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Originally Posted by kool maudit
ok: having lived in australia, and being an outdoorsy guy — just how bad is their spider/stinging insect/snake/whatever else situation?
because the stories i hear and the animals i google after hearing them are freaking me out. i may be visiting melbourne at some point next year and this is... on my mind.
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Most of the stories about the deadliness of Australian wildlife are greatly exaggerated. Nobody in Australia has died from a spider bite since antivenom was introduced in the 70's. It still wouldn't be pleasant to be bit by a black widow, but nothing life threatening. In a city like Melbourne, the only real danger would be something like a Tiger Snake, which can be found in parks and the suburbs around the city. Even then, Snakes average out to less than one human fatality a year.
My biggest fear would be in the waters around the Northern edge of the continent. Saltwater Crocodiles are one of the only animals that will actively hunt humans. The box Jellyfish is the most venomous animal on the planet, and most people die before they can even make it to shore after being stung. Sharks once again average out to about 1 fatality a year.