Poisonous Animals in Australia

By | June 23, 2021

Where do the most poisonous animals in the world live?

Australia is also home to the world’s most poisonous animals. But you won’t necessarily meet every animal. Poisonous animals include snakes, spiders, scorpions, ants, snails and also centipedes. Then there are the jellyfish and some fish species.

Top 10 Most Poisonous Animals in Australia:

  • Inland Taipan
  • Brown snake
  • Eastern Taipan
  • Tiger otter
  • Sydney funnel web spider
  • Red-backed spider
  • Box jellyfish
  • Great sea wasp
  • Portuguese galleys
  • Stonefish

All of these animals are really highly poisonous, but whether you will ever come across them is questionable. If you don’t dive off the coast of Australia – and then only in certain regions – you will probably never come across a sea wasp. The same goes for the snakes. It is much more likely to get stung by a bee and end up having an allergic reaction here. According to statistics, very few people really die from a bite or sting.

Poisonous snakes Australia

What is Australia’s most venomous snake?

Most feared in Australia are the poisonous snakes. As a country in Oceania defined by listofusnewspapers, Australia is home to the most venomous snakes in the world. The most dangerous are the inland taipan, brown snake, eastern taipan, and tiger otter.

How dangerous is Australia’s most venomous snake?

The inland taipan – one of the most poisonous snakes in Australia – grows up to 2.5 meters long, but on average only 1.8 meters, and is olive green or dark brown in color. It feeds on rats and small mammals. Like most snakes, the inland taipan is a very shy animal and usually shrinks away quickly when in danger. But whoever steps on this snake must expect it to defend itself. Bite accidents have already occurred, but they have never been fatal. The best protection against snakebites is sturdy, ankle-high shoes.

Poisonous spiders in Australia

There are also 30 poisonous spider species in Australia, but only two of them can be really dangerous to humans. These are the Sydney funnel- web spider and the tiny red-backed spider. The Sydney funnel spider is considered to be the most venomous species of spider in the world. Its body is reminiscent of a tarantula, but it is only 1.5 to 4.5 centimeters tall. The female animals mostly sit in their net – the funnel net – and wait for prey. However, the males walk around and when they feel threatened they actually bite down. While this bite can be fatal, Australian hospitals all have an antidote, so a fatal bite is very unlikely.

How dangerous is it in Australia?

There are other poisonous animals in Australia besides spiders and snakes. Also, you shouldn’t get stung by giant ants like bulldog ants, because their venom can be very painful. They sting when they feel threatened. A single ant does not have a bad effect here, but if several bite, one or the other can be allergic to the poison.

Are the poisonous animals deadly in Australia?

Centipede venom also causes pain. But it is not fatal, the consequences are usually blisters and reddening of the skin. The hairs of caterpillars can also contain toxins. Contact is also to be avoided.

Beware of poisonous animals in Australia

In Australia, dangerous animals are usually warned. Especially when poisonous jellyfish appear, one should observe the bathing ban there. Many surfers wear special protective clothing to protect themselves from contact with the jellyfish poison. Spiders hide. If you don’t scare them, you won’t be bitten.

And sturdy clothing helps with snakes. Snakes usually only defend themselves and warp when they hear a person. You should also be careful of snails, because these can also be poisonous, such as the cone snail, which occurs mainly in shallow water.

While there are many poisonous animals in Australia, there is no need to panic, of course. If you pay attention, wear good shoes and take care, you will not necessarily come across one of the animals. Most are shy and ultimately defend themselves with a bite or a stab because they are afraid themselves.

Are there any poisonous aquatic animals in Australia?

Nevertheless, swimming on the Australian coast is not entirely safe. More often than cover shark bite are accidents with poisonous jellyfish, which include, for example, the box jellyfish count. But even of these, only a few are poisonous. The great sea wasp belongs to poisonous forms and is one of the most poisonous animals in the world. More people die from injuries from these jellyfish than from shark attacks.

The so-called Portuguese galleys, which are often washed up on the beaches, are also dangerous. They like to come in large numbers and in these cases the Australians block the beaches as contact with them is also dangerous for humans.

Which fish are poisonous in Australia?

The stonefish is also poisonous. It has 70 spines that are distributed around its body, 18 of which are poisonous. It lives mainly in the coral reefs off the Australian coast and mostly near stones.

The most poisonous animals in Australia

The most poisonous animals on earth live on the Australian continent. Only those who showed superiority to their enemies could survive here. And poison was extremely helpful in that.

Poisonous Animals in Australia