The Nice and the Nasty

Australian wildlife has a very Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde personality.  On the one hand, it’s a land full of cute fluffy koalas, bouncy kangaroos and wallabies, bumbling wombats, and cute platypuses.  The flipside to this is the paranoia that there are venomous snakes, spiders, fish and various other beasties lurking around every corner, with the added danger of crocs, sharks and jellyfish awaiting anyone foolish enough to go near the water.

But are these stereotypes justified?

Sharks, Jellies and Crocs – oh my!

Picture the scene.  You’re on a day trip to the beach and you decide to try out your new snorkel gear.  So you start paddling out and diving down to examine the local marine life from this new perspective.  When you eventually surface, you realise that not only have you drifted quite a distance out from the beach, but you are utterly alone.  Your friends are out of earshot, other beach-goers have remained in the shallows.  Ducking your head beneath the surface, you notice that you’ve actually entered quite deep water.  Everything suddenly goes quiet…  That’s when you lose your nerve and head for shore.

Many people become nervous when swimming in open water, with a large proportion of these claiming a ‘fear of sharks’ as the main source of concern.  Shark attacks can be unanticipated, highly damaging and occasionally even fatal.  But of the 482 shark species worldwide, only several are regularly reported to have caused harm to humans.   Statistically, the truth is you are more likely to be hurt by your air freshener than a shark.  The International Shark Attack File describes how almost 2,600 Americans were injured by room deodorisers and fresheners in 1996; this is in comparison to the 13 injuries and deaths caused that same year by sharks in the USA.  Other household dangers include buckets (10,907 injuries), toilets (43,687), toilet bowl products (1,567), and paints (1,549); not to mention the thousands of accidents caused by ladders, chainsaws, and nails.  So the average American appears to be more at risk from themselves than a shark.  But what about Australia, where the majority of the population live on the coast?  Only 53 human fatalities have occurred over the last 50 years in Australian waters, and these are generally thought to be cases of ‘mistaken identity’ (e.g. surfers resembling seal prey) or a result of the sharks being provoked.  Compare that to the hundreds of thousands of people visiting Australian beaches every year, and the risk is actually amazingly low.

Of course, saying that, I’ll still be keeping an eye out when I’m in the water…

A far more threatening marine animal is the saltwater crocodile.  Whereas sharks rarely target humans specifically as prey, saltwater crocs do view humans as a food source.  Of the 62 unprovoked attacks by wild saltwater crocodiles between 1971 and 2004, 89% were considered attempts by crocodiles to secure food.  Of course it should be mentioned that these are only the reported attacks – the actual number of attacks are far higher.  Also, official files rarely record ‘failed’ attacks by crocodiles, instead only detailing those in which a person has been injured or killed.  What makes these animals even more threatening is that the danger is not confined to the water.  Crocodiles can not only ambush people walking along the shore or leaning out of boats, but there have even been two cases of crocs entering tents and grabbing sleeping occupants. However, in the majority of cases listed above, victims have failed to follow crocodile guidelines.  Simple measures such as observing crocodile warning signs, not cleaning fish near the water, keeping an eye on children, not swimming in the dark, or not camping, fishing or walking near the water’s edge in crocodile areas could have reduced that statistic considerably.

Of all the Australian marine animals likely to maim you in some way, the one most likely to cause you harm is (ironically) the one with no intention of doing so.  Or no intention of doing anything, come to that.  Jellyfish are, to be blunt, just bags of cells floating around in the ocean.  They have no central nervous system, circulatory system, or respiratory system; they have no brain or other sensory organs, with only small sensory areas for detecting light, odour and touch.  When you are essentially nothing more than a bag of jelly, you understandably need a way to defend yourself.  To this end, jellyfish have evolved a very effective defence mechanism in the form of stinging tentacles.  Each tentacle is covered with specially adapted cells, containing a coiled filament.  Upon contact, the filament unwinds and launches into the target, injecting toxins which cause the stinging sensation.  In general, these toxins are weak when applied to human beings, with many species not even evoking a noticeable response.  However, some jellyfish species are exceedingly toxic and can cause extremely painful, or even fatal, reactions in humans.  However, again, basic precautions can be taken.  Covering up your body (wetsuits, special “stinger suits”, or even just tight-fitting clothes) provides a barrier to jellyfish tentacles and can even stop them from firing.  Swimming at protected beaches with stinger nets installed also reduces the risk, and – as always – it is never wise to swim alone at any location.  Carrying a first aid kit is a wise move, as is having a bottle of vinegar; this deactivates the stinging cells to avoid more venom being injected into the victim (however does not alleviate the pain).  With prompt treatment and assuming the victim has no previous heart trouble, most people recover from jellyfish stings.

So, in conclusion, as long as you’re careful and take basic common-sense precautions you should be safe in the water.  But what about the land animals?

Deceptively Cuddly…

It seems Skippy may have a dark streak…  In New South Wales alone there have been 20 reports of kangaroo attacks.  With such powerful back legs, ‘roos can deliver quite a kick – one man was left with a 20cm gash to his abdomen after a kangaroo tried to disembowel him.  There have even been reports of kangaroos drowning dogs; they make a run for water, then turn and clutch the dog in their front paws and hold it beneath the surface until it drowns.  Such attacks are rare and generally occur when the animal is provoked or cornered, and are often the result of kangaroos entering suburbs due to food shortages.  Some kangaroos are obviously determined to hold on to the species’ good reputation.  In 2004, Lulu the kangaroo received the RSPCA’s Australian Animal Valour Award for saving the life of a farmer knocked unconscious.  So there’s hope yet…

But at least most people are sensible enough to be cautious when faced with a six-foot tall marsupial.  With smaller animals it’s easy to be lured into a sense of security.

The wombat stereotype is of quite a bumbling little creature.  But when confronted by predators (such as dingoes), wombats dive into a nearby tunnel and use their cartilage-toughened rump to block a pursuing attacker.  Sometimes the wombat will allow an intruder to force its head over their back and then use their powerful legs to crush the predator’s skull against the tunnel roof.  Generally slow-moving, when threatened they can reach speeds of up to 25 mph (40km/hr), and startled wombats have been known to charge humans and bowl them over.  Although they may be bulldozed by an enraged wombat, only one person has been actually attacked.  The victim received a 2cm deep bite to his leg – through a rubber boot, trousers, and a pair of thick woollen socks!  Humans confronted by an angry wombat are advised to scale a tree until the animal calms down and leaves.  Quite impressive for an animal only 30cm tall!

Likewise, the ‘cuddly’ koala can also put up quite a fight.  In 2006, four people broke into Rockhampton Zoo, Queensland with the intent of stealing a koala to exchange for drugs.  But the thieves had to suddenly change their plans after the koala proved to be more than they could handle, covering the men in scratches with its powerful claws.  So instead, they stole a freshwater croc – just shows how nasty an angry koala can be!

And these are just the non-venomous animals.  The male platypus has a pair of movable calcaneus spurs on each hind-limb, at the base of which is a sac connected to a venom gland.  Although injuries inflicted by platypus are infrequent and the venomous properties of the species little studied, the information which is available suggests the venom to cause severe pain, intense enough to almost paralyse the targeted limb of a victim.  This paralysis can last up to 48hrs, with reduced limb dexterity still being apparent several weeks later.  However, no human fatalities have been recorded from this unusual little animal.

In Conclusion…

Always be on your guard in Australia.  The animals you think are dangerous are less dangerous than you’d expect, whereas the animals you think are safe are less safe than you’d expect.  But with common sense, some first aid knowledge, and a disinclination to provoke wild animals you will be fine.  Probably.

Links:

Crocodile Attack in Australia (Official Report)

International Shark Attack File

Australian Shark Attack File

Kangaroo tries to disembowel farmer and drown his dog

Life-saving kangaroo wins award

Wombat Facts

Cranky koala meaner than stolen croc

Platypus Venom