cells.
The tentacles get triggered not by touch but by the presence of chemicals on whatever it
perceives its prey to be.
The crazy thing is, Box jellyfish also display complex behaviors such as obstacle avoidance
and fast directional swimming.
Their complex nervous system supports a relatively advanced sensory system compared to other
jellyfish.
So they have an active fish-like behavior.
We’re not sure if that’s a good thing or bad thing!
But the good news is, scientists recently have found an antidote for its venom.
However, that doesn’t mean you won’t regret getting stung!
A single sting from this jellyfish will cause excruciating pain and the venom will eat away
at your skin!
The venom is designed to paralyze fish.
So the venom immobilises your nerves and affects breathing and movement.
If the dose of venom is large enough, cardiac arrest can happen within minutes!
The antidote needs to be applied as soon as possible in order for it to work.
So yeah, we’re not gonna be swimming around in Australia anytime soon!
1 - Stone fish
The Stonefish is one of the most venomous kinds of fish.
And they can be found in shallow coastal waters along the Australian coastline.
You just don’t see them in the water, and then boom, you step on one, because you think
it’s a rock!
It's not actually the spike of the stonefish that hurts.
It's the venom the stonefish injects through that spike that causes "excruciating pain".
Most stonefish stings occur as a result of stepping on it, which forces venom deeper
into the foot.
And yep, that’s a sting that requires hospitalization.
It’s much less common for the fish to sting when it’s picked up.
Their sting causes extreme pain and it can cause low blood pressure and cardiac arrest.
The two most recommended treatments for stings are the application of heat to the affected
area, and antivenom.
Hot water applied to the injured area has been found to denature stonefish venom and
of course, some relief to the victim.
Interestingly enough, stonefish is edible if it’s properly prepared.
The protein-based venom quickly breaks down when it’s heated.
Raw stonefish is served as sashimi in many parts of Asia where its considered a delicacy.
At least the good news is, they’re not found all over Australia.
They’re found only in the northern parts!
Find out how animals turn other animals into zombies next!