this post was submitted on 30 Apr 2024
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As opposed to FUCKING BEARS. No one ever brings up the fact that america gets BEARS. IN THEIR GARBAGE BINS. As opposed to 90% of our shit we don't encounter unless we go out of our way
My Canadian mate "So I was walking in the forest last night eh and I uh got stalked by a bit of a mountain lion. How aboot that? bit of a fright eh?"
me "I went for a bushwalk at night and walked into a spiderweb. It felt slightly icky"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBfMUysuKxg
You know what's the biggest fucking animal i see unexpectedly staring at my window in an urban area? Toss up between a brushtail or a cat.
Yes of course spiders and snakes are only scary if they're at least two metres high, noone would ever be worried about being bitten by a thing you didn't see or hear coming.
...you have very very fundamental misunderstandings about how spiders and snakes work.
They don't stalk people, they don't deliberately seek out human habitats - quite the opposite in fact - and you pretty much have to provoke them into attacking.
Around 3,000 snakebites are reported in Australia per year. We have a population of over 26 million. You're more likely to get bitten by a meth head
Provoking, such as getting too close to them because you don't see them?
No.
As a Canadian living in Australia, I prefer the North American dangers. At least you can see most of them. I've nearly stepped too close to a tiger snake once and didn't notice until I put my foot down. Luckily it preferred the warm spot over me.
I usually don't go far in to the water out of fear of dark waters and rips. Seen the cute little blue dragons and jellyfish on beaches, but I leave those alone.
White tailed spiders under the covers, or in your closet or drawers are a joy, especially the baby ones.
rips will take you back to shore if you relax.
If you can stay afloat for a good while you'll be right. They circle back to where waves are forming and the waves carry you back to shore. The key is not to panic and don't exhaust yourself fighting them. Swim sideways and relax, you'll get dragged out some but the waves will help you get back so it's going to be ok once you're out of it.
White tails are harmless, the victim of a libel campaign.
I know. I also don't like when my feet can't touch the ground, so there's that, too.
I'm also mad allergic to bug bites (mosquitoes and spiders are really bad), so I try to avoid anything that bites.
Still learning about Australia. I've survived for almost 6 years now, I think I'm doing okay.
Fair fair. You'll want to avoid bulldog ants if you've got allergies. I know the natural inclination is to get close because they're so fascinating but they're particularly known for provoking anaphylaxis :(
Oh boy. Yes, I have come across those on some hikes. It's unnerving how they look up at you as if they are sizing you up, and walk backwards while still looking at you. Didn't know about the anaphylaxis, only know that the bites are very painful. Thank you!
I wasn't joking about wanting to approach them, they're fascinating. I object to people saying something is less evolved than something else as everything has been evolving and surviving the same amount of time, but they are primitive in the sense of preserving characteristics from an intermediate stage between wasps and ants. Really fascinating to see the solitary roaming/eyesight heavy foraging behaviours alongside eusocial grooming etc.
Gosh I love them, but I don't know how many stings I have left in me as it's starting to get extremely painful :p. They are just about the only animal aside from domestic cats that seem to go out of their way to do violence to you with very little provocation.
Pattern recognition. You'll find most aussies are pretty good at spotting our local menaces
Yah. Legit had my best friend eaten by a crocodile tho.