Do people actually believe the thing about Australia's wildlife being dangerous?

[Smeggs]

Compared to the majority of deadly things in the states, Australia just seems to have a more concentrated number of bigger creepy crawlies and venomous things. Your venomous snakes and spiders make ours look like pushovers. You even have poisonous trees covered in spikes and giant marsupials that can rip out your intestines with a kick, and the most venomous jellyfish in the world.

But other than that, no, it's obviously exaggerated. If I were you I'd take it as sort of a compliment; people think you're crazy enough or badass enough to live on a continent where "everything is constantly trying to kill you."

 

[shrekfan246]

You even have poisonous trees covered in spikes

Not only that, but those trees will shoot their needles out into the air, and they're so small and fine that they can't be (easily, at least) removed from the skin once they've lodged themselves in.

 

[davidmc1158_v1legacy]

No one has mentioned the single most dangerous life-form in Australia yet. . . .

Shuttle Bus Drivers in Sydney

I think I lost 10 years of my life span from stress in the 30 minute ride to the airport from my hotel. I mean, hell, he made New York taxi drivers seem sane, calm and rational!

 

[Spartan212]

OP: As a resident of Detroit, I feel your pain

 

[Vuliev]

I find it funny that it's always the poisonous stuff in Australia that gets mentioned in "everything in Australia is deadly," when you guys have animals like wombats that are so badass it's unbelievable. Seriously, wombats are built like tanks, can dig through anything, and can sprint at 25MPH. I fucking love wombats.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

Maybe we Australians are a bit blasé about how dangerous our wildlife is. I live about 40km from the dead centre of Melbourne and our neighbour found a King Brown snake in their backyard. Mind you I'd say that's the exception rather than the rule. We have grassland opposite our house but the most "dangerous" thing I've seen over there are a couple of foxes and a large pelican.
We do get the odd White Tip spider, which can give you a necrotic bite, but I get more freaked out with the Huntsmans that are about the size of a child's hand. The cat was playing with one last night.

In regards to Wombats, they look all cute and cuddly but my dad hit one in the car and it fucked up the front end. Kangaroos also have a nasty habit of coming through your windscreen and kicking the shit out of you, so I've heard.

 

[Wyes]

One thing I really feel like I should note for any future tourists;

DO NOT APPROACH KANGAROOS IN THE WILD. They are highly territorial and very dangerous; they have an extremely powerful kick, and they CAN eviscerate you. There are stories of kangaroos eviscerating and drowning people (as in, both of those things to one person).

Similarly, if you see a wombat charging you; GET OUT OF THE FREAKING WAY. Those things come out on top in collisions with cars and small trucks. You do not want to see what'll happen if one charges into your leg.

 

[leady129]

Don't break the myths. We use them to avoid overpopulation. Can't have too many people sharing this secret paradise.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

This about sums it up

 

[Supercereal]

Having been kicked my a infant Kangaroo at a Zoo in Australia (featherdale) for those who know it i can say that it is like being hit by a car the thing put me on the ground and then hopped away.

 

[Vault101]

while it is true if you are in the bush or a rural area and its summer SNAKES are a very real thing you ahve too look out for 9/10 its going to be poisonous

my dad aparently was at a water/chemical tank and a bigass tiger snake swam and rose from the water like a hydra before coming at him

and kangaroos can actually be dangerous when angry/agressive...one almost completly gutted our sheepdog, she now has a huge scar on her chest

 

[Dwarfman]

Probably a good thing most of the megafauna died out a few hundred years ago then. Back in the ancient times Australia was home the such beasts as the Marsupial Lion, various giant carnivorous birds, a wombat the size of a rhino, a carnivorous species of kangaroo and a tree dwelling crocodile just to name a few.

 

[AlbertoDeSanta]

I fear spiders like most people (Intensely). I live in Australia. I've never been bitten by one. It's greatly exaggerated, and anyone who actually believes the exaggerations should honestly visit Austrlaia for a month and see how often you'll encounter an actually life threatening Creature (That isn't Human).

 

[FrozenCones]

You forgot the polar bears eating kids right off the street if they go out without supervision. They tend to make summer a major problem where I'm from....I mean, nobody goes out in winter when it's minus 80. Warm summer day of minus 40, though? ....that's when you gotta watch out for the polar bears that unfreeze. Cuz they hungry...

... And people think I'm joking about Canada.

I still prefer this to a spider: (Yes, that is real.)



Recent news from my city. [http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/trapper-captures-pet-preying-wolf-180478121.html]

Holy shit you have Dire Wolves in Canada?
I suppose you are north of The Wall. ZING!

Ive lived in Australia for about 20 years and i'm not phased by any of this. I know there are dangerous creatures here and it dosent hurt to be slightly vigilant but if you live in suburbia you are more likely to be shanked at a train station by a roaming gang than bitten by a snake.

 

[crimson sickle2]

Yes, it's exaggerated, but you just pointed out three poisonous types of animals which each may poison me if I get lost and blind. I'm deftly afraid of poison, and I didn't know about the jellyfish, thanks for making me more afraid of Australian wildlife. /sarcasm

 

[Space Jawa]

I believe there's a saying about truth in comedy. All the jokes about how f'ing dangerous Australia's wildlife is wouldn't be nearly as funny if it was as much a misunderstanding as you're claiming.

I repeat for you the phrase I heard that I think sums it up: "The ocean doesn't surround Australia to keep others out, it's there to keep the wildlife in."

 

[Invictusblade]

According to QI the number of deaths by animals is pretty small
numbers as followed and most deaths are cause by crashing a car trying to miss the animals

Horses - 128
Cows - 20
Sharks - 11
Dogs - 12
Snakes - 8
Crocodiles - 4
Spiders - 3
Cat - 1
and would have love to see that cat

 

[MrHide-Patten]

I'm just ridiculously afraid of spiders, and seeing the ones you guys have. They might actually bite me, but I may die of a heart attack at the sight of one.

But you guys (American I'm assuming) have spiders THAT EAT BIRDS!

 

[MrHide-Patten]

I believe there's a saying about truth in comedy. All the jokes about how f'ing dangerous Australia's wildlife is wouldn't be nearly as funny if it was as much a misunderstanding as you're claiming.

I repeat for you the phrase I heard that I think sums it up: "The ocean doesn't surround Australia to keep others out, it's there to keep the wildlife in."

No we've got Christmas island to keep foreigners out... Ironically not a very merry place.

 

[AlexWinter]

Anything anyone has is more dangerous than what we've got here in Sweden. Out most dangerous animal is the moose, and the only moose-related news I've heard recently, was a report half a year ago of a moose that had eaten a couple of fermented apples, gotten drunk, and then got stuck in a tree.

Spoiler

Oh man, I needed that after so much talk about spiders.

The look on that fireman's face is just so... "we expect better from you, Gary."

OT: I imagine Australia as being something like Jurassic Park. I would not like to go there.