Australia: The 11 Most Dangerous Animals
Australia, from modern day velociraptors to carnivore koalas, here are the most dangerous mysterious and legendary animals you would not believe even exist!
11 Salty Crocs!
You thought that crocodiles could not get any more dangerous! Well in Australia they have an improved version of the already dangerous fresh water crocodiles we all are afraid of. Meet the salt water version, known as the “salties” they are the largest crocs in the world! as large as a male white shark! That is large! crocodiles are very astute hunters and will study their prey movements before attacking. So, don’t go swimming at the same time every day, they will know you are coming!
10 The Mythological “Drop Bear”
When you go to Australia don’t let the locals fool you with stories of the dangerous drop bear. According to contemporary Australian folklore, the drop bear looks like a koala bear but the size of a leopard. This carnivore marsupial is a mean predator. Drop bears hide atop the trees waiting to drop over unexpecting people. So if you go hiking in the forest you will be told to place forks on your hair or smear vegemite or toothpaste behind your ears or armpits and remember to only speak Australian english if you want to live, mate! This mythical creature have it origins in the now extinct marsupial lion.
9 Snakes the size of Minibuss!
There are movies made about imaginary gigantic snakes. But in Australia, you don’t need a fake snake, you can actually see a real gigantic one. At about as long as a short school bus in length Meet the Morelia pythons, they are so large they can lift an adult wallaby of the water. This nocturnal giant is not aggressive or poisonous. On the other hand, the brown inland taipan snake that is half the size of the python but the most poisonous in the world! The brown color doesn’t give any indication of how poisonous is can be. 100 people can expire with one single drop from its fang! Thank goodness this Inland Taipan lives in remote areas in the desert, so few stumble upon it.
8 The Giant Bird-Eating Spiders
Spiders, most of us just don’t like them. They actually eat critters that you would not want in your home so most are not so bad to have around. But when you see a spider that can eat a bird, well that’s a whole different story. The Queensland whistling tarantula or also known as the barking spider makes a peculiar noise when provoked, and being the size of a large man’s hand would make anyone run the other way. But, despite the nick name, the bird eating spider would rather eat insects, lizards or frogs. Still, run, their venom is quite toxic!
7 Irukanji Jellyfish
Swimming in the ocean is fun, the animals you can see are always a treat. But how about the ones you cannot? One of the most dangerous jellyfish in the world may pass unseen by you with terrible consequences. The Irukanji jellyfish is no larger than your thumbnail. But the venom is so strong that is 100 times stronger that the cobra and even 1,000 more that a tarantula. Due to climate change, this little deadly creature has been migrating further south from it original habitat in the northern waters of Australia.
6 Fresh Water Bull Sharks
“Salties” crocks that live in salt water instead of fresh, well how about the total opposite? Meet the fresh water bull sharks! Yea, it cannot get any creepier to swim in Australia! In a particular incident, a crocodile was blamed for attacking a horse while it was rehabilitating in a river. Something bit the horse leaving bite marks that where later identified as bull shark bites. Bull sharks adapted to fresh water after the flooded levees failed to keep the salt water away from inland and the bull sharks, adaptable critters that they are, started growing and reproducing in rivers and lakes. Bull sharks have become a global phenomenon that includes Lake Michigan as one of the hosting fresh water homes for these dangerous animals.
5 Australian Velociraptor
The cassowary is a bad-tempered bird the size of a basketball player. Besides the brightly colored beak and head, the cassowary has a boney head crest hence the nickname of “Australian velociraptor” it has a prehistoric look like no other bird. Although they are like a lean mean machine, they are also very family oriented. The male incubates the eggs for almost 2 months and teaches the chicks how to forage. The Guinness book of records the cassowary as the world’s most dangerous bird. Yet they are extremely necessary for the rainforest, a keystone specie since they disperse seeds. Unfortunately, cassowaries are endangered, and without them, the forest would not be able to survive.
4 Blue-Ringed Octopus
Despite the tiny jellyfish or the salt water crocodile that roam the down under oceans, you decide to go swimming to check out what other deadly creatures you could encounter in one day. A gorgeous one you may not be able to get your eyes away from is a blue ringed octopus the size of a golf ball and the most poisonous in the world. Don’t get this one feeling threaten, if for any reason it does, the gorgeous colors that make it very identifiable will warn you of a potential bite. There is no cure for the venom so please, stay away!
3 Yara-ma-yha-who
This is another mythological creature that is so dangerous, it has transcended time. The yara-ma-yha-who is an Australian carnivore 4 feet tall red skinned creature that hunts from above trees and jumps over unsuspected travelers. Like a vampire, the Yara-ma-yha-who will suck the blood of its victims. Then, swallows the human whole and after a nap, the Yara-ma-yha-who will regurgitate them and begin the process again until the human turns into a new Yara-ma-yha-who. Kind of scary to walk through the forest!
2 The Surprising Second Deadliest Animal In Australia!
Salt water crocodiles, giant spiders and even see thought jellyfish, they are all dangerous and should be avoided. But who would have thought that the 2nd deadliest animal is actually a bee? bees can cause allergic reactions and even anaphylactic shock in about 3% of the population. In Australia bee’s fatalities are greater than shark and snake bites. Yet, without bees, most of our crops would not produce the food we need to survive. European bees are pollinators, but are causing havoc! they have been displacing the native stingless bees and due to the high consumption of eucalyptus nectar, they are accused of the near extinction of the swift parrot and other bird species. Its amazing that an animal as important as a bee in one region is so dangerous in another!
1 The Bulldog Ant
There are ants and then there are the bulldog ants, these extremely aggressive insects are so mean that they will jump on you, then, proceed to sting and bite you at the same time! The bull ants are pretty large too, they can grow to be about 2 25 cents coins side by side! With long mandibles and red or bright orange colors on their abdomen or head! Bull ants are not only known for their physical attributes but more so for being among the most toxic ants in the world. The bulldog ant can give serious allergic reactions to an adult human and cause its demise within 15 minutes.
Most dangerous Australian animal, discovered, what would you like to explore next?
