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Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 10:24:44


Post by: reds8n




Spoiler:











Spoiler:


https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/oct/24/australia-giant-spider-mouse-carry-horrifying-impressive?CMP=fb_gu


Australia’s litany of fearsome fauna seems to have a new entry. Added to deadly snakes, man-eating crocodiles and poisonous jellyfish comes Hermie the hunstman, a spider so unusually large and strong that it had no problem carrying a sizeable mouse up the outside of a fridge.

Hermie’s feat was captured on film by Jason Wormal, a tradesman from Coppabella in Queensland, who was heading out to work in the early hours of Monday morning when he says he received an offer from a neighbour that he couldn’t refuse.

“So I am just about to leave for work about 0030 and me neighbour says ‘You want to see something cool’ and I say ‘Hell yeah’, he wrote on Facebook.

“So we proceed to his place and he shows me this. Huntsman trying to eat a mouse.”

On the video shot by Wormal a voice can be heard off screen wondering in amazement: “What’s he gonna do with him? Man that is so cool”.

Stills taken of the spider seem to show the arachnid clutching the mouse by its head with its mandibles while it scurries up the fridge.

The footage quickly circulated online and by Monday afternoon had been viewed more than 6.5m times.

Among the 41,000 comments below the original post were many expressing deep horror at the strength of the spider. Anthony Candelaria Sanchez summed up the general feeling with the simple statement: “Oh hell no.”

In a later post, Wormal assures his friends that the spider is alive and well.

“Ok guys so just letting you all know that the spider is fine. We have named him Hermie, we have adopted him and he is now running his own extermination business out of our town Coppabella. Oh and he is now paying rent. Lol.”

Graham Millage, the manager of the Australian Museum’s arachnology collection, said it was unusual, but not unheard of, for spiders to target vertebrates.

“This is the first time I’ve seen one catch a mouse, but I have seen huntsmen catch geckos. I’ve seen a redback spider catch a snake in its web, I’ve seen a golden orb spiders catch birds.”

Millage said the banded huntsman could grow to have a leg span as large as 16cm.

However his colleague, fellow Australian Museum arachnid expert Helen Smith, said it was unlikely that Hermie had killed the mouse itself.

“I would be very surprised if a huntsman would attack a mouse and even if it did, that the venom would be sufficient to kill it fast enough for the spider to still have hold of it,” she told the Guardian.

“I am a also suspicious because the mouse’s tail looks quite stiff – as though it has been dead some time.”

While the exact cause of the mouse’s demise remained in question, there was no doubt over Hermie’s remarkable size and stamina, she said.






Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 10:53:35


Post by: Inquisitor Lord Bane


See, this is why we own guns over here. If I hit that thing with a shoe, it would probably just get pissed and devour my soul. I couldn't sleep on the same landmass as those things. Wouldn't mind seeing one in a plexiglass enclosure at the zoo though.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 11:10:55


Post by: Troy


Oh Hell No.

(runs screaming)


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 11:36:27


Post by: Maddermax


See, I would have guessed from the thread title it would be our terrible xenophobic refugee policies, or possibly the horrifying rise of the far right in our politics, or strewth, even the casual murder of the English language.

But no, spiders, not even a deadly one (well, to people at least). Hell, the drop bears and hoop-snakes are far more serious dangers to your average Aussie, unless you find one unexpectedly while driving.

/cool video though


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 11:55:02


Post by: Nevelon


Kill it with FIRE!

I kid, that’s actually pretty neat. As long as it’s waaaaaaayyyyyyyy over there.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 11:58:36


Post by: welshhoppo


The best part is they decided to keep it so it can hunt mice.

Nice to see our spider population doing some leg work.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 12:04:29


Post by: Inquisitor Lord Bane


We have a live and let live policy with most of our spider population in my house. The webbing ones get to have their assigned corners, as long as they deal with the stinkbugs and other assorted pests. Our wolf spider housemates however, get squished on sight.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 12:16:59


Post by: Xenomancers


 Inquisitor Lord Bane wrote:
We have a live and let live policy with most of our spider population in my house. The webbing ones get to have their assigned corners, as long as they deal with the stinkbugs and other assorted pests. Our wolf spider housemates however, get squished on sight.

It's always quite a task because most the time there are 1000 spider babies on their back.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 12:26:33


Post by: SagesStone


Spiders are normal here, just earlier today I got a new RAM stick for my pc and when I opened it up I found a spider had very recently decided to move in. Didn't have a web set up yet. Thing decided to jump out at me probably accepting it would die or take me down with it.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 13:28:59


Post by: Spetulhu


Lucky me, we don't have any spiders that could hurt people (well, except some import stuff in the Museum of Natural History) so there's no reason to be afraid of them. As long as they stick to corners I'm not sitting in they're free to eat as many flies as they can catch.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 13:35:10


Post by: Ouze


 Xenomancers wrote:
 Inquisitor Lord Bane wrote:
We have a live and let live policy with most of our spider population in my house. The webbing ones get to have their assigned corners, as long as they deal with the stinkbugs and other assorted pests. Our wolf spider housemates however, get squished on sight.

It's always quite a task because most the time there are 1000 spider babies on their back.




That really ramped up fast.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 13:41:07


Post by: Steve steveson


Personally I think we should just leave Australia to the wildlife. Face it guys, it's a battle you won't win.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 14:00:21


Post by: AllSeeingSkink


I normally think of Huntsman spiders as friendly, but when you see one carrying a fething mouse away, err, yeah, that's a bit scary


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 14:12:25


Post by: BigWaaagh


Oh c'mon, that's fething awesome!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 17:15:34


Post by: Mr. Burning


It's fething weight lifting.

It'll bench a mouse or two. Then its buddies spot whilst a cat is lifted.

Babies are next, then full grown men.

Nuking from orbit? Those eight legged baskets will send the warhead right back.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 17:23:57


Post by: welshhoppo


 Mr. Burning wrote:
It's fething weight lifting.

It'll bench a mouse or two. Then its buddies spot whilst a cat is lifted.

Babies are next, then full grown men.

Nuking from orbit? Those eight legged baskets will send the warhead right back.


"Our attempt to nuke the Austrailians failed. The nuke was caught in a spiders web. The spiders are rearming the nuke with millions of their children and they are heading for the mainland."


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 17:37:46


Post by: Spinner


Oh, look at that. They're on the way to breeding arachnaroks.

All hail our eight-legged overlords.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 18:11:53


Post by: Inquisitor Lord Bane


We seem to be inching closer and closer to the inevitable...


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 19:35:16


Post by: BigWaaagh


And meanwhile, it's just another day in an Australian kitchen...

http://www.msn.com/en-us/video/animals/australian-man-films-two-snakes-battling-it-out-in-his-kitchen/vi-BBxhZD9?ocid=ASUDHP

If America had stuff like this in our kitchens, maybe we wouldn't be so fat! "Honey, I'm going into the kitchen to get a snack, do you want anythi...never mind!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/24 19:44:31


Post by: Troy


That looks like males wrestling for dominance.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/25 02:56:15


Post by: Jehan-reznor


I hope there is no chemical spill nearby


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/25 03:13:10


Post by: Co'tor Shas


 BigWaaagh wrote:
And meanwhile, it's just another day in an Australian kitchen...

http://www.msn.com/en-us/video/animals/australian-man-films-two-snakes-battling-it-out-in-his-kitchen/vi-BBxhZD9?ocid=ASUDHP

If America had stuff like this in our kitchens, maybe we wouldn't be so fat! "Honey, I'm going into the kitchen to get a snack, do you want anythi...never mind!

Ah, the old Godzilla vs. Mothra gambit.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/25 05:27:50


Post by: NinthMusketeer


Spiders in my house either don't get caught or get fed to the plants. Though that goes for all the insects, I suppose.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/25 11:26:18


Post by: The Grumpy Eldar


Thanks guys. I'll continue to have nightmares for a few days again. I detest spiders.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/25 16:39:06


Post by: SagesStone


 Jehan-reznor wrote:
I hope there is no chemical spill nearby


Wouldn't want them to get even bigger than that.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/25 16:43:30


Post by: Ratius


This showed up on our work yammer feed a few months back. Yes its in Oz again.....



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/25 17:06:11


Post by: SagesStone


Now imagine each of those baby spiders not actually being baby spiders and having 100 baby spiders on their backs each and that the picture is actual size. That's almost when it's time to burn the house down.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/25 17:11:43


Post by: Desubot


 Ratius wrote:
This showed up on our work yammer feed a few months back. Yes its in Oz again.....



Nope nope nope nope nope sooooo much nope


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/25 17:19:18


Post by: Troy


This thread is starting to seriously give me the heebie jeebies.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/25 17:48:00


Post by: jhe90


If we knew this we would never of landed on aus and left the place well alone!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/25 18:00:14


Post by: Troy


this is why the Japanese have Godzilla, to protect them from Australia's wildlife.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/25 21:33:42


Post by: LordofHats


 Ratius wrote:
This showed up on our work yammer feed a few months back. Yes its in Oz again.....



What kind of spider is it?


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/25 21:44:36


Post by: chromedog


It's a Huntsman, like the other one with the mouse.
Unlike the Funnel webs, which are ambush predators, the huntsmen are endurance predators - they actually outrun their prey normally.

They'll hare off after them like a fething eight legged cheetah - but fortunately, aren't harmful to humans. They CAN bite you if you annoy them, but mostly, they try to avoid you.

The one with the mouse is also a FNQ (Far Noth Queensland, the pointy bit on the north east) breed (which are known to be bigger - golden orb weavers are also up that end).


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/26 07:33:39


Post by: Mr. Burning


 chromedog wrote:
They CAN bite you if you annoy them, but mostly, they try to avoid you.



Avoid you, that thing is down right provoking a response!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/26 12:30:32


Post by: kronk


The land of nope!!!



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/26 14:36:24


Post by: Dowager Countess M


This thread is just what I needed to see before going to bed.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/27 12:22:54


Post by: reds8n


.. even the flora is against you !









Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/27 12:24:09


Post by: kronk


So graceful!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/27 13:42:52


Post by: Dowager Countess M




Truly the epitome of elegance.



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/27 14:11:56


Post by: BigWaaagh


Hey, Koalas always get a pass on cuteness alone. That, and the fact that they smell nice because they eat Eucalyptus.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/27 16:16:09


Post by: Desubot


 BigWaaagh wrote:
Hey, Koalas always get a pass on cuteness alone. That, and the fact that they smell nice because they eat Eucalyptus.


Found out recently that they can have chlamydia and can be incontinence.

Gross.

but i love the fact that they can sleep for 20+ hours

truly my spirit animal.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/27 18:12:18


Post by: BigWaaagh


 Desubot wrote:
 BigWaaagh wrote:
Hey, Koalas always get a pass on cuteness alone. That, and the fact that they smell nice because they eat Eucalyptus.


Found out recently that they can have chlamydia and can be incontinence.

Gross.

but i love the fact that they can sleep for 20+ hours

truly my spirit animal.


Once again, cuteness get-out-of-jail-free card.

Besides, Chladmydia? So they like to have a good time! Incontinence? They're wild animals, who cares when and where they pee!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/27 18:56:56


Post by: gorgon


Koalas suggest that Australia isn't the deathworld people make it out to be.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/27 20:38:40


Post by: Iron_Captain


 gorgon wrote:
Koalas suggest that Australia isn't the deathworld people make it out to be.

Don't trust them and their cute cuddliness. They are trying to lure you into their habitat.
And as soon as you get there, you will inevitably fall prey to poisonous critters, man-eating crocodiles or one of the many other threats in Australia.
Then the Koalas will gather and laugh at your suffering.



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/27 20:41:41


Post by: Frazzled


They are tricksy. They're just waiting for you to get close then WHAM not only do they bite your head off but they give your corpse a VD as a final insult.

Australia, where the Flora says feth YOU with a beer in each hand.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/27 20:48:04


Post by: whembly


 Frazzled wrote:
They are tricksy. They're just waiting for you to get close then WHAM not only do they bite your head off but they give your corpse a VD as a final insult.

Australia, where the Flora says feth YOU with a beer in each hand.

Drop Bears man... they're the worst:


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/27 21:53:38


Post by: More Dakka


Awesome, aren't european mice a huge problem in Australia, along with a litany of other invasive species? Glad their super crazy predators are adapting.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/27 22:02:42


Post by: Spetulhu


 gorgon wrote:
Koalas suggest that Australia isn't the deathworld people make it out to be.


Never trust a continent that has venomous animals specifically equipped to kill primates]! Funnel web spiders for some reason has venom tailored to hurt us worse than anything else.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/27 22:54:39


Post by: jhe90


Spetulhu wrote:
 gorgon wrote:
Koalas suggest that Australia isn't the deathworld people make it out to be.


Never trust a continent that has venomous animals specifically equipped to kill primates]! Funnel web spiders for some reason has venom tailored to hurt us worse than anything else.


That's the trap. Its a deathworld but one that hunts humans.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/28 06:57:56


Post by: chromedog


Spetulhu wrote:
 gorgon wrote:
Koalas suggest that Australia isn't the deathworld people make it out to be.


Never trust a continent that has venomous animals specifically equipped to kill primates]! Funnel web spiders for some reason has venom tailored to hurt us worse than anything else.


"Flying foxes" are primates, too. They're the other animal the funnel web venom works really well on.
Also, we're not "native" to the continent (funnel webs pre-date us by a few thousands of years, and so did those bats).


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 BigWaaagh wrote:
Hey, Koalas always get a pass on cuteness alone. That, and the fact that they smell nice because they eat Eucalyptus.


They also smell quite strongly of eucalypt scented urine. They're also not disposed to being friendly (those claws they use to climb trees can also dish out nasty wounds if you rile one up - and they aren't as docile as you might think.)

I suppose it could be considered pleasant if you have children (because new parents often have that "new kid" smell - that curious mix of various bodily fluids and sour milk).


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/28 07:26:04


Post by: Farseer Anath'lan


There was some theorising that Flying Foxes were primate related-it is not widely accepted, there's more evidence against then for. I can't find a single linking of atracotoxin to megachiroptera.

There's no real widely accepted reason why they're so lethal to us.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/28 17:59:31


Post by: Frazzled


 Farseer Anath'lan wrote:
There was some theorising that Flying Foxes were primate related-it is not widely accepted, there's more evidence against then for. I can't find a single linking of atracotoxin to megachiroptera.

There's no real widely accepted reason why they're so lethal to us.


Nuke it from orbit! We have to sacrifice Australia to save humanity! We're in it for the species people!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/28 21:38:57


Post by: Nevelon


 Frazzled wrote:
 Farseer Anath'lan wrote:
There was some theorising that Flying Foxes were primate related-it is not widely accepted, there's more evidence against then for. I can't find a single linking of atracotoxin to megachiroptera.

There's no real widely accepted reason why they're so lethal to us.


Nuke it from orbit! We have to sacrifice Australia to save humanity! We're in it for the species people!


Please, while I understand the desire to nuke it, look at what’s crawling out of their non-radioactive wasteland. Toss some nukes over there, and they are just going to crank it up to 11.

Kill it with fire, or orbital kinetic weapons. But something less likely to spawn some Armageddon monster then nukes.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/29 04:44:16


Post by: Farseer Anath'lan


 Nevelon wrote:

Kill it with fire


This doesn't work. It just brings stuff we don't know about out of the woodwork.

You don't want to know what lives in the woodwork.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/29 11:19:23


Post by: jhe90


 Nevelon wrote:
 Frazzled wrote:
 Farseer Anath'lan wrote:
There was some theorising that Flying Foxes were primate related-it is not widely accepted, there's more evidence against then for. I can't find a single linking of atracotoxin to megachiroptera.

There's no real widely accepted reason why they're so lethal to us.


Nuke it from orbit! We have to sacrifice Australia to save humanity! We're in it for the species people!


Please, while I understand the desire to nuke it, look at what’s crawling out of their non-radioactive wasteland. Toss some nukes over there, and they are just going to crank it up to 11.

Kill it with fire, or orbital kinetic weapons. But something less likely to spawn some Armageddon monster then nukes.


Australia and nuclear mutants. Not even Godzilla could protect us.
Spiders size of tanks with probbly flame throwers, or bio cannons.

Nope... Nope.. Nope...


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/29 11:23:08


Post by: LordofHats


You know this thread reminded me of this story from a couple years ago; America might have some of its own terrifying critters soon


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/29 11:25:47


Post by: angelofvengeance


Wish I had a Huntsman spider nest guarding my electric meter lol. Good luck to any poor bastard going in that meter cabinet lol.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/29 22:09:11


Post by: Orlanth


 LordofHats wrote:
 Ratius wrote:
This showed up on our work yammer feed a few months back. Yes its in Oz again.....



What kind of spider is it?


[aus] It looks like a small one, mate. [/aus]


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/29 22:29:31


Post by: Frazzled


 Nevelon wrote:
 Frazzled wrote:
 Farseer Anath'lan wrote:
There was some theorising that Flying Foxes were primate related-it is not widely accepted, there's more evidence against then for. I can't find a single linking of atracotoxin to megachiroptera.

There's no real widely accepted reason why they're so lethal to us.


Nuke it from orbit! We have to sacrifice Australia to save humanity! We're in it for the species people!


Please, while I understand the desire to nuke it, look at what’s crawling out of their non-radioactive wasteland. Toss some nukes over there, and they are just going to crank it up to 11.

Kill it with fire, or orbital kinetic weapons. But something less likely to spawn some Armageddon monster then nukes.


Prudent planning. To the kinetic weapons lab people! We need to get Thor's Hammer operating immediately! We need mass drivers now!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/29 23:15:40


Post by: ZergSmasher


I've never understood why so many people hate spiders. They really aren't that scary. In fact, they are fascinating creatures. Now, poisonous ones should be killed for safety's sake, but others are actually helpful to mankind in that they eat nuisance insects like flies and stuff.

On a side note, my mother is one woman who is totally unafraid of spiders. In fact, she used to go catch crickets and throw them in a spider's web just to watch the spider wrap the poor thing up and start eating it. I always liked watching it too!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/29 23:41:46


Post by: LordofHats


 ZergSmasher wrote:
I've never understood why so many people hate spiders. They really aren't that scary. In fact, they are fascinating creatures. Now, poisonous ones should be killed for safety's sake, but others are actually helpful to mankind in that they eat nuisance insects like flies and stuff.


Hey man. They know the rules. We laid it out in the Hats-Spider Treaty of 88. They stay where I can't see them, and they get to live


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/29 23:54:42


Post by: NinthMusketeer


 ZergSmasher wrote:
I've never understood why so many people hate spiders. They really aren't that scary. In fact, they are fascinating creatures. Now, poisonous ones should be killed for safety's sake, but others are actually helpful to mankind in that they eat nuisance insects like flies and stuff.
Because it's socially acceptable to be afraid of spiders. Many people are afraid of many things, but as they grow up/mature/get on with life people get over those fears. With spiders this is much less likely to happen as there is no social stigma against it, and even a certain degree of subconscious peer pressure for those who have a desire to 'fit in' and be afraid of spiders like everyone else.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 00:05:55


Post by: jhe90


 NinthMusketeer wrote:
 ZergSmasher wrote:
I've never understood why so many people hate spiders. They really aren't that scary. In fact, they are fascinating creatures. Now, poisonous ones should be killed for safety's sake, but others are actually helpful to mankind in that they eat nuisance insects like flies and stuff.
Because it's socially acceptable to be afraid of spiders. Many people are afraid of many things, but as they grow up/mature/get on with life people get over those fears. With spiders this is much less likely to happen as there is no social stigma against it, and even a certain degree of subconscious peer pressure for those who have a desire to 'fit in' and be afraid of spiders like everyone else.


The UK idea of spider is very different to Australia.



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 00:11:53


Post by: angelofvengeance


 ZergSmasher wrote:
I've never understood why so many people hate spiders. They really aren't that scary. In fact, they are fascinating creatures. Now, poisonous ones should be killed for safety's sake, but others are actually helpful to mankind in that they eat nuisance insects like flies and stuff.

On a side note, my mother is one woman who is totally unafraid of spiders. In fact, she used to go catch crickets and throw them in a spider's web just to watch the spider wrap the poor thing up and start eating it. I always liked watching it too!


There are some spiders that you should rightfully be afraid of, and in Oz, that's most of them lol.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 05:51:48


Post by: Rootbeard


The fear of spiders has been overblown to the point of absurdity. You shouldn't go sticking your hands into jars of angry arachnids, but there are faaaaar fewer recorded deaths from even the "deadliest" spiders, and even those are mostly because the victim was really young, really old, or had pre-existing conditions. You'd expect something like the the brown recluse spider to have killed dozens-- hundreds by now, but the number of fatalities is... zero.

And nobody in Australia has died from a spider in forty years. C'mon, people, if you're going to go around bragging about how you survive all these deadly animals on a daily basis, make sure they're actually within your lifetime...


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 06:07:14


Post by: -Loki-


 Rootbeard wrote:
The fear of spiders has been overblown to the point of absurdity.


Well no, people just have phobias, and Arachnophobia is fairly common. I live in Australia, and regularly have to kill Red Backs which love to set up shop in the area we moved to. I'm also an Arachnophobic, so they illicit a fairly unreasonably bad reaction from me, even simple house spiders. A Huntsman, which is by rights harmless to humans (though it'll give a pretty painful bite if provoked) gives me the heebie jeebies.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 12:35:15


Post by: LordofHats


 Rootbeard wrote:
You'd expect something like the the brown recluse spider to have killed dozens-- hundreds by now, but the number of fatalities is... zero.


I think the Brown Recluse is more feared for its ability to induce rather severe necrosis (potentially life long damaging) in human flesh rather than kill.



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 12:53:56


Post by: AllSeeingSkink


Fear of spiders is overblown, but they do look fething creepy even if their danger is over exaggerated. I'd suggest most people are scared of any creepy crawly over a couple of centimetres large.

Also it's probably a good idea to instil a bit of fear in to kids because we'd likely have more spider deaths if kids went and played in red back nests all the time.

Improving medicine has helped, these days if you get bitten and have a reaction you aren't just left to die, they pump you full of antihistamine and antivenom.

Someone did die from a redback bite a few months ago, but it's been nearly 40 years since the last one before that. It usually has to be some reaction that causes death or the bite being near something vital where the swelling can cause death. A lot of people get bitten and just have some pain and sweating for a while and then it goes away.

You're probably better off being afraid of snakes, sharks and jellyfish. But even then Australian animals aren't all that dangerous, probably just the proximity and frequency freaks people out.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 13:17:00


Post by: SagesStone


It's the necrosis thing that some of the types of venom can do that scares me, I've punched spiders as they've dropped on me before as reflex lol.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 13:29:49


Post by: Spetulhu


AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Fear of spiders is overblown.

You're probably better off being afraid of snakes, sharks and jellyfish. But even then Australian animals aren't all that dangerous, probably just the proximity and frequency freaks people out.


Well, as far as I recall the deadliest Aussie spider isn't actually capable of killing humans with it's venom, it's just big and scary and likes to hang out in cars. Aye, that huntsman spider in the first post. It would ofc be hard to estimate how many people it has killed since it's not likely to hang around a traffic accident scene etc gloating.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 13:32:26


Post by: AllSeeingSkink


Aren't the only necrotising spiders brown recluses? Which aren't native to Australia anyway (no idea how common they are over here).


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 13:38:48


Post by: SagesStone


AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Aren't the only necrotising spiders brown recluses? Which aren't native to Australia anyway (no idea how common they are over here).


No idea, I just really don't like the look of that stuff but it'd the main reason I tend to be cautious of any spiders I know to be venomous so it can't be that bad to be. Just kind of treat them like snakes, I don't mess with them and leave them be while being a bit cautious and keeping my distance.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 13:46:53


Post by: djones520


AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Aren't the only necrotising spiders brown recluses? Which aren't native to Australia anyway (no idea how common they are over here).


No, there are numerous types. None in Australia though, after a cursory google search.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 14:01:14


Post by: Nostromodamus


Pretty sure the cute things like Koalas and Kangaroos are just there to lure people into going there as food for the rest of the fauna.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 14:33:40


Post by: AllSeeingSkink


 n0t_u wrote:
AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Aren't the only necrotising spiders brown recluses? Which aren't native to Australia anyway (no idea how common they are over here).


No idea, I just really don't like the look of that stuff but it'd the main reason I tend to be cautious of any spiders I know to be venomous so it can't be that bad to be. Just kind of treat them like snakes, I don't mess with them and leave them be while being a bit cautious and keeping my distance.
Well snakes are legitimately a bit more dangerous. I think a couple of people die each year from snake bites in Australia. 4 of the top 10 most venomous snakes are Australian. Eastern Browns are particularly dangerous and if you piss one off they may very well chase you down to bite you.

People used to think the white tail had necrotising venom, but I don't believe it does.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 14:52:29


Post by: MarsNZ


AllSeeingSkink wrote:


People used to think the white tail had necrotising venom, but I don't believe it does.


We have white-tails in NZ and there's people who say it does and people who say it doesn't cause necrosis. I've been bitten by one and it wasn't really a huge deal, but my dad got bitten on his foot and was down for over a week. I guess it could be an age thing, I maintain a genocidal policy towards any I happen to find.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 15:25:44


Post by: Farseer Anath'lan


The one time I got bitten by a white tail it infected really quick and hard, with antibiotics+cream prescribed, but nothing serious. Provided you get it checked out you'll be fine-same goes for most spiders.

A couple of papers I found indicates no link between spp. Lampona and necrosis. Apparently most spiders we accuse of necrosis are innocent, and the ones that do cause necrosis 'only' cause dermonecrosis-not life threatening.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 19:05:12


Post by: LordofHats


 djones520 wrote:
AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Aren't the only necrotising spiders brown recluses? Which aren't native to Australia anyway (no idea how common they are over here).


No, there are numerous types. None in Australia though, after a cursory google search.


I think the "Recluse" family are the only ones proven to be able to do it, and they're mostly native to the Americas.

There's lots of other spiders thought to cause it but evidence is inconclusive. Some spiders have been historically blamed but are now known not to be capable of it (Wolf Spiders)


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 20:22:29


Post by: Kilkrazy


I like spiders.

I won't go so far as to chucking other creatures into their web but basically I don't like to kill living creatures willy-nilly (for obvious reasons this does not extend to viruses and bacteria when washing hands and so on.)

Britain, of course, is almost the safest country in the world. No earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, no major wildlife and no poisonous creatures except for the adder (non-lethal), and weaverfish.

That said, I almost ran over a deer or wild pig yesterday morning, so it isn't all hunky-dory. (Feral escaped domesticated wild boars are probably the most dangerous creature running wild in the UK today.)


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 20:25:13


Post by: Cat_astrophe


 whembly wrote:
 Frazzled wrote:
They are tricksy. They're just waiting for you to get close then WHAM not only do they bite your head off but they give your corpse a VD as a final insult.

Australia, where the Flora says feth YOU with a beer in each hand.

Drop Bears man... they're the worst:

There goes my joke! I'm always so late about these things.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/30 20:43:41


Post by: Frazzled


 jhe90 wrote:
 NinthMusketeer wrote:
 ZergSmasher wrote:
I've never understood why so many people hate spiders. They really aren't that scary. In fact, they are fascinating creatures. Now, poisonous ones should be killed for safety's sake, but others are actually helpful to mankind in that they eat nuisance insects like flies and stuff.
Because it's socially acceptable to be afraid of spiders. Many people are afraid of many things, but as they grow up/mature/get on with life people get over those fears. With spiders this is much less likely to happen as there is no social stigma against it, and even a certain degree of subconscious peer pressure for those who have a desire to 'fit in' and be afraid of spiders like everyone else.


The UK idea of spider is very different to Australia.



I will admit, spiders aint got nothing on scorpions on the Frazzled NightmareRUNSCREAMINGLIKEALITTLEGIRL O Meter.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/31 02:51:43


Post by: chromedog


 Farseer Anath'lan wrote:
The one time I got bitten by a white tail it infected really quick and hard, with antibiotics+cream prescribed, but nothing serious. Provided you get it checked out you'll be fine-same goes for most spiders.

A couple of papers I found indicates no link between spp. Lampona and necrosis. Apparently most spiders we accuse of necrosis are innocent, and the ones that do cause necrosis 'only' cause dermonecrosis-not life threatening.


Yup, no DOCUMENTED and accredited reports of white-tail bites becoming necrotic.
They had an actual spider expert on a science show I listened to recently, and she also covered it.
We've had the usual yearly panic-viral facebook posts about the recluse spider and bites here, but we don't actually have them here, as they are native to SW USA.

There ARE reports of the white-tail bites going untreated, and becoming infected with staph. aureus, though (which lives on your skin, normally, and doesn't do much. When it gets into your bloodstream, then **** gets real, though).


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/31 12:10:59


Post by: reds8n


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-37819712


Australians mourn tree that 'failed' university students







TBF -- the tree if not magical is at least faraway so half way there !



Is it the end of an era, or a new chapter in a beloved mythology?
The sudden collapse of the University of Sydney's famed jacaranda tree has triggered a wave of grief in Australia, with staff and alumni mourning a key piece of campus folklore.
The 18m-wide tree had been at the centre of university life and graduation photos since arriving in the main quadrangle 88 years ago.
It was also steeped in superstition. A popular myth asserted that undergraduates would fail their exams if they neglected to study before the tree's first bloom, typically in October or November.
Lots of emotion for one tree
The university deemed the collapse seismic enough to send out a press release on Saturday, declaring it was "saddened to advise" the tree had toppled over during the night.
The news quickly trended on social media, with tributes saluting the "most famous tree in Australian education" as "majestic" and the university's "only redeeming feature". Its death was a "tragedy".
"I have walked past it and appreciated its branches hundreds, if not thousands, of times during my life," medical student Sarah Brennan wrote, sharing this photo she had taken the day before:

Journalist Annabel Crabb said: "This is very sad news from overnight. But Lordy, I hope when I keel over I look this beautiful."
Lecturer David Smith wrote: "RIP jacaranda, which had a truly great life."
The exam myth
The jacaranda was planted in 1928 by Professor Gowie (EG) Waterhouse after a series of mischievous false starts, according Dr Craig Barker, who manages heritage tours of the university.
Prof Wodehouse envisaged a campus covered in jacarandas, but each time one was planted it would be mysteriously uprooted.
"Often it was students who were accused of pranks but many years later a number of university staff admitted on their retirement dinner that they had taken saplings/seedlings home with them," Dr Barker told the BBC.
The tree we know today even had two failed plantings before taking hold, he said.
The exam myth soon followed, passed down eagerly through the generations of students. It was not often taken seriously but there "was always a slight tinge of panic and urgency" when the first purple flowers appeared, Dr Barker said.
The study tactic seemed to work for Australian author Peter FitzSimons.
"In 1980, I saw it was blooming, and realised I hadn't yet started studying. Went to my room, and emerged six weeks later. PASSED!" he tweeted.
Fortunately for future generations, the university took cuttings from the ailing tree in 2014 so it could one day be replaced.
"Students are reminded that the current tree had begun to bloom and we wish them all well for their final weeks of study for 2016," the university statement concluded.




That's actually quite a sweet little tale.






Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/31 16:50:13


Post by: AllSeeingSkink


 reds8n wrote:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-37819712


Australians mourn tree that 'failed' university students
I'm sure 99.99% of Australians were never aware of that tree's existence


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/10/31 16:53:00


Post by: Frazzled


They just knew to instinctively not stand under it, to avoid killer drop bears.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/11/02 03:09:08


Post by: chromedog


AllSeeingSkink wrote:
 reds8n wrote:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-37819712


Australians mourn tree that 'failed' university students
I'm sure 99.99% of Australians were never aware of that tree's existence


I ATTENDED that uni, and was never actually aware of it. I don't actually miss the 2 years I spent there before realising that it wasn't the place for me.

Peter Fitzsimons starts studying 6 weeks before his exams - and yet somehow the "magic" of the tree is responsible for his passing his course?
I never understood superstitions and doubt I ever will - and USyd students have a lot of silly superstitions.
It was a badge of honour in the 90s to have your student email linked to the library system - as a Yourname @ LUSyd (lucid) address actually made it seem like you were relatively clear headed.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/11/04 22:42:27


Post by: chromedog


The spider is only about 4" across (broom for reference scaling).

Yes, it's a big huntsman.
Ye, they don't often get that big normally (the bigger you are, the more easily you are picked off by predators - and we have quite a few birds that love spiders).

It's a QLD (tropics) thing. A lot of their spiders are larger than southern state ones. They also have native tarantulas (mygalomorphs). The orb weavers they have are scary enough (with a leg span the size of your hand).

Also the green-ants that build nests in trees and sting anyone who threatens them (easy enough to do on a tropical bushwalk on any of the reef islands).


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/11/05 19:16:56


Post by: Spinner


 Nostromodamus wrote:
Pretty sure the cute things like Koalas and Kangaroos are just there to lure people into going there as food for the rest of the fauna.


What do you mean 'rest of the fauna'?


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/11/07 17:18:22


Post by: reds8n


even your holidays are very hardcore


Spoiler:




..well.. it is catchy....


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/11/07 17:28:29


Post by: kronk


Now I want to go.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/11/07 17:42:01


Post by: Nevelon


Wow.

On so many levels, wow.

Funny as heck. There is no way that could be accidental. The little tag phase at the end really seals it.



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/11/08 08:37:05


Post by: sebster


 Nevelon wrote:
Funny as heck. There is no way that could be accidental. The little tag phase at the end really seals it.


It's completely on purpose. However, it isn't an official bit from the tourism board, it's from some mystery group that's decided to try and get more interest in tourism in the Northern Territory.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/06 22:44:47


Post by: whembly


So... uh... are 'roos that onery?

Do you guys "box" 'roos to scare them away?




Glad the puppy is alright!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/06 22:49:02


Post by: kronk


Glad the dog didn't appear hurt. That was the most awesome thing, ever.

I liked it best in slow motion. The roo is throwing his hands up like "Hey, man! WTF? He deserved it!"


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/06 23:06:41


Post by: thekingofkings


Seriously those things can tuck their junk into an armoured location, do not challenge such a killing machine!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/07 01:48:40


Post by: nels1031


 whembly wrote:
So... uh... are 'roos that onery? :


Recently, a roo killed a dog and scratched up the dude who tried to stop it. I've also seen videos of them trying to drown dogs as well.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/07 06:32:28


Post by: sebster


That video was awesome. The really strange bit is that the roo was kind of passive in the fight. It seemed like maybe it was puzzled about this new challenger, because if it had just thrown itself in to the fight the dude would have been fethed.

I have a friend down south who has raised some kangaroos from joeys, and also puts out food each night for the local kangaroos. One time the male buck decided to assert his authority and attacked my friend. Yes, attacked the guy who was doing nothing more than giving them food, kangaroos aren't smart. He reckons the attack went about 5 or 10 seconds, and he got fethed up in that time. People look at that crazy muscle on the arms and remeber they're calling 'boxing kangaroos', but the arms are just for playfighting with other roos. When they really want to fight they use their arms and tail to balance, and then kick at you with crazy sharp claws... and it just so happens thesir optimum kicking point happens to be around where the genitals are on average sized human. Yeah. My mate had some complicated surgery.

I normally roll my eyes at the 'australian wildlife is so dangerous' stuff, because it's pretty silly. I mean, it's kind of amazing that America, which is a country with bears and rattlesnakes and stuff like that would be afraid of stuff here, but in this case I kind of feel I need to say something. Because for the most part kangaroos are herbivores that have long legs so they can get away from anything that scares them, but sometimes a buck will get a bit feisty and want to prove something. Anyone who thinks that's a good time to act like the guy in that video could be in for a very surprising 10 seconds.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/07 08:58:29


Post by: Spetulhu


 whembly wrote:
So... uh... are 'roos that onery?


Kangaroos are animals - they'll retreat if they can but sometimes they'll decide it's impossible or not a good idea. Woe betide the dog that goes nipping at their heels at that moment, for they have extremely strong legs and also arms that, while not as useful as our arms, can still be used to keep a dog under water for example.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/07 10:21:39


Post by: chromedog


That's also an "eastern grey" (smaller breed) Kangaroo. They get bigger.

The big red males are even worse. They can reach up to 3m in height (10') but more commonly in the 1.9m-2.2m range (6'4 or so to 7'4). They can cover 8-9m at a time with each bound.

And they can easily disembowel a human or a dog.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/07 10:39:55


Post by: sebster


Spetulhu wrote:
Kangaroos are animals - they'll retreat if they can but sometimes they'll decide it's impossible or not a good idea. Woe betide the dog that goes nipping at their heels at that moment, for they have extremely strong legs and also arms that, while not as useful as our arms, can still be used to keep a dog under water for example.


It isn't just a fight or flight thing. Kangaroos are pack animals, with a handful of males and a lot of females in a herd. This means males can sometimes be really aggressive to mark their dominance.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/07 11:14:07


Post by: Farseer Anath'lan


Yeah, even the 'little' reds (bit smaller then a Labrador) can be aggressive. They're not afraid to tackle humans, and although they don't do a huge amount of damage (unless you let yourself get knocked on your backside), they leave you sore for a couple days.

Usual response to the little ones is to try reassert dominance-stand tall, grunt, walk through them like they aren't there. You don't ever engage them-they're sore losers, and like to go for you when your backs turned if you engage with them and cow them. (EDIT: In an enclosed space, ie, animal rehabilitation. In the wild, leave them alone)

The big ones though-get out while you can. Nothing else will help you.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/07 12:53:26


Post by: Frazzled


 whembly wrote:
So... uh... are 'roos that onery?

Do you guys "box" 'roos to scare them away?




Glad the puppy is alright!


Oh that was SO AWESOME!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 chromedog wrote:
That's also an "eastern grey" (smaller breed) Kangaroo. They get bigger.

The big red males are even worse. They can reach up to 3m in height (10') but more commonly in the 1.9m-2.2m range (6'4 or so to 7'4). They can cover 8-9m at a time with each bound.

And they can easily disembowel a human or a dog.


Holy crap.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/07 21:08:34


Post by: chromedog


We also have Cassowaries in the top end (who kind of rule the roost in the disembowling stakes) - with their deinonichus rending claws.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/07 21:28:16


Post by: jreilly89


 chromedog wrote:
We also have Cassowaries in the top end (who kind of rule the roost in the disembowling stakes) - with their deinonichus rending claws.


What's the difference between that and an emu? Because emus are just as fething mean and deadly.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/07 22:06:25


Post by: Mozzyfuzzy


Australia hasn't lost a war against Cassowaries yet


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/08 16:29:36


Post by: Iron_Captain


 Mozzyfuzzy wrote:
Australia hasn't lost a war against Cassowaries yet

Emphasis being on 'yet'


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/09 01:00:56


Post by: thekingofkings


 Iron_Captain wrote:
 Mozzyfuzzy wrote:
Australia hasn't lost a war against Cassowaries yet

Emphasis being on 'yet'


They cant hide their junk behind a bone shell like the vicious and evil 'roo can.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/10 16:00:23


Post by: Frankenberry


 Ratius wrote:
This showed up on our work yammer feed a few months back. Yes its in Oz again.....



Welp...




Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/16 20:44:50


Post by: chromedog


 jreilly89 wrote:
 chromedog wrote:
We also have Cassowaries in the top end (who kind of rule the roost in the disembowling stakes) - with their deinonichus rending claws.


What's the difference between that and an emu? Because emus are just as fething mean and deadly.


Emus don't live in the tropical jungles of our north. They're more likely to be found in the open ground where it's a little more arid.

So in some parts of the north (it's not all jungle up there - some is just dry-as-dust rock and dirt), you will find emu, others cassowary will find you.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/16 21:12:30


Post by: Frazzled


Do Emus taste like Turkey. if they do, then I have a solution...


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/16 21:26:27


Post by: jreilly89


 Frazzled wrote:
Do Emus taste like Turkey. if they do, then I have a solution...


A little. Emu jerky is pretty good.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/16 23:00:10


Post by: welshhoppo


 Frazzled wrote:
Do Emus taste like Turkey. if they do, then I have a solution...


You'll have to take their meat from their cold dead bodies.


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_War


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/17 03:43:55


Post by: BigWaaagh


 welshhoppo wrote:
 Frazzled wrote:
Do Emus taste like Turkey. if they do, then I have a solution...


You'll have to take their meat from their cold dead bodies.


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_War


I've always thought they'd taste like Ostrich...both being outrageously large birds and all...and I do love grilling up Ostrich burgers.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/17 11:15:54


Post by: chromedog


Emu tastes nothing like turkey overall. Emu makes turkey seem like a tasteless and rather anaemic pigeon.

Emu is a RED meat to start with and somewhat more "gamey", with a much stronger flavour. I prefer it to some of the more "normal" meats like lamb, tbh. It's a lot leaner, too.



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/19 07:33:09


Post by: Pouncey


 Steve steveson wrote:
Personally I think we should just leave Australia to the wildlife. Face it guys, it's a battle you won't win.


I once read a Cracked article that claimed that a century or two ago, the Australian military lost a war to the wildlife in the Australian Outback.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/19 12:38:22


Post by: welshhoppo


 Pouncey wrote:
 Steve steveson wrote:
Personally I think we should just leave Australia to the wildlife. Face it guys, it's a battle you won't win.


I once read a Cracked article that claimed that a century or two ago, the Australian military lost a war to the wildlife in the Australian Outback.


A-hem.

 welshhoppo wrote:


You'll have to take their meat from their cold dead bodies.


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_War


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2016/12/19 19:00:23


Post by: Frazzled


Australia's murderous animals decide to give everyone a little Christmas cheer.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/12/19/slithering-surprise-australian-woman-finds-snake-on-her-christmas-tree.html
IT probably wasn’t what she asked Santa for, but a woman in Australia got an early Christmas surprise in her tree this year.

According to professional snake catcher Barry Goldsmith, a woman in Melbourne found a tiger snake intertwined with the tinsel on her Christmas tree on Sunday morning.

“She’s didn’t panic, she just took a photo and sent it to the snake catcher, me, and 20 minutes later I had the little bugger in a bag,” Goldsmith wrote on Facebook with a photo of the holiday reptile.

The snake was about 3 feet long, Goldsmith, who runs Snake Catcher Victoria Australia, told Fox News. He said he released the snake back to the wild after capturing it.

Goldsmith also told the Guardian that the woman did the right thing by taking a photo and then closing off the room until professionals arrived.

He said with warm weather, snakes are more active, but people should leave them alone and not try to kill them.

“It’s dangerous, it’s illegal and it’s cruel,” he added.

Of the tiger snake found in the tree, Goldsmith said this species of the slithering reptile are “very good climbers” and that while a Christmas tree is unusual, they “find them in all sorts of places.”

According to the Australian Reptile Park, the tiger snake is a highly venemous repitle found in many parts of southern Australia.

Tiger snake bites used to be the most common cause of snake bite fatalities in Australia.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/08 14:52:09


Post by: reds8n



Spoiler:






people are not supposed to live there, it's obvious.



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/08 15:03:58


Post by: filbert


It looks like the TV is sellotaped to the table below.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/08 15:05:17


Post by: SagesStone


That's in case a spider decides to drag it somewhere.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/08 15:13:18


Post by: reds8n


 filbert wrote:
It looks like the TV is sellotaped to the table below.



maybe the glass has melted ?


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/08 16:15:58


Post by: Farseer Anath'lan


There's a reason we snigger when we hear that a heat wave of 21C has hit Europe, and everyone's flocking to the beaches.


Probably more applicable to my fellow Aussies, but I stumbled across this lovely lass a couple weeks back. That's a 600ml bottle for scale.



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/08 16:20:01


Post by: whembly


 reds8n wrote:

Spoiler:






people are not supposed to live there, it's obvious.


Is that like "dry heat"... or "humid as feth I.CANT.BREATHE.HEAT!"???


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/09 05:09:17


Post by: Lord Oja


 whembly wrote:
 reds8n wrote:

Spoiler:






people are not supposed to live there, it's obvious.


Is that like "dry heat"... or "humid as feth I.CANT.BREATHE.HEAT!"???


Can speak for the rest of australia but in Queensland it is usually humidity, if your lucky though you can get dry heat.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/15 07:53:07


Post by: chromedog


In NSW it's "so humid, breathing takes effort" heat - we hit mid 90% humidity for a few days of that, and then because of the unstable conditions, thunderstorms (though no actual rain where I was, just thunder and lightning).

Up in the tropics of FNQ, it's towel-off before a shower humidity.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/15 10:26:10


Post by: -Loki-


I live south of Sydney and we haven't dropped below 50% humidity since I think Christmas. The 3 day heatwave was about 90% humidity and 40-45c for 3 days.

Just bunged the air con on for those days and got the dogs in from the heat.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Farseer Anath'lan wrote:
There's a reason we snigger when we hear that a heat wave of 21C has hit Europe, and everyone's flocking to the beaches.


Probably more applicable to my fellow Aussies, but I stumbled across this lovely lass a couple weeks back. That's a 600ml bottle for scale.



I get those bastards around my house. Got to get a pest control guy in to properly spray around the yard.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/15 10:28:39


Post by: SagesStone


 Farseer Anath'lan wrote:
There's a reason we snigger when we hear that a heat wave of 21C has hit Europe, and everyone's flocking to the beaches.


Probably more applicable to my fellow Aussies, but I stumbled across this lovely lass a couple weeks back. That's a 600ml bottle for scale.



My cat somehow managed to bring one about that size into the house earlier today. $5 for an electric flyswatter (it zaps so it's pretty fun) was the best investment I've ever made. I also never want another cat.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/15 10:50:59


Post by: insaniak


 whembly wrote:

Is that like "dry heat"... or "humid as feth I.CANT.BREATHE.HEAT!"???

It does depend somewhat on how close you are to the coast. For the most part, the further inland you go, the drier and hotter it gets, at least in the northern states. Central NSW gets a bit muggy, and Victoria just makes gak up as it goes along.


The worst part of this sort of weather isn't the heat, though, but the inevitable bushfires that come with it. Made even worse when idiots decide to help them along... A friend of mine nearly lost her house on the weekend because some complete fething mouthbreather decided to start lighting fires in the middle of a 49 degree heatwave.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
 n0t_u wrote:

My cat somehow managed to bring one about that size into the house earlier today. $5 for an electric flyswatter (it zaps so it's pretty fun) was the best investment I've ever made. I also never want another cat.

Mine will quite happily* try to take on possums, but runs away from bugs...


*By 'happily', I mean the sort of 'happy' where you're fluffed up to 15 times your normal size and screaming 'GGGGNNNAAAAAAAAAAGH! I fething FONG you in the HURTY place!!!!!!'

Not the most enjoyable way to be woken from a sound sleep at 2 in the morning.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/15 12:32:16


Post by: AllSeeingSkink


 insaniak wrote:
 whembly wrote:

Is that like "dry heat"... or "humid as feth I.CANT.BREATHE.HEAT!"???

It does depend somewhat on how close you are to the coast. For the most part, the further inland you go, the drier and hotter it gets, at least in the northern states. Central NSW gets a bit muggy, and Victoria just makes gak up as it goes along.
Melbourne actually has quite nice weather. People bitch about it being erratic, and it kind of is, but the extremes you see really aren't terrible. When Melbournians bitch about humidity I assume it's because they've never lived anywhere genuinely humid


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/15 14:25:26


Post by: whembly


 insaniak wrote:
 whembly wrote:

Is that like "dry heat"... or "humid as feth I.CANT.BREATHE.HEAT!"???

It does depend somewhat on how close you are to the coast. For the most part, the further inland you go, the drier and hotter it gets, at least in the northern states. Central NSW gets a bit muggy, and Victoria just makes gak up as it goes along.


That's interesting... in the states, it's almost the opposite.

In the midwest, we'd get suffocating, stagnant air with HIGH humidity. The closer to the coast (as in < 100 miles), the 'better' it seems due to trade wind off the ocean.

'Tis why Missourian likens our summer to 'swimming through hot wet noodles'.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/15 14:38:19


Post by: Frazzled


 whembly wrote:
 insaniak wrote:
 whembly wrote:

Is that like "dry heat"... or "humid as feth I.CANT.BREATHE.HEAT!"???

It does depend somewhat on how close you are to the coast. For the most part, the further inland you go, the drier and hotter it gets, at least in the northern states. Central NSW gets a bit muggy, and Victoria just makes gak up as it goes along.


That's interesting... in the states, it's almost the opposite.

In the midwest, we'd get suffocating, stagnant air with HIGH humidity. The closer to the coast (as in < 100 miles), the 'better' it seems due to trade wind off the ocean.

'Tis why Missourian likens our summer to 'swimming through hot wet noodles'.


As someone who actually lives on the Gulf Coast and knows what real humidity is, son if you think the Midwest has humidity you don't have a G d d mn clue. we live in a semi liquid state here.. Fish routinely forget where the ocean is and just have to flap a little extra hard to go through the "air" here.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/15 14:52:15


Post by: whembly


 Frazzled wrote:
 whembly wrote:
 insaniak wrote:
 whembly wrote:

Is that like "dry heat"... or "humid as feth I.CANT.BREATHE.HEAT!"???

It does depend somewhat on how close you are to the coast. For the most part, the further inland you go, the drier and hotter it gets, at least in the northern states. Central NSW gets a bit muggy, and Victoria just makes gak up as it goes along.


That's interesting... in the states, it's almost the opposite.

In the midwest, we'd get suffocating, stagnant air with HIGH humidity. The closer to the coast (as in < 100 miles), the 'better' it seems due to trade wind off the ocean.

'Tis why Missourian likens our summer to 'swimming through hot wet noodles'.


As someone who actually lives on the Gulf Coast and knows what real humidity is, son if you think the Midwest has humidity you don't have a G d d mn clue. we live in a semi liquid state here.. Fish routinely forget where the ocean is and just have to flap a little extra hard to go through the "air" here.

Old man, I summer'ed in Houston.... it's humid as feth there.

But in St. Louis, it gets so hot... so humid... THE AIR DOESN'T MOVE! You don't know if you're trapped in a hallucinated state trapped in an overly topped sauna. A breeze is such a rare sight, it shows up on social media when people report it real time.

Some St. Louis anecdote.

However, pretty sure Dallas is worst. (or maybe Austin )


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/15 15:16:03


Post by: AllSeeingSkink


 whembly wrote:
 insaniak wrote:
 whembly wrote:

Is that like "dry heat"... or "humid as feth I.CANT.BREATHE.HEAT!"???

It does depend somewhat on how close you are to the coast. For the most part, the further inland you go, the drier and hotter it gets, at least in the northern states. Central NSW gets a bit muggy, and Victoria just makes gak up as it goes along.


That's interesting... in the states, it's almost the opposite.

In the midwest, we'd get suffocating, stagnant air with HIGH humidity. The closer to the coast (as in < 100 miles), the 'better' it seems due to trade wind off the ocean.

'Tis why Missourian likens our summer to 'swimming through hot wet noodles'.
That's because inland Australia becomes increasingly desert. I'm not a meteorologist or anything, but my guess would be probably something to do with high altitude winds and locations of mountain ranges defining where rain tends to fall, most of the central part of Australia is flat (compared to the USA where the Rocky's and Appalachians cut through the continent).


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/15 15:58:15


Post by: Frazzled


 whembly wrote:
 Frazzled wrote:
 whembly wrote:
 insaniak wrote:
 whembly wrote:

Is that like "dry heat"... or "humid as feth I.CANT.BREATHE.HEAT!"???

It does depend somewhat on how close you are to the coast. For the most part, the further inland you go, the drier and hotter it gets, at least in the northern states. Central NSW gets a bit muggy, and Victoria just makes gak up as it goes along.


That's interesting... in the states, it's almost the opposite.

In the midwest, we'd get suffocating, stagnant air with HIGH humidity. The closer to the coast (as in < 100 miles), the 'better' it seems due to trade wind off the ocean.

'Tis why Missourian likens our summer to 'swimming through hot wet noodles'.


As someone who actually lives on the Gulf Coast and knows what real humidity is, son if you think the Midwest has humidity you don't have a G d d mn clue. we live in a semi liquid state here.. Fish routinely forget where the ocean is and just have to flap a little extra hard to go through the "air" here.

Old man, I summer'ed in Houston.... it's humid as feth there.

But in St. Louis, it gets so hot... so humid... THE AIR DOESN'T MOVE! You don't know if you're trapped in a hallucinated state trapped in an overly topped sauna. A breeze is such a rare sight, it shows up on social media when people report it real time.

Some St. Louis anecdote.

However, pretty sure Dallas is worst. (or maybe Austin )


I lived in St. Louis as a lad. My statement stands.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
AllSeeingSkink wrote:
 whembly wrote:
 insaniak wrote:
 whembly wrote:

Is that like "dry heat"... or "humid as feth I.CANT.BREATHE.HEAT!"???

It does depend somewhat on how close you are to the coast. For the most part, the further inland you go, the drier and hotter it gets, at least in the northern states. Central NSW gets a bit muggy, and Victoria just makes gak up as it goes along.


That's interesting... in the states, it's almost the opposite.

In the midwest, we'd get suffocating, stagnant air with HIGH humidity. The closer to the coast (as in < 100 miles), the 'better' it seems due to trade wind off the ocean.

'Tis why Missourian likens our summer to 'swimming through hot wet noodles'.
That's because inland Australia becomes increasingly desert. I'm not a meteorologist or anything, but my guess would be probably something to do with high altitude winds and locations of mountain ranges defining where rain tends to fall, most of the central part of Australia is flat (compared to the USA where the Rocky's and Appalachians cut through the continent).


Similar conditions in Asia (aka Russia and the Stans) and the US.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/15 16:11:32


Post by: KommissarKiln


I'd like to contribute towards the OP. My sig


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/15 16:19:40


Post by: whembly


 Frazzled wrote:
 whembly wrote:
 Frazzled wrote:
 whembly wrote:
 insaniak wrote:
 whembly wrote:

Is that like "dry heat"... or "humid as feth I.CANT.BREATHE.HEAT!"???

It does depend somewhat on how close you are to the coast. For the most part, the further inland you go, the drier and hotter it gets, at least in the northern states. Central NSW gets a bit muggy, and Victoria just makes gak up as it goes along.


That's interesting... in the states, it's almost the opposite.

In the midwest, we'd get suffocating, stagnant air with HIGH humidity. The closer to the coast (as in < 100 miles), the 'better' it seems due to trade wind off the ocean.

'Tis why Missourian likens our summer to 'swimming through hot wet noodles'.


As someone who actually lives on the Gulf Coast and knows what real humidity is, son if you think the Midwest has humidity you don't have a G d d mn clue. we live in a semi liquid state here.. Fish routinely forget where the ocean is and just have to flap a little extra hard to go through the "air" here.

Old man, I summer'ed in Houston.... it's humid as feth there.

But in St. Louis, it gets so hot... so humid... THE AIR DOESN'T MOVE! You don't know if you're trapped in a hallucinated state trapped in an overly topped sauna. A breeze is such a rare sight, it shows up on social media when people report it real time.

Some St. Louis anecdote.

However, pretty sure Dallas is worst. (or maybe Austin )


I lived in St. Louis as a lad. My statement stands.

But that was during the Ice Age Fraz...

Kidding aside... I'll take your word for it.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/15 16:31:44


Post by: Frazzled


 whembly wrote:
 Frazzled wrote:
 whembly wrote:
 Frazzled wrote:
 whembly wrote:
 insaniak wrote:
 whembly wrote:

Is that like "dry heat"... or "humid as feth I.CANT.BREATHE.HEAT!"???

It does depend somewhat on how close you are to the coast. For the most part, the further inland you go, the drier and hotter it gets, at least in the northern states. Central NSW gets a bit muggy, and Victoria just makes gak up as it goes along.


That's interesting... in the states, it's almost the opposite.

In the midwest, we'd get suffocating, stagnant air with HIGH humidity. The closer to the coast (as in < 100 miles), the 'better' it seems due to trade wind off the ocean.

'Tis why Missourian likens our summer to 'swimming through hot wet noodles'.


As someone who actually lives on the Gulf Coast and knows what real humidity is, son if you think the Midwest has humidity you don't have a G d d mn clue. we live in a semi liquid state here.. Fish routinely forget where the ocean is and just have to flap a little extra hard to go through the "air" here.

Old man, I summer'ed in Houston.... it's humid as feth there.

But in St. Louis, it gets so hot... so humid... THE AIR DOESN'T MOVE! You don't know if you're trapped in a hallucinated state trapped in an overly topped sauna. A breeze is such a rare sight, it shows up on social media when people report it real time.

Some St. Louis anecdote.

However, pretty sure Dallas is worst. (or maybe Austin )


I lived in St. Louis as a lad. My statement stands.

But that was during the Ice Age Fraz...

Kidding aside... I'll take your word for it.
Well...yea that is true.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/16 13:01:35


Post by: reds8n


On a more horrific note :


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-38988995?ocid=socialflow_twitter


..scale of that ?!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/17 01:43:23


Post by: sebster


Anyone who lives in any coastal city who complains about the weather is weak. I live in Perth, but I’ve spent a few years living in the country, and what I learned is that any weather on the coasts is lovely compared to what you get in the country.

I remember one time I went out to talk to some guys on the road crow, it was so hot I could hardly breathe and those mad fethers were laying bitumen. I went back in to the office and felt this enormous relief as the office’s air con hit. But the temp gauge in the office 38’ in the office, which is about a 100 in faranheit. It would have been at least 10’ hotter outside.

 chromedog wrote:
Emu tastes nothing like turkey overall. Emu makes turkey seem like a tasteless and rather anaemic pigeon.

Emu is a RED meat to start with and somewhat more "gamey", with a much stronger flavour. I prefer it to some of the more "normal" meats like lamb, tbh. It's a lot leaner, too.


I've had emu a few times and not enjoyed it at all. But then I've quite enjoyed kangaroo a few times... both are tough meats to cook and I think I was just unlucky with the emu, because I've heard it can be quite yummy.



 filbert wrote:
It looks like the TV is sellotaped to the table below.


I think the tv owner just didn't bother to take the plastic wrap off the stand. That's what it looks like to me, anyway.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/17 06:08:14


Post by: insaniak


 sebster wrote:
Anyone who lives in any coastal city who complains about the weather is weak. I live in Perth, but I’ve spent a few years living in the country, and what I learned is that any weather on the coasts is lovely compared to what you get in the country..

I disagree. I went from living in Moranbah (central Qld mining town, routinely 35-40 degree summer days) to Sarina (on the coast, generally at least 5-10 degrees cooler) and hated it. I'll take the extra heat over the humidity on the coast any day.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/17 06:34:44


Post by: sebster


 insaniak wrote:
I disagree. I went from living in Moranbah (central Qld mining town, routinely 35-40 degree summer days) to Sarina (on the coast, generally at least 5-10 degrees cooler) and hated it. I'll take the extra heat over the humidity on the coast any day.


Yeah but that's Queensland. Heat and humidity is not an Australian thing, therefore you are not Australian


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/17 06:46:57


Post by: motyak


Careful now, all the Aussie mods are Queenslanders haha.

On the weather I got into the garden in the arvo today and it wasn't too bad at all. We can have normal days as well see


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/17 07:13:45


Post by: sebster


 motyak wrote:
Careful now, all the Aussie mods are Queenslanders haha.


That explains so much!

On the weather I got into the garden in the arvo today and it wasn't too bad at all. We can have normal days as well see


We had flooding that wiped out about half the south west last week. Today is lovely here as well


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/18 14:18:49


Post by: Jihadin


Come back for a visit and I clicked this thread this early morning.....OHFN


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/22 12:37:17


Post by: Frazzled


On a lighter note, even though Australia is a deathworld, their animal life is highly cultured preferring only the best French restaurants.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/21/french-waitress-
drags-huge-lizard-australian-restaurant/


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/24 04:52:29


Post by: oldravenman3025





I figured you Aussies might get a laugh from this one:








Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/24 13:19:48


Post by: SagesStone


They finally buffed Tyranids?


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/24 18:25:49


Post by: Desubot


So everything gains infiltrate and instant death right?


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/24 19:31:33


Post by: Talizvar


 Desubot wrote:
So everything gains infiltrate and instant death right?
Poison, deep strike, fear, stubborn, character model, preferred enemy, relentless... so much springs to mind.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/25 21:04:30


Post by: LordofHats


Codex: Australian Wildlife contains a new army wide rule;

All the NOPE

At the beginning of each opponents turn they roll one D6 for each unit in your army. Resolve after making all rolls. Use the following table to calculate results;

1-2; Game Over Man, Game Over! Hope is lost and that gun looks awfully friendly. Your opponent applies one wound to each non-vehicle unit, and one glancing hit to each vehicle unit.

3-4; All my NOPE! Hope is lost. Your opponent rolls a leadership test for all units. Any unit that fails flees the field.

5-6; Come at me bro! Hope is lost but hope is overrated anyway. All units in your opponents army may add D3 wounds to all ranged and melee attacks.

Obviously I missed my true calling as a rules writer for table top war games


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/26 02:18:44


Post by: RiTides


To all our Australian Dakkanauts... we salute you.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/28 13:43:55


Post by: Frazzled


Drone coverage of Australia's wildlife following behind surfer's to ensure their safety.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Drone-video-shows-shark-going-after-two-surfers-10963700.php


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/28 15:04:16


Post by: SagesStone


Sharks aren't bad, it's the jellyfish.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/28 15:30:54


Post by: Frazzled


 n0t_u wrote:
Sharks aren't bad, it's the jellyfish.


Oh yea, jellyfish, the floating owies of the ocean world.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/28 15:35:44


Post by: SagesStone


They're the swimming equivalent of Florida man standing his ground.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/28 16:07:34


Post by: Frazzled


I really liked the bits with dolphins actually, It looked like some were body surfing for a bit.

Yea, thats trippy though. And its not like GWs won't attack surfers there...


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/28 16:14:34


Post by: Nevelon


 Frazzled wrote:
And its not like GWs won't attack surfers there...


We all know how GW feels about Australia, and not just the surfers

(I assume you mean "Great Whites", but the mouseover was just funny in context)



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/02/28 16:18:58


Post by: Frazzled


 Nevelon wrote:
 Frazzled wrote:
And its not like GWs won't attack surfers there...


We all know how GW feels about Australia, and not just the surfers

(I assume you mean "Great Whites", but the mouseover was just funny in context)




HAHAHAHA


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/03/01 12:28:31


Post by: AllSeeingSkink


 chromedog wrote:
http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/crowd-in-byron-bay-stunned-to-see-a-python-devour-a-possum-whole/news-story/f112f6083ddd7fd08d49bd825de46bc8?nk=22793a98d3e78147593e8c2081d2be41-1488367002

Python devours possum whole.

Ringtail possums aren't small. They're usually about the size of a large cat.
Ringtail possums are the small ones, I'd say smaller than your average adult house cat. It's the brushtail possums that are fat buggers that are more like large adult cat size.

Ringies are the cute little guys. When it sounds like an elephant stomping on your roof, that's more than likely a brushy rather than a ringy.

EDIT: Though the ringtail in those pics does look exceptionally large.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/03/29 11:39:24


Post by: Frazzled


And Indonesia decides to throw its hat into the ring:
http://www.wxyz.com/news/national/missing-man-found-in-the-stomach-of-20-foot-long-snake

(warning video, yea video)
A man who went missing in Indonesia earlier this week was near his own garden — inside the stomach of a 20-foot long snake.

Photo Gallery: 5 largest types of snakes

The Straits Times —an English-speaking newspaper in Singapore — reports that Akbar Salubiro was last seen on Sunday morning when he went off to harvest palm oil. After he didn’t return home that evening, a search party was formed.


On Monday, those searching for Akbar found the giant snake lying dead just feet from Akbar’s house. According to the Times, Akbar’s boots were clearly visible in the snake’s stomach. Villagers used a knife to cut open the snake and remove the corpse.

Village secretary Salubiro Junaidi told Tribun Timur, a local media outlet, that cries for help could be heard from the palm grove at about 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

It's assumed the python choked Akbar to death, and the python then choked while attempting to swallow Akbar. It's common for pythons to choke on large animals they attempt to eat.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/03/29 18:31:15


Post by: Grey Templar


 sebster wrote:

I normally roll my eyes at the 'australian wildlife is so dangerous' stuff, because it's pretty silly. I mean, it's kind of amazing that America, which is a country with bears and rattlesnakes and stuff like that would be afraid of stuff here.


Rattlesnakes are complete gentlemen. They give fair warning before they bite you. Bears also tend to GTFO when they hear or smell a human approaching.

I've seen stories of a human minding his own business jogging when a Kangaroo blindsides and roughs him up.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/03/29 20:51:24


Post by: Frazzled


I had a rattlesnake come out of the grass coming right for me and TBone. unfortunately the snake failed to see the Angel of Death in the form of Rodney the shanker who grabbed him on the run and then literally ate him without breaking his stride. The little fatty has learned to run to the end of his leash when he grabs something or else he's going to be dangling upside down while I try to get him to let it go terrified he's going to die from whatever it is still sticking out of his face. You haven't lived until you're pried part of a dead squirrel out of a dog's mouth spraying dead zombie like crap all over you.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/03/30 16:43:21


Post by: Desubot


Oh god you have land sharks now?



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/03/30 17:27:39


Post by: KommissarKiln


I always figured** Australia and Catachan were the same thing. There's probably someone who lives down under named Straken who lost an arm to one of its siblings.

I really don't want to vacation anywhere where there could be tiger fish, sharks, or jellyfish in the water... I'd pee myself if one of those things made it into the Great Lakes area.

**sig


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/03/30 23:03:02


Post by: chromedog


It's a bull shark.

One of the rare types that can handle fresh water (most sharks are ONLY neutrally buoyant in salt water, bull sharks can do this in fresh, brackish or salt water.)

It's not uncommon to find them in rivers here, usually closer to the mouth of the rivers, but they will swim upstream. This was deposited by floodwaters.

@KK: If your "great lakes" connect to the sea, then they could very likely make their way in (but I think that that area might be too cold for them).


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/03/31 04:29:26


Post by: Grey Templar


Bull Sharks can actually be found in almost any river system. Including those in the US. Especially Florida.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/04/18 23:57:38


Post by: BigWaaagh


It's been too long since an addition to this classic thread, so here ya go!

http://www.msn.com/en-us/video/newsvideos/crocodile-spotted-eating-sawfish-because-australia/vi-BBzLYra?ocid=ASUDHP


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/04/19 00:30:59


Post by: chromedog


http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2017/04/new-spider-species-found-in-queensland


Just to reinforce the "nope train to nopeville" vibes.

The diversity of arachnids in the area was “mind-blowing”, said Robert. The specimens collected range from small ant-mimicking spiders the size of a fingernail, to huge tarantulas as big as your face, and with “legs the diameter of a biro”.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/04/19 00:58:07


Post by: Azreal13


Extra nope with nope on the side please..

It was at night and waist-deep in a creek when Robert came across the tarantulas on the bank. Here he also discovered that not only can the tarantulas swim, but they can also stay underwater for extended periods of time.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/04/19 01:23:43


Post by: Grot 6


 Desubot wrote:
Oh god you have land sharks now?



With lasers!!!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Grey Templar wrote:
Bull Sharks can actually be found in almost any river system. Including those in the US. Especially Florida.


Oh yeah... We have a ... few interesting stories like this, all the time. You keep an eye out for them, like you do for the Panthers, Bears, and Gators. ( They really are that big, people are ripping up their areas, so they go take another one

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92630

Those sharks are like Mosquitos, down here..... give it a fresh one, it goes away. They try to roll up on your backside, take a chunk out of you, then move off...


[Thumb - landshark06_full.png]


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/04/19 05:00:29


Post by: nerdfest09


Fangs as long as a Tiger snake's not a real endearing feature, lucky they live a fair way away from me :-)


https://www.businessinsider.com.au/a-new-species-of-funnel-web-spider-found-in-tasmania-has-fangs-longer-than-a-tiger-snake-2017-4


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/04/19 05:09:42


Post by: MechaEmperor7000


Australia is my proof that the world has already been infested with Tyranids.



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/04/19 06:06:03


Post by: Dakka Flakka Flame


I think this calls for Exterminatus.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/04/19 06:13:34


Post by: nerdfest09


 Dakka Flakka Flame wrote:
I think this calls for Exterminatus.


Dis they Exterminatus Catachan? nope they just left it there to harvest those hulking Imperial guard and to have some wicked stories to tell!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/04/19 10:22:19


Post by: Frazzled


 Dakka Flakka Flame wrote:
I think this calls for Exterminatus.


No no no, now that we have let natural selection cook for a few centuries, time for the Spazz Emprah to found the first Thunder Warriors Legion.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/04/19 10:31:08


Post by: Darkjim


Or Chunder Warriors in this case.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/04/19 11:36:48


Post by: KommissarKiln




Hey, they don't call it a water hazard for nothing!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/04/19 11:42:51


Post by: Frazzled


I had a gator eat my golf ball once. He didn't even say thank you.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/05/12 11:37:16


Post by: chromedog


Pest control operator called to Brisbane home to deal with the ‘biggest huntsman’ he’s ever seen


http://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/05/10/17/19/pest-control-operator-called-brisbane-home-to-deal-with-biggest-huntsman/?ocid=todayfb




Golf takes on extra danger down-under.

https://youtu.be/njmmjVTwFzI


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/05/19 02:30:34


Post by: chromedog


It's an import, too (one of the few legal ones from the US).

Maine [ gorram it, it's the name of the gorram cat ] get big.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/05/20 14:53:08


Post by: Jihadin


I hate the human nature in me that looks at the pics...cringe...and enjoy it the same time....and think three rds to kill a camel spider....that looks to a MOAB strike


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/07/26 12:13:54


Post by: chromedog


https://au.news.yahoo.com/qld/a/36505551/giant-spider-traps-terrified-family-inside-their-queensland-home/#page1

New ginormous spider story from QLD, land of ginormous spiders.

WARNING for arachnofeebs.

Spoiler:



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/07/26 12:36:41


Post by: Frazzled


 chromedog wrote:
https://au.news.yahoo.com/qld/a/36505551/giant-spider-traps-terrified-family-inside-their-queensland-home/#page1

New ginormous spider story from QLD, land of ginormous spiders.

WARNING for arachnofeebs.

Spoiler:



It has begun! Get the Wingmaster with full load birdshot. We're in it for the species people!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/07/26 22:42:54


Post by: Pacific


I'm not that bothered by spiders, but would draw the line at that! Bloody hell

Stayed with relatives once in Melbourne, and they had a Huntsman sitting in the window (nothing like that size, but significantly bigger than anything you would get here in the UK). I asked if it bothered them but they didn't mind them, as they get rid of vermin.

Was also fascinating to see some of the insects up in the rain forests in the north by Mackay. One thing that sticks in the mind was a termite colony up in the trees, and an ant colony that was on the ground nearby. The ants were sending an 'invasion force' to the termites nest. The size of some of the ants were ridiculous, way, way bigger than the termites, but the termites were firing a glue at the ants which would eventually slow them down and make them stick to the ground. Pretty mad!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/07/27 08:52:37


Post by: chromedog


Yeah, there are also predatory green ants up that way (they build their nests in trees, using leaves to form the outer shell). FNQ (Far North Queensland, the part of it from Mackay north to the pointy end) has no shortage of dangerous or just plain painful natives. I'm going to be in Townsville in September.

They have a painful sting, and the stinging also makes them release attack hormones, which trigger other ants nearby to join in. Best defence against them is an insect repellent which does keep them away.

So you have to watch the trees for ants as well as drop bears.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/01 00:45:32


Post by: Jihadin


i RATHER DANCE NAKED ON TOP OF A FIRE ANT COLONY THEN DEAL WITH THAT EVIL...EVIL SOB IN THE WINDOW THAT MAKES THE ONES IN MIST SEEM HUGGABLE

Edit
Was going to small cap but....I think I leave my post like it is


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/01 01:11:37


Post by: djones520


See... you guys give up all your guns, and now nature has returned to eat all of your souls.

That right there is why I own a 12 gauge that fires 3.5" shells.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/01 02:24:06


Post by: Tannhauser42


 djones520 wrote:
See... you guys give up all your guns, and now nature has returned to eat all of your souls.

That right there is why I own a 12 gauge that fires 3.5" shells.


Sorry, dude, but when the spiders are as big as the one pictured above, nothing less than chemical or incendiary weapons will make me feel safe.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/01 02:52:28


Post by: Jihadin


Shotgun a little to damn close to it...ICBM.....


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/01 03:17:33


Post by: Grey Templar


 Tannhauser42 wrote:
 djones520 wrote:
See... you guys give up all your guns, and now nature has returned to eat all of your souls.

That right there is why I own a 12 gauge that fires 3.5" shells.


Sorry, dude, but when the spiders are as big as the one pictured above, nothing less than chemical or incendiary weapons will make me feel safe.


Just gotta fill the shells with a little gasoline jello. Instant incendiary shells.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/01 06:01:45


Post by: Just Tony


So how does that thing compare to the Goliath bird eater? Size wise, I mean?


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/01 12:42:08


Post by: Frazzled


 Jihadin wrote:
Shotgun a little to damn close to it...ICBM.....
now you see why NK wants nukes.they are afraid!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/02 01:03:14


Post by: chromedog


 Just Tony wrote:
So how does that thing compare to the Goliath bird eater? Size wise, I mean?


It's a little larger, but more due to longer legs. Tarantula tend to have shorter legs but larger bodies in comparison.

They have bird-eating tarantulas up in the pointy end - but they tend to prey on the smaller birds (like budgies) - but the golden orb weaver also goes for them, because they get caught in their webs.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/02 01:41:16


Post by: Just Tony


Okay, I was under the understanding that the Goliath was the largest species on the planet, apparently not.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/02 03:15:20


Post by: Azreal13


It depends how you qualify "biggest." By leg span? Not by a mile. But by weight/volume? Much more compelling.

Fun fact, the Goliath Bird Eating Spider very rarely eats birds, but the first European biologist to observe one just happened to encounter one doing just that.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/02 08:59:10


Post by: Darkjim


I think once spiders get past a certain size (say a couple of inches), then the key statistic is not their size, but how far away they are. 9,400 miles feels about right.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/02 09:11:21


Post by: nerdfest09


The thing is with Huntsmans is that they get their name from hunting, which means they hide well, can go extremely flat and are very fast for the size! i've squealed like a schoolgirl on more than one occasion when trying to coax one out of my home he's let go and flung himself from the wall all 8 legs whirling like a windmill as he hefts his hairy little body off the carpet and scampers towards the nearest dresser! trying to stand on one leg on the nearest chair, shut your eyes and still see where he went is hard work, and if you do lose him then you simply CAN'T sleep at night since you know he'll be in your shoe, behind your curtain, on the toaster, on your lampshade or telling his identical mates to pop over and have a laugh at this fellow!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/02 18:37:54


Post by: Jihadin


 nerdfest09 wrote:
The thing is with Huntsmans is that they get their name from hunting, which means they hide well, can go extremely flat and are very fast for the size! i've squealed like a schoolgirl on more than one occasion when trying to coax one out of my home he's let go and flung himself from the wall all 8 legs whirling like a windmill as he hefts his hairy little body off the carpet and scampers towards the nearest dresser! trying to stand on one leg on the nearest chair, shut your eyes and still see where he went is hard work, and if you do lose him then you simply CAN'T sleep at night since you know he'll be in your shoe, behind your curtain, on the toaster, on your lampshade or telling his identical mates to pop over and have a laugh at this fellow!


I would so violate every weapon safety rules with a shotgun, M4, .45, 155mm....


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/02 22:53:08


Post by: chromedog


 Just Tony wrote:
Okay, I was under the understanding that the Goliath was the largest species on the planet, apparently not.


Largest species overall, perhaps, but individuals of other species can and do get to the same size or larger when they have access to the right conditions (around here, though, it just means they get picked off by certain birds when they get too big. )



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/03 06:12:19


Post by: Grey Templar


 Just Tony wrote:
Okay, I was under the understanding that the Goliath was the largest species on the planet, apparently not.


By weight they are. Other species have larger leg-spans, but the Goliath is the heaviest and most massive.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/07 10:00:07


Post by: reds8n


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-40846546

injury pics ahoy !
Spoiler:


An Australian teenager is recovering in hospital after being bitten by multiple "mite-sized sea critters".
Sam Kanizay, 16, found his feet and ankles covered in blood after soaking his legs in Melbourne's Brighton Beach on Saturday evening.
Jarrod Kanizay said his son arrived home with what "looked like a war injury" and that his legs would not stop bleeding.
The family are seeking expert opinion to identify the flesh-eating bugs.
Marine biologists have said they were likely to have been sea fleas, tiny scavenging marine animals.

After a tiring football game on Saturday evening, the 16-year-old decided to soak his legs in the cold bay near his home.
He stood still waist-deep in the dark cold water for about half an hour and didn't feel a thing but returned home "bleeding profusely".
"It looked like a war injury... like a grenade attack. It was really bloody," Mr Kanizay told BBC News.
"We got him in the shower but as soon as we did that the blood kept re-appearing," said Mr Kanizay.
"It wasn't clotting at all. It just kept bleeding and bleeding."



After two local hospitals could not identify the cause of the multiple pin-prick injuries, the Melbourne father decided to investigate and went back to the beach.
"I collected these strange creatures from the same spot last night by trapping them in a net and standing in the water myself," he said.
"We got thousands of these little mite-type bugs and they've been sent on to experts."
Mr Kanizay said he hoped the sandy-coloured mites would not scar his son, and he is expected to make a full recovery.
"We are just waiting on the experts to tell us what they are and how they behave and why this happened."
Marine biologist Dr Genefor Walker-Smith, who saw some of the samples, told Australia's Herald Sun newspaper that the bugs were probably lysianassid amphipods, or sea fleas.
"It's possible he disturbed a feeding group but they are generally not out there waiting to attack like piranhas," she said.
Experts have said such cases are very rare and that there is no reason for alarm.






Australia : where the sea will eat you.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/07 10:35:13


Post by: angelofvengeance


"They mostly come at night, mostly"

And that's why going in the sea at night is a BAD idea.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/07 15:41:21


Post by: sarpedons-right-hand


 reds8n wrote:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-40846546

injury pics ahoy !
Spoiler:


An Australian teenager is recovering in hospital after being bitten by multiple "mite-sized sea critters".
Sam Kanizay, 16, found his feet and ankles covered in blood after soaking his legs in Melbourne's Brighton Beach on Saturday evening.
Jarrod Kanizay said his son arrived home with what "looked like a war injury" and that his legs would not stop bleeding.
The family are seeking expert opinion to identify the flesh-eating bugs.
Marine biologists have said they were likely to have been sea fleas, tiny scavenging marine animals.

After a tiring football game on Saturday evening, the 16-year-old decided to soak his legs in the cold bay near his home.
He stood still waist-deep in the dark cold water for about half an hour and didn't feel a thing but returned home "bleeding profusely".
"It looked like a war injury... like a grenade attack. It was really bloody," Mr Kanizay told BBC News.
"We got him in the shower but as soon as we did that the blood kept re-appearing," said Mr Kanizay.
"It wasn't clotting at all. It just kept bleeding and bleeding."



After two local hospitals could not identify the cause of the multiple pin-prick injuries, the Melbourne father decided to investigate and went back to the beach.
"I collected these strange creatures from the same spot last night by trapping them in a net and standing in the water myself," he said.
"We got thousands of these little mite-type bugs and they've been sent on to experts."
Mr Kanizay said he hoped the sandy-coloured mites would not scar his son, and he is expected to make a full recovery.
"We are just waiting on the experts to tell us what they are and how they behave and why this happened."
Marine biologist Dr Genefor Walker-Smith, who saw some of the samples, told Australia's Herald Sun newspaper that the bugs were probably lysianassid amphipods, or sea fleas.
"It's possible he disturbed a feeding group but they are generally not out there waiting to attack like piranhas," she said.
Experts have said such cases are very rare and that there is no reason for alarm.






Australia : where the sea will eat you.


Damn. I just finished reading that article whilst on a break at work. Thoroughly disturbing. Certainly more disturbing than the pictures of Huntsmen. Spiders I can cope with, any size. But the thought of being eaten alive by 1000's of tiny flesh eating mites?


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/08 01:10:13


Post by: Jihadin


 sarpedons-right-hand wrote:
 reds8n wrote:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-40846546

injury pics ahoy !
Spoiler:


An Australian teenager is recovering in hospital after being bitten by multiple "mite-sized sea critters".
Sam Kanizay, 16, found his feet and ankles covered in blood after soaking his legs in Melbourne's Brighton Beach on Saturday evening.
Jarrod Kanizay said his son arrived home with what "looked like a war injury" and that his legs would not stop bleeding.
The family are seeking expert opinion to identify the flesh-eating bugs.
Marine biologists have said they were likely to have been sea fleas, tiny scavenging marine animals.

After a tiring football game on Saturday evening, the 16-year-old decided to soak his legs in the cold bay near his home.
He stood still waist-deep in the dark cold water for about half an hour and didn't feel a thing but returned home "bleeding profusely".
"It looked like a war injury... like a grenade attack. It was really bloody," Mr Kanizay told BBC News.
"We got him in the shower but as soon as we did that the blood kept re-appearing," said Mr Kanizay.
"It wasn't clotting at all. It just kept bleeding and bleeding."



After two local hospitals could not identify the cause of the multiple pin-prick injuries, the Melbourne father decided to investigate and went back to the beach.
"I collected these strange creatures from the same spot last night by trapping them in a net and standing in the water myself," he said.
"We got thousands of these little mite-type bugs and they've been sent on to experts."
Mr Kanizay said he hoped the sandy-coloured mites would not scar his son, and he is expected to make a full recovery.
"We are just waiting on the experts to tell us what they are and how they behave and why this happened."
Marine biologist Dr Genefor Walker-Smith, who saw some of the samples, told Australia's Herald Sun newspaper that the bugs were probably lysianassid amphipods, or sea fleas.
"It's possible he disturbed a feeding group but they are generally not out there waiting to attack like piranhas," she said.
Experts have said such cases are very rare and that there is no reason for alarm.






Australia : where the sea will eat you.


Damn. I just finished reading that article whilst on a break at work. Thoroughly disturbing. Certainly more disturbing than the pictures of Huntsmen. Spiders I can cope with, any size. But the thought of being eaten alive by 1000's of tiny flesh eating mites?

Same. Read that at work but the pic was bandage feet. What if it wasn't the mites.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/08 01:42:11


Post by: Cothonian


I saw that earlier today, initially I thought it was some sort of weird joke article. But holy crap... it's legit.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/13 01:09:24


Post by: -Loki-


Here you go guys. Tourist finds a nest of Hunstmen spiders.

Spoiler:




Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/13 01:24:12


Post by: whembly



This is why flame throwers are still legal!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/13 03:49:34


Post by: Frazzled


That's just...fethed up.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/13 16:24:59


Post by: Jihadin


I can never look at a telephone pole the same again


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/13 23:23:25


Post by: chromedog


It's not even a telephone pole.

It's a wooden stake used to anchor rows of Grape vines (the neat orderly rows visible in the picture - because the vines are dormant at this time of year) - the Yarra Valley is one of the southern wine producing regions here. It's also where Chandon have one of their sparkly-bubbly-lolly-water production houses.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/08/13 23:28:42


Post by: Jihadin


 chromedog wrote:
It's not even a telephone pole.

It's a wooden stake used to anchor rows of Grape vines (the neat orderly rows visible in the picture - because the vines are dormant at this time of year) - the Yarra Valley is one of the southern wine producing regions here. It's also where Chandon have one of their sparkly-bubbly-lolly-water production houses.


Dammit man. I've a grape arbor.....


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/09/05 09:28:21


Post by: Darkjim


https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/sep/05/peppa-pig-spiders-cant-hurt-you-episode-pulled-off-air-in-australia-again

Spoiler:
A controversial episode of Peppa Pig has been pulled off the air in Australia for a second time, after complaints it told children to pick up and play with dangerous spiders.
Mister Skinny Legs, a 2004 episode of the popular children’s show, was removed from online publication by the national public broadcaster, the ABC, in 2012 for sending the “inappropriate” message that spiders were friendly and not to be feared.

In the offending episode, Daddy Pig tells a frightened Peppa that spiders are “very very small” and “can’t hurt you” after the eponymous arachnid enters her room. The children are then depicted picking the spider up, tucking it into bed and offering it some tea.
This advice from the British-produced show was deemed to be “inappropriate for Australian audiences” and the ABC banned it from future broadcast. The episode had not been broadcast on TV because of its unsuitability, but was “accidentally published online due to a technical problem”, the ABC said at the time.
Not all Australian spiders are “very, very small” and some can hurt you. Last year footage of a huntsman carrying a mouse up a fridge in the Queensland town of Coppabella became an internet sensation – the huntsman’s leg span can be as large as 16cm. Australia’s dangerous spider species include the venomous redback spider, the funnel-web spider, white-tailed spider and wolf-spider, according to the Australian Museum. It estimates 2,000 people are bitten each year by redback spiders, and 40 by funnel webs. Data released in January revealed 12,600 people were admitted to hospital for spider bites between 2000 and 2013.

On 25 August, the episode was aired again on Nick Jr, a children’s channel affiliated with Nickelodeon and available on the Australian pay TV service Foxtel.
A Sydney mother, named only as Jess, told Fairfax Media she complained to Nick Jr. The channel initially refused to pull the episode, saying Mister Skinny Legs “did not look real”.
“The episode is light-hearted, friendly and very mild in impact; the overarching message of the episode is about respecting all creatures,” it said.
“The context of the way the spider is portrayed in the episode lessens any impact of scariness or danger; the spider does not look real, it has a smiley face and is shown in context of a show with other talking animals.”
But after being contacted by media, Nick Jr said it would remove the episode from programming rotation, despite continuing to maintain that it “does meet our criteria”.

The five-minute episode shows the two children discovering the spider in the bathroom sink and eventually befriending it. “George wants the spider to be his friend,” the program’s narrator says. “George likes the spider and the spider likes George.”
At the end of the episode, the children pour it a cup of tea alongside a set of dolls. “We are all going to have tea with Mister Skinny Legs,” Peppa announces. “Peppa likes Mister Skinny Legs, everyone likes Mister Skinny Legs,” the narrator then declares.
The spider, listed as played by voice actor Hazel Rudd, does not speak but smiles very widely.
It is not the first time Peppa Pig has come under fire in Australia, after conservative commentator Piers Akerman accused it of having “a weird feminist line” in 2013.


A replacement episode - 'Peppa Pig says stay in, shut all the windows and doors and build a flame thrower' - is in the works.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/09/06 01:39:43


Post by: BigWaaagh


 chromedog wrote:
It's not even a telephone pole.

It's a wooden stake used to anchor rows of Grape vines (the neat orderly rows visible in the picture - because the vines are dormant at this time of year) - the Yarra Valley is one of the southern wine producing regions here. It's also where Chandon have one of their sparkly-bubbly-lolly-water production houses.


That's it, I'm off the Penfolds!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/09/20 22:52:33


Post by: BigWaaagh


When saying 'nope, nope, nope' needs reinforcing up close...

https://weather.com/science/nature/video/guys-go-swimming-with-a-crocodile?cm_ven=TaboolaPd_CageOfDeath_8162017_1&par=MK_Tab

Just hell nope!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/09/20 23:28:52


Post by: jhe90


 BigWaaagh wrote:
 chromedog wrote:
It's not even a telephone pole.

It's a wooden stake used to anchor rows of Grape vines (the neat orderly rows visible in the picture - because the vines are dormant at this time of year) - the Yarra Valley is one of the southern wine producing regions here. It's also where Chandon have one of their sparkly-bubbly-lolly-water production houses.


That's it, I'm off the Penfolds!


Catchan is real.
Arm the nukes it's the only way to be sure.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/09/23 06:56:11


Post by: chromedog


Catachan is where aussies go for their holidays.

I've just come back from FNQ. Saw a ginormous salty swim past our boat (easily a 4m beast snout to tail).

Also witnessed a spider the size of my hand just casually sitting in a tree cavity. Looked like it may have been one of the FNQ tarantula (most definitely a mygalomorph in any case).


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/09/23 08:15:02


Post by: reds8n


https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/22/crocodile-over-five-metres-long-found-shot-dead-in-queensland


Death of Queensland's largest crocodile in 30 years could spark violent power grab
Killing of the 5.2-metre male reptile, one of the biggest ever seen in the state, could spark a dangerous battle for dominance between remaining crocodiles

A massive saltwater crocodile – said to be one of the biggest ever seen in Queensland – has been found shot dead and experts fear its demise could lead to other crocodiles becoming more aggressive as young males fight for supremacy.

Police and state environmental officers are investigating after the 5.2-metre male reptile was found with a bullet in its head in the Fitzroy river in Rockhampton on Thursday.

The crocodile was taken to the nearby Koorana crocodile farm, where it will be buried once a necropsy is carried out. Farm owner John Leaver said a five-metre crocodile had not been caught in Queensland for 20 to 30 years.

“There may have been some others shot in the wild that we don’t know about, but from my recollection, over the past three decades this would be the largest,” he said on Friday.

Leaver, who ran a crocodile removal service across the state for 20 years, said the largest one he ever caught was 4.95m in the late 1980s. “We caught that one up near Airlie beach [in Queensland],” he said.

Leaver said it was not unusual for a crocodile of that size to be found so far south. The farmer said Rockhampton locals used to shoot crocodiles “equal to that size” in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, before it was illegal.

It is believed the 5.2m reptile had been dead for a few days before a member of the public spotted it floating and notified environmental officers.

Leaver said the gunshot had caused a large hole in the top of the saltwater crocodile’s skull, suggesting the bullet came from a “fairly large-calibre rifle”.

“I would say that someone felt very threatened,” he said, when asked why he thought it had been shot.

Michael Joyce, southern wildlife operations director at Queensland’s Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, said the remaining male crocodiles could act differently and become more hostile as they establish who will rule next.

“They don’t necessarily become more aggressive with outsiders,” Joyce said on Friday. “But we would expect people to be croc-wise in croc country and be extra vigilant.”

Joyce said wildlife officers would monitor the river to see what transpires and who becomes the next dominant male. “The whole thing could be over in 24 hours; at other times it could take months to see a slight move in the population,” he said.

Joyce said it was estimated to be between 80 and 100 years old.

“It is on the larger end of the scale, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “There are not a lot of crocodiles over five metres.”

People are being urged to notify the department of any crocodiles spotted in the river and elsewhere across Queensland, even if they are seen regularly.

Cassius, a male caught in the Northern Territory three decades ago, is recognised as the world’s largest crocodile in captivity. It measures 5.48m and lives at a farm on Green Island in far north Queensland.

A 6.16m Philippine crocodile called Lolong held the record until it died in 2013.



.. even in death they still etc etc etc

.. not sure I'd heard the term necropsy before.





Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/09/24 08:34:14


Post by: chromedog


A necropsy is an autopsy on an animal here.

Autopsy is reserved for human meatbags.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/09/25 03:25:24


Post by: BigWaaagh


Spoiler:
 reds8n wrote:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/22/crocodile-over-five-metres-long-found-shot-dead-in-queensland


Death of Queensland's largest crocodile in 30 years could spark violent power grab
Killing of the 5.2-metre male reptile, one of the biggest ever seen in the state, could spark a dangerous battle for dominance between remaining crocodiles

A massive saltwater crocodile – said to be one of the biggest ever seen in Queensland – has been found shot dead and experts fear its demise could lead to other crocodiles becoming more aggressive as young males fight for supremacy.

Police and state environmental officers are investigating after the 5.2-metre male reptile was found with a bullet in its head in the Fitzroy river in Rockhampton on Thursday.

The crocodile was taken to the nearby Koorana crocodile farm, where it will be buried once a necropsy is carried out. Farm owner John Leaver said a five-metre crocodile had not been caught in Queensland for 20 to 30 years.

“There may have been some others shot in the wild that we don’t know about, but from my recollection, over the past three decades this would be the largest,” he said on Friday.

Leaver, who ran a crocodile removal service across the state for 20 years, said the largest one he ever caught was 4.95m in the late 1980s. “We caught that one up near Airlie beach [in Queensland],” he said.

Leaver said it was not unusual for a crocodile of that size to be found so far south. The farmer said Rockhampton locals used to shoot crocodiles “equal to that size” in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, before it was illegal.

It is believed the 5.2m reptile had been dead for a few days before a member of the public spotted it floating and notified environmental officers.

Leaver said the gunshot had caused a large hole in the top of the saltwater crocodile’s skull, suggesting the bullet came from a “fairly large-calibre rifle”.

“I would say that someone felt very threatened,” he said, when asked why he thought it had been shot.

Michael Joyce, southern wildlife operations director at Queensland’s Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, said the remaining male crocodiles could act differently and become more hostile as they establish who will rule next.

“They don’t necessarily become more aggressive with outsiders,” Joyce said on Friday. “But we would expect people to be croc-wise in croc country and be extra vigilant.”

Joyce said wildlife officers would monitor the river to see what transpires and who becomes the next dominant male. “The whole thing could be over in 24 hours; at other times it could take months to see a slight move in the population,” he said.

Joyce said it was estimated to be between 80 and 100 years old.

“It is on the larger end of the scale, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “There are not a lot of crocodiles over five metres.”

People are being urged to notify the department of any crocodiles spotted in the river and elsewhere across Queensland, even if they are seen regularly.

Cassius, a male caught in the Northern Territory three decades ago, is recognised as the world’s largest crocodile in captivity. It measures 5.48m and lives at a farm on Green Island in far north Queensland.

A 6.16m Philippine crocodile called Lolong held the record until it died in 2013.



.. even in death they still etc etc etc

.. not sure I'd heard the term necropsy before.






Holy crap! You sure that isn't just the prop from 'Lake Placid'?


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/09/25 07:53:04


Post by: jhe90


 reds8n wrote:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/22/crocodile-over-five-metres-long-found-shot-dead-in-queensland


Death of Queensland's largest crocodile in 30 years could spark violent power grab
Killing of the 5.2-metre male reptile, one of the biggest ever seen in the state, could spark a dangerous battle for dominance between remaining crocodiles

A massive saltwater crocodile – said to be one of the biggest ever seen in Queensland – has been found shot dead and experts fear its demise could lead to other crocodiles becoming more aggressive as young males fight for supremacy.

Police and state environmental officers are investigating after the 5.2-metre male reptile was found with a bullet in its head in the Fitzroy river in Rockhampton on Thursday.

The crocodile was taken to the nearby Koorana crocodile farm, where it will be buried once a necropsy is carried out. Farm owner John Leaver said a five-metre crocodile had not been caught in Queensland for 20 to 30 years.

“There may have been some others shot in the wild that we don’t know about, but from my recollection, over the past three decades this would be the largest,” he said on Friday.

Leaver, who ran a crocodile removal service across the state for 20 years, said the largest one he ever caught was 4.95m in the late 1980s. “We caught that one up near Airlie beach [in Queensland],” he said.

Leaver said it was not unusual for a crocodile of that size to be found so far south. The farmer said Rockhampton locals used to shoot crocodiles “equal to that size” in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, before it was illegal.

It is believed the 5.2m reptile had been dead for a few days before a member of the public spotted it floating and notified environmental officers.

Leaver said the gunshot had caused a large hole in the top of the saltwater crocodile’s skull, suggesting the bullet came from a “fairly large-calibre rifle”.

“I would say that someone felt very threatened,” he said, when asked why he thought it had been shot.

Michael Joyce, southern wildlife operations director at Queensland’s Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, said the remaining male crocodiles could act differently and become more hostile as they establish who will rule next.

“They don’t necessarily become more aggressive with outsiders,” Joyce said on Friday. “But we would expect people to be croc-wise in croc country and be extra vigilant.”

Joyce said wildlife officers would monitor the river to see what transpires and who becomes the next dominant male. “The whole thing could be over in 24 hours; at other times it could take months to see a slight move in the population,” he said.

Joyce said it was estimated to be between 80 and 100 years old.

“It is on the larger end of the scale, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “There are not a lot of crocodiles over five metres.”

People are being urged to notify the department of any crocodiles spotted in the river and elsewhere across Queensland, even if they are seen regularly.

Cassius, a male caught in the Northern Territory three decades ago, is recognised as the world’s largest crocodile in captivity. It measures 5.48m and lives at a farm on Green Island in far north Queensland.

A 6.16m Philippine crocodile called Lolong held the record until it died in 2013.



.. even in death they still etc etc etc

.. not sure I'd heard the term necropsy before.



Oh wow that's a monster.

15 foot crocodile.... 2.5 tall men long.

Or about 170-180 space marines stacked on top of each other.



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2017/09/25 16:07:03


Post by: Grey Templar


Actually that's a 17ft croc.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/21 09:38:50


Post by: reds8n


https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/australian-raptors-start-fires-to-flush-out-prey



In the first recorded instance of fire being used by animals other than humans, three Australian birds of prey species have been seen carrying burning twigs to set new blazes. John Pickrell reports.

Australian Aboriginal lore is replete with references to birds carrying fire, and some traditional ceremonies even depict the behaviour. Now ornithologists have collected accounts from witnesses across the savannas of Australia’s far north, known as the Top End, suggesting three Australian birds of prey species use smouldering branches to spread fires and scare prey into their waiting talons.

Black kites (Milvus migrans), whistling kites (Haliastur sphenurus) and brown falcons (Falco berigora) all regularly congregate near the edges of bushfires, taking advantage of an exodus of small lizards, mammals, birds and insects – but it appears that some may have learnt not only to use fire to their advantage, but also to control it.

“At or around an active fire front, birds – usually black kites, but sometimes brown falcons – will pick up a firebrand or a stick not much bigger than your finger and carry it away to an unburnt area of grass and drop it in there to start a new fire,” says Bob Gosford, an ornithologist with the Central Land Council in Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory, who led the documentation of witness accounts. “It’s not always successful, but sometimes it results in ignition.”

“Observers report both solo and cooperative attempts, often successful, to spread wildfires intentionally via single-occasion or repeated transport of burning sticks in talons or beaks. This behaviour, often represented in sacred ceremonies, is widely known to local people in the Northern Territory,” write the authors behind the find in the Journal of Ethnobiology.

Gosford points to two Dreaming fire ceremonies in particular – the Lorrkon and Yabuduruwa ceremonies from the Arnhem Land region of the Territory – which incorporate scenes involving the re-enactment of birds spreading fire from places to place.
“Most of the Aboriginal groups that we talked to in the NT, particularly in the Top End, are entirely comfortable with the idea that this happens. … for a lot of people, it’s accepted as a fact,” says Gosford.

European scientists, however, have shown a reluctance to accept the observations of Aboriginal Australians, which explains why this seemingly widespread behaviour has not been scientifically documented until now.

To this end, Gosford and his co-authors, including geographer Mark Bonta at Pennsylvania State University in Altoona, US, spent six years collecting more than 20 witness accounts from traditional owners, land managers and Aboriginal rangers across the Top End, suggesting that the behaviour may be very widespread. “We’ve got records from the eastern coast, in the tropics of Queensland, right across to Western Australia. There appears to be a particular cluster through the savanna woodlands of central northern Australia,” Gosford says.

This is a “fascinating phenomenon”, comments Alex Kacelnik an expert on animal tool use at the University of Oxford in the UK, adding that “many species may have learned to respond to natural fire by escaping from it or exploiting it to hunt fleeing prey, but these hawks are showing a form of fire control.” This is the first he as heard of this in a non-human animals, he says.

The behaviour adds to the evidence that birds are very good at “generating innovative solutions to foraging problems,” says Kacelnik, who speculates that the skill could be periodically rediscovered in different locations and then copied by younger hawks in the same population.

Gosford says the next stage of their research will involve setting controlled fires with the help of Aboriginal land managers to try to capture the avian firebugs in action. “We are looking at gathering as much data on as many fire fronts as we can, and hope to record the behaviour on film.”

Up until now humans and lightning have been regarded as the only vectors of fire in Australia, but there’s now “cause to re-examine our understanding of fire history and how fire works in the landscape,” he says.



.. so the wildlife is now using fire.

Good job Australia.. did you learn nothing from The Jungle Book ?!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/22 00:51:11


Post by: chromedog


Hey, the "Fire Hawks" space marine chapter HAD to come from somewhere ...

Where better to use for inspiration than a continent ("Death world") where the native life is hostile to humans?


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/22 02:42:33


Post by: Just Tony


I honestly didn't think it was going to be birds of prey that would evolve and take us down.



Well played, Australia. Well played...


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/22 15:01:14


Post by: Frazzled


Nah this is Aussie PR. Real Aussie Firehawks have tiny flamethrowers....


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/22 16:56:41


Post by: SagesStone


 Just Tony wrote:
I honestly didn't think it was going to be birds of prey that would evolve and take us down.



Well played, Australia. Well played...


Well they're not poisonous so they had to do something.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/23 07:10:18


Post by: sebster


I was just about to post about how you guys have this really warped image of Australia, then I remembered last weekend talking to my friend who's pet joeys was snatched by an eagle. Yeah, you know how you guys are so proud of your bald headed eagles? Those things just snatch fish. They're glorified sea gulls.

Our eagles hunt kangaroos.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/23 17:40:57


Post by: soundwave591


 sebster wrote:
I was just about to post about how you guys have this really warped image of Australia, then I remembered last weekend talking to my friend who's pet joeys was snatched by an eagle. Yeah, you know how you guys are so proud of your bald headed eagles? Those things just snatch fish. They're glorified sea gulls.

Our eagles hunt kangaroos.


I tell people about how tiny our national mascot is and they are always in disbelief, until they do a google search.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/23 17:46:01


Post by: Desubot


Just what the world needs

Arson birds.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/23 18:32:02


Post by: Red Harvest


 sebster wrote:
I was just about to post about how you guys have this really warped image of Australia, then I remembered last weekend talking to my friend who's pet joeys was snatched by an eagle. Yeah, you know how you guys are so proud of your bald headed eagles? Those things just snatch fish. They're glorified sea gulls.

Our eagles hunt kangaroos.
Nope. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2016/04/29/nest-cam-livestreams-bald-eagle-parents-feeding-a-cat-to-their-eaglets/ Taking care of the feral cat population, like a good national symbol ought to do : They'll chase off coyotes too in order to enjoy a meal.

They do leave grizzlies alone. Any creature with sense leaves a grizzly bear alone.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/24 01:37:52


Post by: sebster


 Red Harvest wrote:
Nope. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2016/04/29/nest-cam-livestreams-bald-eagle-parents-feeding-a-cat-to-their-eaglets/ Taking care of the feral cat population, like a good national symbol ought to do : They'll chase off coyotes too in order to enjoy a meal.

They do leave grizzlies alone. Any creature with sense leaves a grizzly bear alone.


Hey that's cool. Well not for the cat, but those things are environmental disasters. Anyway thanks for the info.

But for a measure of scale of the two kinds of prey...


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/24 03:04:44


Post by: whembly


Do ya'll consider them as pets? OR like pests like deers???





Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/24 04:16:51


Post by: Farseer Anath'lan


Bit of both. Depends who/where you are. Some people keep orphans as pets, but they're dumb buggers who can be a bit dangerous to themselves and others. They get culled and shot in their thousands as pests, for leather and meat/petfood.

They're tasty.

Should be noted that the one in that pic is relatively small. They get a lot bigger.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/24 05:04:50


Post by: sebster


 whembly wrote:
Do ya'll consider them as pets? OR like pests like deers???


Out of all the people I've ever known I know a couple of people who've kept kangaroos as pets. In comparison, I've killed as many by myself, hitting them with my car.

As Farseer says, lots of roos are shot because in many parts of the country they're at pest levels. And we eat them, but not often. Not beacuse many people don't like the idea, but just because its a very difficult meat to cook well - it goes tough very easily.

 Farseer Anath'lan wrote:
Should be noted that the one in that pic is relatively small. They get a lot bigger.


Definitely. But the topic was roos that got grabbed by eagles. It would have been dishonest to post a full grown red because eagles don't take them when they've gotten that big


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/24 05:08:59


Post by: whembly


Interesting...

My old house, I lived near a massive park reserve and by the Missouri River. We had deers galore come up to the house, or sleep in our back yard.

Couldn't grow gak on our property as they'd eat anything.

...never had roos before.

Visiting Australia is definitely on my bucket list.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/24 05:42:36


Post by: Cream Tea


The only truly horrifying thing I've read about Australia is the GW prices.

Oh wait, Ken Ham is from there. Make that two things.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/24 08:35:45


Post by: Farseer Anath'lan


 sebster wrote:


Definitely. But the topic was roos that got grabbed by eagles. It would have been dishonest to post a full grown red because eagles don't take them when they've gotten that big


That's true. But they definitely do take bigger roos-they're known to take emus. Although, I guess an emu is a bit more fragile-long neck, easy to break.

However, paired wedgies take large reds occasionally-which means our birds of prey are teaming up to kill critters not much smaller then ourselves.
They've also attacked kids.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/24 21:32:45


Post by: Red Harvest


 sebster wrote:

Hey that's cool. Well not for the cat, but those things are environmental disasters. Anyway thanks for the info.
Do a search for Harpy eagles if you want truly scary.

Interesting to read about the Eagles of Oz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedge-tailed_eagle . It will eat feral cats too.

Does Australia really have more nasties than any other continent? Or is it a case of unfamiliarity with the nasties? Or size, given that Australia is the smallest continent, and may have the same amount of nasties, but at a greater density per square KM?

That asked, I can say I'm glad I don't have to worry about a redback on the toilet seat.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/25 02:26:35


Post by: Just Tony


Just watched a video of a harpy eagle plucking a sloth off of a vine. THEN watched a golden eagle in Montreal try to grab a toddler in the park. Got about two or three feet off the ground with the kid before the eagle dropped it.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/25 11:57:38


Post by: chromedog


That's pretty standard behaviour for a wedgie, though.

Grab it, fly it up in the air somewhere and drop it (more often than not, if the fall doesn't kill it, it will at least demotivate the prey from running away - because of internal injuries and broken bones and all that - then swoop down and eat it.

I've seen a local wedgie take feral (and neighbourhood moggies) cats (cats do not land on their feet from a couple of hundred feet up). They also attack drones and hang-gliders (but so do Condors - and they attack sailplanes and gliders, not just the flimsy parachute fabric and twigs things).


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/25 14:38:35


Post by: Crazy_Carnifex


 Just Tony wrote:
Just watched a video of a harpy eagle plucking a sloth off of a vine. THEN watched a golden eagle in Montreal try to grab a toddler in the park. Got about two or three feet off the ground with the kid before the eagle dropped it.


That Montreal Video was fake, y'know.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/01/26 03:23:23


Post by: Just Tony


Ah, was linked to a series of harpy eagle videos. I didn't even think about it being fake. Guess the safest bet is to just consider all video on youtube fake.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/08 09:28:26


Post by: chromedog


Recent Monsoonal rains in the top end have brought the crocs out, too. Crocodile hunters are being kept busy.



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/08 09:34:26


Post by: Munster


<shrug> and I've watched a wedgetailed eagle chased off by a family of 4 coordinated magpies... they're about the size of doves and attack anything entering their domain in nesting season


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/08 09:43:40


Post by: chromedog


.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/08 10:27:26


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


 chromedog wrote:
Recent Monsoonal rains in the top end have brought the crocs out, too. Crocodile hunters are being kept busy.



So once shown man's superiority, are the Crocs used for meat and that?

Not going down any kind of moral crusade route, just wondering!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/08 12:58:27


Post by: Frazzled


I would bet. We eat Gators.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/08 13:10:06


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


I've had one or the other on my plate before.

Would make sense to eat them like, but who knows what sort of transmittable disease risk there might be?


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/08 17:46:39


Post by: whembly


That's why we cook 'em!

Or better yet, deep fry the bastards!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/08 17:54:20


Post by: kronk


Deep fried gator was rather greasy, if I recall. Same with Deep fried shark I had once.

I'd rather have a ribeye steak, but I'll try anything once!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/09 04:37:14


Post by: sebster


 Red Harvest wrote:
Does Australia really have more nasties than any other continent? Or is it a case of unfamiliarity with the nasties? Or size, given that Australia is the smallest continent, and may have the same amount of nasties, but at a greater density per square KM?

That asked, I can say I'm glad I don't have to worry about a redback on the toilet seat.


We do have a really high share of all the world's spiders, for some reason. But But outside of that, we really don't have that many nasties, it’s more a fun thing to talk about. I remember in California an American asking me if we were afraid of all the wildlife, and I responded that you guys have a freaking bear on your flag. Bears are much scarier than anything in Australia.

The real environmental story here is the number of native creatures that are being decimated by various invaders. We have a diverse range of small mammals, and most are being slowly forced in to extinction by feral cats.

But that stuff if boring. Here's some video of a cyclist getting collected by a kangaroo.




Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/09 04:46:57


Post by: Grey Templar


Bears aren't really that dangerous at all outside of cornered females with cubs. As opposed to Crocodiles and Bull Sharks which will actually hunt people on purpose. Plus all the venomous spiders.

Bears will pretty much always run away from humans if they have a way out.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/09 07:01:20


Post by: nels1031


Well, not exactly horrifying, but today I learned that Western Australia is home to the largest herd of feral camels in the world.

Found out via MMAFighting.com, where UFC former midfleweight champ Luke Rockhold rode on into open workouts. Will wonders never cease?


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/09 08:25:40


Post by: sebster


 Grey Templar wrote:
Bears aren't really that dangerous at all outside of cornered females with cubs. As opposed to Crocodiles and Bull Sharks which will actually hunt people on purpose. Plus all the venomous spiders.


You've missed the point completely. No animal is actually that dangerous.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 nels1031 wrote:
Well, not exactly horrifying, but today I learned that Western Australia is home to the largest herd of feral camels in the world.


We actually export camels to Egypt


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/11 22:20:22


Post by: Frazzled


 sebster wrote:
 Grey Templar wrote:
Bears aren't really that dangerous at all outside of cornered females with cubs. As opposed to Crocodiles and Bull Sharks which will actually hunt people on purpose. Plus all the venomous spiders.


You've missed the point completely. No animal is actually that dangerous.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 nels1031 wrote:
Well, not exactly horrifying, but today I learned that Western Australia is home to the largest herd of feral camels in the world.


We actually export camels to Egypt


Barracuda actually are. They are attracted by glinty and will attack for no reason other than glinty. While not normally lethal their teeth are such that they will take a very bad bite out of you.

Also water moccasins will aggressively attack. They will climb in your boat.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/12 08:04:41


Post by: sebster


 Frazzled wrote:
Barracuda actually are. They are attracted by glinty and will attack for no reason other than glinty. While not normally lethal their teeth are such that they will take a very bad bite out of you.

Also water moccasins will aggressively attack. They will climb in your boat.


You've missed the point as well. It isn't that no animal will attack a human or anything like that. I mean, dingos will actually steal your baby. Funnel webs will actually leave their web to bite at a human.

But the point is that we are humans. We run this fething place. Any animal that's dangerous we kill or remove from an area we want to live in. And we build systems and tech that keeps them the hell away from us the rest of the time. As a result, despite there being animals with strength or venom or whatever that could really mess up a human, and some animals being quite aggressive, the number of humans that die to any kind of animal each year basically rounds to zero.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/12 09:10:36


Post by: whembly


Right... 'cuz we 'umies have enough neurons to obliterate anyting...


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/12 11:40:21


Post by: chromedog


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:


So once shown man's superiority, are the Crocs used for meat and that?

Not going down any kind of moral crusade route, just wondering!


Tail meat is sold at certain game butchers, yes. It's quite tasty, but like most game, has to be cooked a certain way or it goes as tough as boot leather.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/12 22:41:20


Post by: Frazzled


We run this fething place. Any animal that's dangerous we kill or remove from an area we want to live in. And we build systems and tech that keeps them the hell away from us the rest of the time. As a result, despite there being animals with strength or venom or whatever that could really mess up a human, and some animals being quite aggressive, the number of humans that die to any kind of animal each year basically rounds to zero.


You clearly have not been to the radioactive mutant zone that is New Mexico.

Also I avoid barracuda easily with an innate fear of the ocean, and killer drop bears with an equally innate fear of Australia.

Australia, we all remember the kangaroo cavalry you used so effectively in Borneo. How could the Japanese have known you would use them as antiaircraft by using them to literally jump guys with knives at their aircraft. Dude.



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/13 01:39:13


Post by: ProtoClone


 jhe90 wrote:
If we knew this we would never of landed on aus and left the place well alone!


I think it might have been the motivator to use it as a prison colony in the first place.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/15 22:36:14


Post by: chromedog


 sebster wrote:


We actually export camels to Egypt


Yup. Something about the breed stability and sturdiness. There's less in-breeding with our camels (imported during the 1800s and the building of the "overland telegraph" - the Afghan camelherds let them go when they became "obsolete" with the coming of the steam train - and since they were in a suitable environment, they thrived.) than the camels left in the part of the world where the breed originated.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/20 03:05:17


Post by: BaronIveagh


 Frazzled wrote:
We run this fething place. Any animal that's dangerous we kill or remove from an area we want to live in. And we build systems and tech that keeps them the hell away from us the rest of the time. As a result, despite there being animals with strength or venom or whatever that could really mess up a human, and some animals being quite aggressive, the number of humans that die to any kind of animal each year basically rounds to zero.


You clearly have not been to the radioactive mutant zone that is New Mexico.

Also I avoid barracuda easily with an innate fear of the ocean, and killer drop bears with an equally innate fear of Australia.

Australia, we all remember the kangaroo cavalry you used so effectively in Borneo. How could the Japanese have known you would use them as antiaircraft by using them to literally jump guys with knives at their aircraft. Dude.



gak, Texas, you've never had to knife fight a white tail deer. And I have very Australian, if not downright Catachan, ideas about what constitutes a 'knife'. And New Mexico isn't that bad. Take your iodine tablets make sure you're dosimeter is good, some sealed water containers, and get into your half track with quad fifties and you'll be fine.

The government does not pick winners and losers, those are chosen in THUNDERDOME!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/21 22:23:42


Post by: AndrewGPaul


 nels1031 wrote:
Well, not exactly horrifying, but today I learned that Western Australia is home to the largest herd of feral camels in the world.

Found out via MMAFighting.com, where UFC former midfleweight champ Luke Rockhold rode on into open workouts. Will wonders never cease?


There's a herd of feral wallabies in the Trossachs in Scotland.

Also, a story I like, but can't verify, is that the spider that causes the most deaths in Australia is a perfectly harmless brown house spider, that likes to hide behind the sun visor in cars. You flip the sun visor down, a spider falls in our face, and you panic and crash into a tree.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/22 19:43:56


Post by: reds8n




... good god....
Spoiler:







... are all the cliches true.. ?
Spoiler:









Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/22 22:30:39


Post by: nels1031


A little dose of Australia, in Virginia!

ARTINSVILLE, Va. — A Virginia police officer found an unlikely occupant inside a car parked on the side of the road.

WTVR reports that Martinsville Officer Chase Bennett spotted a vehicle on the side of a road last Tuesday and pulled up behind it to check up on the driver. When he approached the vehicle, he was surprised to see a kangaroo inside.

The driver, Laura Steere, told the officer she was OK and that she was checking on her kangaroo, according WDBJ. The officer couldn’t resist snapping a photo with the animal.

“His ears got me the most. His ears were just kinda flopping out,” Officer Bennett said. “Who’s going to say no to seeing a kangaroo?”

Steere said she was on her way home to Infinity Acres Ranch, which is an exotic animal ranch that offers educational programs.




Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/02/23 11:46:45


Post by: chromedog


 AndrewGPaul wrote:
 nels1031 wrote:
Well, not exactly horrifying, but today I learned that Western Australia is home to the largest herd of feral camels in the world.

Found out via MMAFighting.com, where UFC former midfleweight champ Luke Rockhold rode on into open workouts. Will wonders never cease?


There's a herd of feral wallabies in the Trossachs in Scotland.

Also, a story I like, but can't verify, is that the spider that causes the most deaths in Australia is a perfectly harmless brown house spider, that likes to hide behind the sun visor in cars. You flip the sun visor down, a spider falls in our face, and you panic and crash into a tree.


Well, we have antivenin for the redback and funnel web spiders (the killers) so there's been no documented fatalities from their bites in decades.
The "brown house spider" is the Huntsman (which can - and do - hide behind your wing-mirrors (in the housings), in your air vents and on the visor.). It's disturbing enough to have this majestic AF 8-legged cheetah run across the inside of your windscreen while you are doing 110 (km/h) down the freeway. It's much different when it drops onto your face to give you an 8-armed hug. They aren't harmful to humans with regards to bite toxicity (the bite WILL hurt, they have large fangs, but it's not toxic to us).

That spider pulling a mouse up a fridge? Yeah, a huntsman. They range from an inch or so across to your hand sized and up to dinner plate if climate and food supply are agreeable.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/04 07:43:22


Post by: chromedog


Another "giant spider" story.



A Brisbane dad was so shocked to see a massive spider dangling a gecko double its size in its fangs he covered his children's eyes to shield them from the horror.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/05 13:33:22


Post by: Frazzled


See that's the problem. In Texas we would kill that, and then burn the town. Humanity advanced by killing the predators, not averting youngling eyes. Humanity First!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/05 13:48:25


Post by: Inquisitor Lord Bane


I don't have enough caffeine for that level of 'nope' this morning. Why didn't dad just kill it? Was he afraid of it blocking his newspaper and overpowering him?



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/06 00:26:29


Post by: BaronIveagh


 Frazzled wrote:
See that's the problem. In Texas we would kill that, and then burn the town. Humanity advanced by killing the predators, not averting youngling eyes. Humanity First!


I dunno, fraz, the last time Texas saw a spider that big, they shipped it off to Desert Rock, Arizona.






Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/06 00:55:54


Post by: LumenPraebeo


A spider landed on my hand like 2 weeks ago, and i played around with it, let it run around my hands, then i let it out the window. When they're not being threatened by us, and fighting for their lives, spiders can be quite cute


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/06 04:45:50


Post by: chromedog


Yes, Kurri Kurri did have a mullet festival.

It's a small town about 30-40 minutes' drive away from where I live. They (like many of the local small towns near it) used to be prosperous off the back of the coal mining industry and haven't really got used to the idea of the 20th century yet, let alone the 21st.

They also do a nostalgia for the 50s festival annually. This alone says enough about the place.

Nostalgia just ain't what it used to be.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/06 06:30:28


Post by: Dreadwinter


I would take the huntsman spider or funnel web over the brown recluse any day of the week. Now your snakes, jellyfish, and even the fething trees? You can keep those. Just build a wall around the whole island imo. We can't risk any getting out.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/06 06:43:58


Post by: techsoldaten


Someone used to work for me from Australia would sometimes be on video chat and a spider would lurch across the ceiling. He had a bucket for containing them.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/06 13:23:04


Post by: Frazzled


 techsoldaten wrote:
Someone used to work for me from Australia would sometimes be on video chat and a spider would lurch across the ceiling. He had a bucket for containing them.


Are there no birds in Australia? No grackles, blackbirds, owls or Hawks? No snakes? This might be a factor. Clearly you need wiener dog killing machines and iguanas to deal with this.



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/07 01:07:31


Post by: BaronIveagh


 Frazzled wrote:

Are there no birds in Australia? No grackles, blackbirds, owls or Hawks? No snakes? This might be a factor. Clearly you need wiener dog killing machines and iguanas to deal with this.


Yeah, Frazz, they have birds there, however....



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/07 01:15:30


Post by: Frazzled


Wait.

What

The

feth?!?


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/07 01:18:40


Post by: -Loki-


That's a few years old. That's a Golden Orb Weaver female in Far North Queensland. Not even the biggest they get up there.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/07 01:41:35


Post by: BaronIveagh


 Frazzled wrote:
Wait.

What

The

feth?!?


Sorry, Frazz, but they need BIRDS


rather than birds


down under.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/07 03:28:40


Post by: chromedog


Oh, we have birds.

Although not so much a "freedom chicken" as feathery deinonichus.



We also have Falcons (which eat birds), hawks (some drop flaming branches in order to start fires to flush prey) and eagles, as well as ravens and quite a few insectivorous birds and lizards (some of whom happily eat spiders).


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/07 05:34:46


Post by: BigWaaagh


 chromedog wrote:
Yes, Kurri Kurri did have a mullet festival.

It's a small town about 30-40 minutes' drive away from where I live. They (like many of the local small towns near it) used to be prosperous off the back of the coal mining industry and haven't really got used to the idea of the 20th century yet, let alone the 21st.

They also do a nostalgia for the 50s festival annually. This alone says enough about the place.

Nostalgia just ain't what it used to be.


Please tell me they get David Spade to dress up as Joe Dirt and act as the festival's Master of Ceremony and Mullet Contest Judge!


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/07 13:47:41


Post by: Frazzled


 chromedog wrote:
Oh, we have birds.

Although not so much a "freedom chicken" as feathery deinonichus.



We also have Falcons (which eat birds), hawks (some drop flaming branches in order to start fires to flush prey) and eagles, as well as ravens and quite a few insectivorous birds and lizards (some of whom happily eat spiders).


Interesting. I am trying to figure out how these large spiders survive where they do not in other locations.

Snakes?


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/07 14:28:40


Post by: Inquisitor Gideon


Now someone needs to post the gif of the spider running off with a snake hanging from it's fangs.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/07 17:13:04


Post by: Grey Templar


 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
Now someone needs to post the gif of the spider running off with a snake hanging from it's fangs.




Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/07 17:18:00


Post by: Inquisitor Gideon


There it is. However you might want to spoiler it in case anyone around is actually an Arachnaphobe.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/07 17:24:48


Post by: Spinner


 Frazzled wrote:
 chromedog wrote:
Oh, we have birds.

Although not so much a "freedom chicken" as feathery deinonichus.



We also have Falcons (which eat birds), hawks (some drop flaming branches in order to start fires to flush prey) and eagles, as well as ravens and quite a few insectivorous birds and lizards (some of whom happily eat spiders).


Interesting. I am trying to figure out how these large spiders survive where they do not in other locations.

Snakes?


Ah, but they do survive in other locations!

Mostly South America, and also that bowl in the back of the cupboard that you can't quite see inside of.



Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/07 18:06:34


Post by: Grey Templar


 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
There it is. However you might want to spoiler it in case anyone around is actually an Arachnaphobe.


Any Arachnaphobe which has lasted this long in the thread is probably no longer an Arachnaphobe.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/07 22:05:17


Post by: Frazzled


Larger tarantulas can't make it here. Too many predators. Larger Mexican tarantulas are generally stopped south of here by that and the environment.

I guess there's a benefit to fire ants after all. They'll murderize any insect.

Maybe its lack of small predatory mammals and grackles. I saw a grackle chasing a mosquito hog once. Looked like one fighter chasing another. Quite cool.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/08 02:11:35


Post by: insaniak


 Frazzled wrote:
[

Interesting. I am trying to figure out how these large spiders survive where they do not in other locations.

Quantity.

And the fact that most insect-eating birds for some reason never think to look for prey under my bathtowel.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/10 03:45:16


Post by: ProwlerPC


The bowl in the back of the cupboard comment gave me a sudden stress spike and cold sweat. I actually don't mind spiders but a huge fething spider darting out of the bowl and down my arm like greased lighting when picked up would result in Flanders style scream followed a shattered jagged bowl piece stabbing everywhere. Not sure why, all these picks look cool and I once spent a full day on a wiki trip about Australia's critters, but the thought of such an unexpected ambush like that....whole town needs to be burned just in case there is another. Can't be complacent about these matters.


Australia continues to horrify the world  @ 2018/03/10 04:16:54


Post by: Dreadwinter


 Frazzled wrote:
Larger tarantulas can't make it here. Too many predators. Larger Mexican tarantulas are generally stopped south of here by that and the environment.

I guess there's a benefit to fire ants after all. They'll murderize any insect.

Maybe its lack of small predatory mammals and grackles. I saw a grackle chasing a mosquito hog once. Looked like one fighter chasing another. Quite cool.


I mean, it is my understanding that they have an incredibly bad rabbit and rat problem. So they are definitely missing something important from the food chain.

How are you guys on terrifyingly large birds of prey? Any ridiculously large owls or supersonic falcons? We got some Kingsnakes over here that look like they could take those spiders. Trash Pandas? Please, say you need some trash pandas. We need go get rid of some.