Don't pick up the snakes in Australia

[molly bloom]

Australia's most venomous snake rarely encounters humans,preferring marsupials and European rodents. Australia has 7 out of 10 of the world's most venomous snakes.

Then there's redback spiders and funnelweb spiders. Irukandji Syndrome from jellyfish stings, blue ringed octopuses, deadly poisonous cone shells, the stingray's barb, and even the male duck billed platypus has a poisonous spur on its hind leg. Oh and there's a tree which is like a giant stinging nettle, only worse.

The Lucky Country.

[Alexander's Horse]

It is a big mystery why so many venomous animals live in Australia.

I have seen snakes, mostly fleeing from me.

[Hauldren Collider]

For a country with supposedly deadly animals, you do seem to face a lot of trouble from fluffy invasive herbivorous rodents.

[molly bloom]

I have seen snakes, mostly fleeing from me.

They flee from me that sometime did me seek
With naked foot, stalking in my chamber.
I have seen them gentle, tame, and meek,
That now are wild and do not remember
That sometime they put themself in danger
To take bread at my hand; and now they range,
Busily seeking with a continual change.

Sir Thomas Wyatt

[Alexander's Horse]

apt, many of them are quite beautiful too, magnificent creatures, only seen when disturbed

[molly bloom]

apt, many of them are quite beautiful too, magnificent creatures, only seen when disturbed

Like when they pop up in schoolchildrens' desks, or your stack of firewood.

I thought you'd appreciate the Thomas Wyatt poem- I watched 'Elizabeth R' with Glenda Jackson & Robert Hardy from the 1970s over the weekend and despite the small cast and limited sets, the story of her reign and the events preceding it were handled very well, including Wyatt's Rebellion against Mary Tudor.

Lots of human snakes in the grass in Tudor courts...

[Skanky Burns]

No. Snakes generally aren't very dangerous when you know where they are and aren't trying to keep from hurting the snake. Agricultural workers doing their jobs, people sleeping on floors, snake handlers ... those are the types of situations where people get bit.

Armed with a 4 or 5 foot stick (or better) and some common sense, killing a snake is pretty straightforward.

All the same, I'll still leave a snake alone rather than trying to poke it with a stick and hoping it won't attack afterwards. Considering the double-whammy of deadly to non-deadly snakes in Australia and the illegallity of killing native animals, I'm happy with my decision.

[Zevico]

For a country with supposedly deadly animals, you do seem to face a lot of trouble from fluffy invasive herbivorous rodents.

Those rabbits are a menace, damnit!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcxKIJTb3Hg

[SuperSneak]

It is a big mystery why so many venomous animals live in Australia.

I have seen snakes, mostly fleeing from me.

Ah, angling for sainthood are we?

[Alexander's Horse]

no they are just shy critters mostly, though some are aggressive and will chase

The worst one is the snake that crawls into your warm sleeping bag at night while you are off having a pee...

[molly bloom]

no they are just shy critters mostly, though some are aggressive and will chase

The worst one is the snake that crawls into your warm sleeping bag at night while you are off having a pee...

If I'm totally honest, the fricking flies are the creatures that annoyed me the most. The Hebrews were right about Beelzebub.

[Alexander's Horse]

since the sheep numbers went down they are in abeyance