For our Aussie Friends ... How do you Live with:

[indianajdp]

1. The Sydney Funnel Web Spider
I am an arachniphobe in the worst way and if I saw one of these aggressive males running around in my house I would have a coronary on the spot. Hell, I always shake out my shoes here in Indiana and the worst we have is the occasional Brown Recluse. One quote from a website reads: "Funnel-Web spiders are one of the most dangerous creatures in existence."



2. Red Back Spider
The Black Widow's evil cousin Down Under. I hear they can commonly be found hanging out under toilet seats. Umm...I guarantee that would literally scare the sh!t out of me if I were to lift the seat and see one of those ladies.



3. Fierce Snake
Up to 6 feet long and ONE bite has venom sufficient to kill 100 people.
I'm telling ya, I wouldn't leave the freakin' house...and don't tell me that they only live in Central Australia because
.
.
.
.
4. The Top 10 Most Venomous Snakes in the World ALL live in Australia
So chances are I'd run into one of 'em eventually

5. Sharks
I'm fascinated by sharks, but damn do they make them bigger in Australian waters or what? Seems like more people get "taken" there than anywhere else (although I know that's actually not the case).

6. Blue-Ringed Octopus
Only one lethal octopus in the world and guess where it's found?
One bite from this guy, that you won't even feel by the way, can kill 20+ people in mere minutes.



7. Box Jellies
"The Box Jellyfish is largely invisible in sea water, and may be found in shallow water at the edge of beaches in the Northern Australian and Indo-Pacific region, usually in the hotter months" Great. So not only can you not see these SOBs, but they are most likely there in the hottest months when you really want to be in the water. Oh, and this tidbit: "Death within 5 minutes is possible, mostly from acute respiratory failure."




So...did I forget anything?

[Loomis]

Yeah, you forgot English and American tourists.
They are the worst!!!!
"Mate, can I use the email?" Bah!

In all seriousness, we don't really encounter them on a daily basis here in the city.

Although, we have a holiday place on the south coast of New South Wales (which I am off to in 2 weeks, yay!) which is fairly close to bushland.
We had an encounter with one of the The Top 10 Most Venomous Snakes in the World once. A Red Bellied Black Snake (not sure of the technical name, but that is what they are commonly called) was wrapped around the door. Nasty stuff. I think that may be one of the THE most deadly.

And funnelwebs were a constant fear as a child.
As were Redbacks.
I've seen a few redbacks (down the coast again), but ran away screaming when I saw it.

Actually, we saw a family of kangaroos at the place last year (including a joey), which I am far more likely to encounter in my limited sphere of experience.

[Luke]

Do you have a pet koala?

[Loomis]

Do you have a pet koala?

Of course, doesn't everybody?



Actually no. But I have 2 cats: Scully (after the X-Files, because I was a huge fan at the time) and Mittens (because she'd make a fine pair of them).

[Luke]

Actually no. But I have 2 cats: Scully (after the X-Files, because I was a huge fan at the time) and Mittens (because she'd make a fine pair of them).

ALF says, "The only good cat is a stir-fried one."

[indianajdp]

In the three months my wife spent in Gelong in 1994 she saw a Redback Spider, Blue-Tongued Lizard, Brown Snake and Tiger Snake. The latter she would have run over with the bike she was riding had a friendly bloak not stopped her ... apparently she was looking around at the sites and not paying attention to the trail.

I would absolutely LOVE to visit Australia and she's itching to get back herself, but I know I would be so paranoid when I was there. Or maybe not...that 30+ hour plane ride from Indianapolis might just dull my senses completely.

As a side note, two events happened while she was there that made national news in Australia. The first involved a women that apparently had walked into a stockroom and in between a Tiger and a Redback...both bit her. She had to be traeted with only one anti-venom at a time and eventually pulled thru. The second was a man that was walking along some sugar cane and literally walked right on top of an Inland Taipan or Fierce Snake. It bit him repeatedly and kept on striking after he lost consciousness He was in a coma for months but also recovered.

[Loomis]

I would absolutely LOVE to visit Australia and she's itching to get back herself, but I know I would be so paranoid when I was there.

Ok, just want to clear up a common myth.
I know most of you have only had the Crocodile Hunter & Dundee as our representatives, but most of Australia (or Australians) are not like that.
They are more like me.
Actually, no. They aren't quite that mad.

Think of the Matrix. The first one.
That was filmed here in Sydney.
For the majority of Australians, we look at that concrete landscape daily.
Except we don't have to worry about Agents.
Just Americans.

[MickeyMouseboy]

LOL @ loomis! you're so funny!!! here come the american tourists ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

[indianajdp]

Except we don't have to worry about Agents.
Just Americans.

You wouldn't even know I'm an American because I do a wicked Aussie accent. Here's a snippet:

"That's not a knife, THIS is a Knife".

And this one:

"It's a Great White Shaaaak."

I'd blend in with all the locals and you'd swear I was a native. In fact Loomis, I had a conversation with you yesterday at the Pub....and you never suspected I was a Yank

[MickeyMouseboy]

well i learn how to tame wild animals in australia! here's how

you look at them in the eye, and with a firm voice you tell them what to do and your not going to take a no for an answer! it works better if you have a rope and use you hand to inject fear in them!

[Loomis]

Except we don't have to worry about Agents.
Just Americans.

I'd blend in with all the locals and you'd swear I was a native. In fact Loomis, I had a conversation with you yesterday at the Pub....and you never suspected I was a Yank

One of THEM posing as one of US??!?!

Alerts the guards. We've been breached!

Oh, wait.

Most of us want to be Americans anyways.

Our Prime minister certainly seems to want to be one...

[MickeyMouseboy]

why would anyone want to be american?