Too much information

[Eki]

I just watched a TV program that said there are over 50 species of venoumous snakes in Australia. And that's not all! You also get venomous spiders.

I'm sure that program isn't good for tourism in Australia.

[Hazell B]

I'd hope most people are smart enough to realise the snakes and spiders don't tend to dwell in tourist hotspots, or attack just for the hell of it.

The fires would have put more people off.

[Mark in Oshawa]

This sort of thing is why my lady doesn't want to visit Australia. Of course she has an issue with ships because the Titanic went down so we have some issues to resolve!!!

[schmenke]

I'd hope most people are smart enough to realise the snakes and spiders don't tend to dwell in tourist hotspots....

True, but whilst vacationing in the land-down-under a few years ago the missus and I (well, more frequently the missus) had to think twice about venturing out-of-bounds to retrieve an errant golf ball :mark:

[Tazio]

I'd hope most people are smart enough to realise the snakes and spiders don't tend to dwell in tourist hotspots, or attack just for the hell of it.

The fires would have put more people off.I can't speak for Austrailia,
but in the Southwest U.S Black Widows are very common. I see a lot in San Diego.
When I lived in Las Vegas (a tourist hotspot by a couple definitions ;) )
I could count on one habitating an area directly beneath my outdoor water bibs of my house in the summer.
You are right however. They don't go out of their way to attack people.
The vast majority of bites come from someone digging around in wood piles, or moving rocks
without gloves or other hand protection!

[Drew]

I'm extremely scared of snakes and it would definitely make me think twice about staying in the bush for too long :p :

[Easy Drifter]

Parts of Ontario have the Massassauga Rattlesnake but not southern Ont. Not supposed to be any where I am but within 20k so I wouldn't bet on it. I have come across them twice years ago in areas where they were not supposed to be. Leave them alone and you are pretty safe.
We have a few Black Widow spiders and even fewer Brown Recluse. The latter seem to find me tasty. Bitten twice. Never saw them, just the results. Not pleasant. Last bite 2 1/2 years ago still affects my right hand.

[Rollo]

I'd hope most people are smart enough to realise the snakes and spiders don't tend to dwell in tourist hotspots, or attack just for the hell of it.

The Sydney Funnel Web Spider is a common sight around where I live, and that's in the middle of suburbia. Redbacks are also pretty common and can be found in places like my laundry.

I did however, find this in this morning's newspaper.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25160039-12377,00.html
A CANBERRA man was described as a hero for wrestling a kangaroo out of his house after being woken in the early hours by the marsupial smashing in.
The kangaroo, which had left a trail of blood in the house, disappeared back into surrounding bushland. The intruder had jumped a backyard fence and then lept up 1.5m to break through the window. Mr Ettlin was left with shredded undies and the admiration of his wife

[leopard]

Do we have to agree that Brian May song was correct at some extent, Too much 'info' will kill you.

[Mark]

A CANBERRA man was described as a hero for wrestling a kangaroo out of his house after being woken in the early hours by the marsupial smashing in.

Legend :p

[Ranger]

I just watched a TV program that said there are over 50 species of venoumous snakes in Australia. And that's not all! You also get venomous spiders.

I'm sure that program isn't good for tourism in Australia.
Common sense prevails. (http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/australian_snakes.html) :up:

Unless you find yourself in bushland at night (which most tourists don't, pretty easy not to), you probably won't come across a python, yet alone a deadly snake, yet alone be in the unfortunate position of being bitten by one.

Spiders you'd be more concerned about because they live in your garden. Just wear gloves, proper shoes and clothes when gardening, be careful and you'll be right. Go to the clinic or call an ambulance if you get bitten by a big black spider ASAP and you should be alright.

[ChrisS]

I just watched a TV program that said there are over 50 species of venoumous snakes in Australia. And that's not all! You also get venomous spiders.

I'm sure that program isn't good for tourism in Australia.

On the other hand, it could really help Ecotourism

[schmenke]

Parts of Ontario have the Massassauga Rattlesnake ...

I've been told that the Rattlesnake is not uncommon in southern Alberta, but I'm not convinced :s The only thing equipped with a forked tongue around here is in my sister-in-law :vader:

[A.F.F.]

I think a very nice Aussie person said it best last summer when he said; "Yes, we got some ****ed up animals down there" :)

[Tazio]

Southern California is loaded with Southern Pacific Rattle Snakes They are very visible in the undeveloped areas. Especially in the late spring. You have to be extremely unlucky, or an idiot to get bitten by one. They like to hang out in good ambush spots like bushes next to a trail where they can pounce on rabbits squirrels, mice and other small rodents. As a general rule they will feel threatened when something as big as a human approaches. Then they start rattling their asses off. If you can't understand that hint than you deserve to get the bite.
http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/c.o.helleri.html

[Daniel]

I think a very nice Aussie person said it best last summer when he said; "Yes, we got some ****ed up animals down there" :)

That sounds like a certain someone I know :p

As Mallen said, common sense..... the only time I ever really ran the risk of seeing a snake outside of a zoo, let alone being bitten one was when I went to rally Australia and common sense dictates that you don't go through long grass or any places where a snake could be hiding and you'll be fine. That said I've never even seen a snake :mark:

[Eki]

Southern California is loaded with Southern Pacific Rattle Snakes They are very visible in the undeveloped areas. Especially in the late spring. You have to be extremely unlucky, or an idiot to get bitten by one. They like to hang out in good ambush spots like bushes next to a trail where they can pounce on rabbits squirrels, mice and other small rodents. As a general rule they will feel threatened when something as big as a human approaches. Then they start rattling their asses off. If you can't understand that hint than you deserve to get the bite.
http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/c.o.helleri.html

We were in a desert motel in California and went walking nearby. We saw some rabbits, which was nice, but then we spotted a snake skin on our path. We decided to go back to the motel. Where's a snake skin must also be a snake.

[Tazio]

We were in a desert motel in California and went walking nearby. We saw some rabbits, which was nice, but then we spotted a snake skin on our path. We decided to go back to the motel. Where's a snake skin must also be a snake. Yes snakes grow out of their skin I think it's called molting or something like that. There is a wide variety of snakes in Southern Cal. With the exception of the rattler, none are dangerous to humans. They are mostly constrictors, harmless unless you are under a kilo in weight! We used to play with them in the canyons by my house when I was young (and they were a lot more common)! The odds are that you were not in peril ;)
I find it humorous how people from different regions view natural threats. Just in the States alone many Americans from the East Coast and Mid-West think Californians are insane for living in such a seismically active area. Having lived in San Diego since 1960 there has never been an earthquake of any real significance. I've either not noticed or slept through most them. I was in a hotel in Pasadena when the Whittier Narrows Quake hit, 6 miles from the epicenter!! That One scared the be-jesus out of me. I came very close to jumping off a third story balcony on to a car in the parking lot :eek:
Many Californians think Floridians are nuts for living with the threat of Hurricanes, and personally you wouldn't catch me in tornado alley
in the Mid-West during the season unless I had a damned good reason to be there!!


That said I've never even seen a snake

I find that amazing :dozey:

[anthonyvop]

6 different species of poisonous snakes, Spiders, Fish with Poisonous barbs, Obnoxious TV Host killers (Stingrays), Bull Sharks, Tiger Sharks, dozens of other species of sharks, Barracudas, Alligators, Crocodiles.

All of those I can find with a 5 mile radius of my home and yet it is Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank and Harry Reid that scare me.

[Tazio]

6 different species of poisonous snakes, Spiders, Fish with Poisonous barbs, Obnoxious TV Host killers (Stingrays), Bull Sharks, Tiger Sharks, dozens of other species of sharks, Barracudas, Alligators, Crocodiles.

All of those I can find with a 5 mile radius of my home and yet it is Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank and Harry Reid that scare me.This may belong on a different thread but Tony, "You’re A Real Pistol"
:rotflmao:

BTW I was born in Coral Gables FLA. 1954 and lived there untill 1960 It was the boondocks back then The guy next door sold us an acre of his 28 My father had a custom built house put on it Hell we had snakes in the freakin' house and gator's at the end of the street I loved it. I have very fond yet distant memories of that paradise!

[Easy Drifter]

West Palm Beach or Moroso where there were armed skin divers in case you went off into the swamp with the gators.
When testing the brand new Chevron B29 prototype the late Jim Crawford hit a large Rattler on the back straight. Chevron 1 Rattler 0.
Sign by first tee at a golf course near Orlando 'Before stepping over a log check for snakes on other side. Also make sure it really is a log.'

[anthonyvop]

West Palm Beach or Moroso where there were armed skin divers in case you went off into the swamp with the gators.
When testing the brand new Chevron B29 prototype the late Jim Crawford hit a large Rattler on the back straight. Chevron 1 Rattler 0.
Sign by first tee at a golf course near Orlando 'Before stepping over a log check for snakes on other side. Also make sure it really is a log.'
I worked at Moroso. No Armed Skin divers.

We would go Wild Boar hunting at night when we closed.........Roast Hog!!!

[anthonyvop]

This may belong on a different thread but Tony, "You’re A Real Pistol"
:rotflmao:

BTW I was born in Coral Gables FLA. 1954 and lived there untill 1960 It was the boondocks back then The guy next door sold us an acre of his 28 My father had a custom built house put on it Hell we had snakes in the freakin' house and gator's at the end of the street I loved it. I have very fond yet distant memories of that paradise!

I Was born and raised in Pinecrest. Actually in the beginning it was called Kendall. I remember when Dadeland was a mall that nobody would go to. Now it is one of the Top Malls in terms of sales in the USA.

Kendall Drive was the road to nowhere. Had U-Pick Strawberry Fields a few blocks away.

[Tazio]

I Was born and raised in Pinecrest. Actually in the beginning it was called Kendall. I remember when Dadeland was a mall that nobody would go to. Now it is one of the Top Malls in terms of sales in the USA.

Kendall Drive was the road to nowhere. Had U-Pick Strawberry Fields a few blocks away.At the exact site of Qualcomm Stadium built in 1967-68
was a corn field with a U-pick strawberry field in the center. Actually the original name is San Diego Municipal Stadium. I refuse to use any of the others like Jack Murphy Stadium named after that drunken journalist before it was Qualcomm. That’s in the San Diego River Valley, also known as Mission Valley

Up until about 1974 the San Diego River had the best Bass fishing in Southern California Now its one huge strip mall

Let me ask you this. I remember going into the Quick-Check Market circa 1958 or 9 and asking my mother why the drinking fountain had a white, and a black handled spout. My parents were New Yorkers College Grads and educators. Not a hint of racism between them. I remember the answer she gave me:
"some people think that black and white people have different germs"
I have other examples, but I'm curious. Do you have any memories of the Jim Crow South?

[Daniel]

I find that amazing :dozey:

Well I've not seen one outside of a zoo or reptile display :)

[Tazio]

Well I've not seen one outside of a zoo or reptile display :) I guess it's not that amazing. I mean Just because St. Patrick ran all those pesky reptiles out of Ireland
doesn't suggest that he sent them parcel post to England. :p :

Seriously for some reason I thought you were S.African :confused:

I have ascertained that you've travel a lot.
I never gave it that much thought but since were on the subject I'll put in my two cents


!)You probably never lived in an area of a relatively large populations of snakes
2) you used common sense around habatat that did and stayed on marked trails.



3 Your really "Jabba the hut" and snakes are scared shyltess of you :)



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[Daniel]

I'm Australian really. Lived there for 23 years and didn't see a snake in the wild.

[Tazio]

I'm Australian really. Lived there for 23 years and didn't see a snake in the wild.
Ok now were getting somewhere.

My instints tell me that # 2 applies to you!

Or you have very poor vision :laugh: ;)

[Easy Drifter]

Tony: In the early 70's there were. Just knives. probably really for seat belts.
You never know what you might encounter. At Harewood Acres if you went off at Big Torque in a race or anywhere on or off track in mid week practice you might encounter one of Russell Hare's sheep. More than one person woke up in their tent to find a sheep with it's head inside the tent looking at you.
Once at Mosport I came around turn 9, a blind corner, luckily at slow speed as I was teaching a student lines when I was instucting and came face to face with a cow.
I am not sure who was more frightened, my student, me or the cow!
No marshalls at the school in those days.

[raybak]

If you live in the bush, you need to keep a shovel at the back door to hit the snakes. No big deal. Also you need to watch where you step when you go rally spectating.

The worst thing is if you stop at a roadside stop and a snake gets up in your engine bay for some warmth.

Snakes are protected now, so technically if a snake attacks you you can't kill it. I had a brown snake on our back path a couple of years ago, wacked it with the shovel and killed it. I'd be in big trouble now if i did that.

Ray

[A.F.F.]

I have killed a snake every summer for the past fifteen years and got away with it :)

They call Zodiac of Vahanka in Finland.

[Tazio]

I have killed a snake every summer for the past fifteen years and got away with it :)

They call Zodiac of Vahanka in Finland.

:rotflmao:

[rah]

I'm Australian really. Lived there for 23 years and didn't see a snake in the wild.

Lol that is amazing. I lived near the bush for a fair few years and have seen plenty. Snakes I have seen wild are:
Brown Snake - very deadly - seen heaps of these locally
Tiger Snake - very deadly - seen a few locally. Don't like them too much as they are a bit agressive.
Taipan - very deadly - only seen one in the wild while travelling in FNQ.
Red Belly Black Snake - dangerous - seen plenty locally.
Death Adder - deadly - only snake to be wary of in the night AFAIK
Yellow Faced Whip Snake - can be dangerous - this I caught in mu back yard and relased into the bush.
Diamond Python - Cudly - Caught plenty of these in backyards and released later on.
Brown Tree Snake - dangerous - caught this in my living room one night. Released later on.

Seen plenty of Funnelwebs and Redbacks too.

There is a reason I have a compression bandage in my camera bag.

[schmenke]

I have only ever seen/stepped on/rode my bike over grass (garter?) snakes. I'm sure there's a technical term for them, but I have't the foggiest :mark:

I doubt they are protected as they are found just about everywhere here.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Schmenke...we Canadians don't have little snakes....we have big ole bears, 1500 lbs of Moose that like to charge cars and the odd mountain lion right? Toss in a few Wolverines........

Only one poisonious snake can be found in Canada and it is native to the area Drifter hangs out in....along with all his biting spiders.....

[Daniel]

Lol that is amazing. I lived near the bush for a fair few years and have seen plenty. Snakes I have seen wild are:
Brown Snake - very deadly - seen heaps of these locally
Tiger Snake - very deadly - seen a few locally. Don't like them too much as they are a bit agressive.
Taipan - very deadly - only seen one in the wild while travelling in FNQ.
Red Belly Black Snake - dangerous - seen plenty locally.
Death Adder - deadly - only snake to be wary of in the night AFAIK
Yellow Faced Whip Snake - can be dangerous - this I caught in mu back yard and relased into the bush.
Diamond Python - Cudly - Caught plenty of these in backyards and released later on.
Brown Tree Snake - dangerous - caught this in my living room one night. Released later on.

Seen plenty of Funnelwebs and Redbacks too.

There is a reason I have a compression bandage in my camera bag.

Well to be honest I don't spend much time in the bush but I did do my yearly trip out to Rally Australia and also spent lots of time out in the country where my relatives lived and spent time walking through paddocks and in the bush and just never saw snakes :)

[schmenke]

Schmenke...we Canadians don't have little snakes....we have big ole bears, 1500 lbs of Moose that like to charge cars and the odd mountain lion right? Toss in a few Wolverines........

Only one poisonious snake can be found in Canada and it is native to the area Drifter hangs out in....along with all his biting spiders.....

As I mentioned early, I've been told that rattlers are not uncommon to southern Alberta, but I'm not convinced... :dozey:

And yes, Lord knows I've encountered my share of moose (mostly when I lived in Newfoundland) and the odd black bear.

I've seen worms bigger than our wee little grass snakes :p :

[Easy Drifter]

We do have various types of Rattlesnakes across the country. The Massassauga in Ontario. They are not normally found where I am but are within 10 miles of here. Might be the odd stray here but I have never heard of one. And yes I am often in the area they are found in. All the local hospitals have the anti venom. Ontario used to have the Timber Rattlers but the last one found was in the Niagara Gorge in the 40's. Do not have to go far south of the Lake Ontario or Lake Erie to find them.
The prairies have the (surprise) Prairie Rattler and the Diamondback (fairly rare). BC and Alberta have the Diamondback and Western Rattler. None are very common and all are a shy snake so basically unless you step on or very near one or stick your hand in a hole you are pretty safe.
It has been years since I heard of anyone in Canada dying from a rattler bite. Sick yes but dying no. The most aggressive snake in Ontario is the water snake but it is not venonmus. It will bite and will attack with little provocation.

[schmenke]

...stick your hand in a hole ....

Last time I tried that I got a slap in the face.













:erm:

[Easy Drifter]

Obviously the wrong technique!

Time for a snake post in jokes.