A visit from Targan, Leg, and other Aussies

[mikeo80]

Saw this on local news. Had to share with our Austrailian friends. What are you doing sending your pets to North Carolina, USA??

http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/10440249/

My $0.02

Mike

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Now I'm not living in Queensland but I think that animal is the famous Queensland Water Hound. It likes to play with fishermen and surfers.
Mike, can you send it home? Just slap it on the nose with a rolled up newspaper or something.

[Legbreaker]

So THAT's where my goldfish got to!

[Targan]

This is just a symptom of the Aussie dollar being so strong against the Greenback. Mr Shark is probably just a tourist. He's probably looking for Disneyland or something.

[headquarters]

two cuddly species and the rest are f***in lethal monsters that make up the animal cast in horror movies.

[Legbreaker]

Two?
If you're talking about kangaroos as one of them, they're not as cute and cuddly as you might think. They're quite capable, and willing, to disembowel with those back legs of theirs.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Two?
If you're talking about kangaroos as one of them, they're not as cute and cuddly as you might think.

Koalas and wombats maybe?

[Legbreaker]

Even the koalas can get a be stroppy at times and they've got some pretty vicious claws...
My guess is they must be talking about dropbears. :s

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Even the koalas can get a be stroppy at times and they've got some pretty vicious claws...
My guess is they must be talking about dropbears. :s

Surely not! Are you mad, man? Drop bears are by far the most dangerous Australian creatures of all! Every time I walk beneath a likely drop bear perch I have to consciously maintain bladder control.

[headquarters]

I take it back . One decievingly cute cuddly one with hidden razorsharp claws , one falsely portrayed as nice by Skippy but actually known as the disemboweler by the locals and then of course the rest that are vicious and scary from the outset.

I heard that there are even ants and spiders there that can cause extreme pains or kill you outright right in peoples backyards all over Sidney.

I would probably only relax if I got to the highest mountain they have there where I hear that its snow capped peaks. Not to many bugs or crocs there I would think, but I am sure they have something nasty hiding in the ice ready to get out and maim you if it feels grumpy...

btw - I am not putting it down - just stating how I percieve its flora and fauna. Aussies are looked upon in a positive light here- ever since an Australian ran the 50 km cross country in the 1952 Oslo olympics. Didnt do very well , but certainly it proves that they are a good sort to try it.

[ArmySGT.]

Originally Posted by headquarters

two cuddly species and the rest are f***in lethal monsters that make up the animal cast in horror movies.

I am not sure but, having a moniker like "Legbreaker" isn't considered ummmmm, cuddly. In Norwegian this could be different? Shades of the Viking past perhaps?

As to Targan, well I am new here. So, call him cuddly. I will watch from over here a ways off........... quite a ways off.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Originally Posted by ArmySGT.

I am not sure but, having a moniker like "Legbreaker" isn't considered ummmmm, cuddly. In Norwegian this could be different? Shades of the Viking past perhaps?

As to Targan, well I am new here. So, call him cuddly. I will watch from over here a ways off........... quite a ways off.

Hmmm, so that must mean that I am one of the "f***in lethal monsters" then?


On a serious note:
Yes we do have some dangerous ant species but they're about the same danger as some ants found in other parts of the world. One particularly noteworthy ant is the "bulldog ant" AKA inch ant because it's about an inch long and also jumper ants. They have a potent venom that feels as though it burns (I've been stung once - once was enough).
Spiders, we have the Redback which is very closely related to the North American Black Widow spider but I think the one which gains the most notoriety is the Sydney funnel-web spider but it hasn't scored any fatalities since the antivenom was developed.

Don't get me started on snakes, we had one at my workplace just a few weeks ago. It was more afraid of us than us afraid of it which is damned good because it was in the carpark under the cars. It was about 1.5m long and we're pretty sure it was a dugite because we've had baby dugites inside the building in the past.

And don't forget the platypus, looks funny but it also looks furry and cuddly... oh except for the spurs on the back legs. They don't actually do much except for the males who produce a toxin that will kill animals up to dog size and cause excruciating pain in humans (that can leave the victim incapacitated).

Oh and we also have a large population of feral cats. These are domestic cats that have been quite literally dumped in the bush and left to die - except some of them lived and some even thrived. I've seen two feral cats that were almost as big as a Labrador dog. They have no fear of dogs or humans let alone anything in the bush and they will happily climb trees to catch birds, fight off snakes and attack sheep and even young calves if the cow isn't around.

[Legbreaker]

Can't forget the dingos. Look like normal dogs, but without the domestication - they'll happily take you down for their dinner seconds after accepting a pat from you.
Introduced species can be nasty too, such as the wild pig. Fun to hunt, but you better make DAMN sure you hit it with something big and powerful - forget about .223, you need at least a 7.62 although the round of choice is the 12 gauge slug.

So the land is dangerous? Thinking of taking to the sea for some safety?
HA! we've got sharks of many varieties, blue bottle jelllyfish, blue ringed octopus, stingrays (just ask Mr Irwin about them - oh, wait, you can't, he got stabbed in the heart by one) and of course the salt water crocodiles which don't just live inland.

All in all it's a great place to raise a family.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

On a serious note:
Yes we do have some dangerous ant species but they're about the same danger as some ants found in other parts of the world. One particularly noteworthy ant is the "bulldog ant" AKA inch ant because it's about an inch long and also jumper ants. They have a potent venom that feels as though it burns (I've been stung once - once was enough).

With the added bonus that a significant proportion of the population are allergic to some of those ant species (including jumper ants) and go straight into anaphylactic shock when bitten or stung.

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

Don't get me started on snakes, we had one at my workplace just a few weeks ago. It was more afraid of us than us afraid of it which is damned good because it was in the carpark under the cars. It was about 1.5m long and we're pretty sure it was a dugite because we've had baby dugites inside the building in the past.

And as you'd well know, as well as many Australian snakes being deadly poisonous, some are also very aggressive. I thought I was hearing tall tales about the aggression of tiger snakes until I was chased by one. Damn thing was faster than I expected and surprisingly persistent.

I'd say the wombat is one of the few native Australian animals that are pretty much innocuous. Oh, and some of the smaller macropods (Latin for "large foot", relatives of the kangaroo) such as the quokka are pretty harmless too (although quokkas are cunning little thieves and are very enthusiastic about raiding tents on Rottnest Island in search of snacks).