Dangerous Australian Animals

Okay, so I promised I would do the sequel and here it is! Now that we've done something to address the notion of Australian being full of dangerous animals, let's talk about what some of what actually is. These, you should be afraid of. Though, they are just animals, don't think of them as evil. And as a pacifist and animal rights believer, I must stress killing these animals in revenge hunts adds nothing but more death.



The Inland Taipan is the most venomous snake in the world. It is probably one of the biggest contributors to fears about Australian wildlife. ""OMG, Australia has the most venomous snake in the world!"But the Inland Taipan is also one of the less aggressive snakes. It's quite shy and prefers to run. It uses it's venom to kill prey and to deter predators. So you'll be fine unless you piss it off, the main risk is accidentally stepping on one, which is luckily uncommon since they like the arid places.



The Coastal Taipan is the third most venomous snake. Unlike the Inland, it is quite territorial and bitey, and tends closer to the more populated coasts. This includes the most populated region, NSW, although snakes avoid humans generally. It is larger than the Inland too. So, the Coastal is actually more lethal to humans. Don't think people just get killed all the time though, you can still just give it a safe berth and it will leave you.



The Stonefish is one of the most venomous fish. It is also exceptionally camoflaged, when in the ground it looks much like a rock. And it uses this to catch fish. But it's poisonous spines that protect are also easily stepped on by unsuspecting divers. And when this happens it can be fatal. The main relief is that this animal isn't usually encountered by humans, so it doesn't cause much damage.



The Blue-Ringed Octopus is one of a small list of venomous octopi. It is quite small, and so uses it's venom to kill prey and defend itself. It is quite venomous, so should be taken seriously. However, like many animals here, with one exception, it has no reason to attack humans outside of defense, and this one isn't very aggressive. Just don't bug it when you see one.



The Blue Bottle (Portuguese Man of War) is a colony of jellyfish relatives. It has a very painful sting, that can be fatal. In case it isn't obvious, these things don't attack you so much as touch you accidentally. It has a nasty tendency to end up beached, where it can be stepped on. Fortunately, it is relatively easy to spot, most incidents occur at night with drunken idiots who go swimming after having some stag night or whatever.


Okay, so those are all dangerous, but they don't freak me out really. Not like this does. To me at least, this is the scariest, though actually not the most fatal, Australian animal.



The Saltwater Crocodile is the largest crocodilian in the world. It has a tremendous bite force, and is also territorial and doesn't mind the taste of human at all. They are most common in the Northern Territory where they have this handy guide if you want to go swimming; https://nt.gov.au/emergency/community-safety/crocodile-safety-be-crocwise/introduction. Don't worry, they're not super common and even they aren't THAT aggressive. They can even be kept safely in zoos, and handled by professional keepers.
But, just look at that face. Imagine it swimming slowly towards you at night, unseen, ready for an ambush...

Again please don't hate any of these animals for having defense systems and/or predatory behaviour! It's not like humans don't kill other animals (and each other) back! Just be safe!

Thank you for your time! Have a beautiful day!