Spiders and snakes
21 August 2006 by danielbowenSpiders scare the bejeezers out of me. Just how common and how big are spiders in Australia? — James, probably UK
Despite the fears (particularly among the English, it seems) of Australia being overrun with gigantic spiders, snakes and other such deadly creatures, they’re not actually that common. At least, not in plague proportions or anything.
In urban areas, snakes are pretty rare. You’d almost certainly have to go looking hard to find any, and if you’re foolish enough to stomping about in long grass with no foot or leg protection, then you might get into some trouble.
Spiders are less rare, but most of the really scary big ones (eg huntsman) are relatively harmless, at least physically. (I’m not going to argue that psychologically they might scare the crap out of you… they certainly have that affect on me.) The few dangerous spiders tend to be the smaller ones such as the redback and the Sydney funnelweb.
A survey by the ABS showed a mere 1.2% of the population noted bite or sting in the previous four weeks. The figures included bites from snakes, spiders, dogs, but not insects such as mosquitos. It doesn’t comment on whether bites from small children or other humans were included.
Under 15% of those bitten resulted in poisoning.
While it always pays to be aware of your surroundings, and not to place yourself in danger of bites from snakes or spiders or man-eating tigers, none of them are common, and shouldn’t hold you back having a good time visiting. And carry a big stick if it makes you feel safer.
PS. Spiders scare the bejeezers out of me too.
August 22nd, 2006 at 9:54 pm
I’ve got a few stories about snakes and spiders.
A couple of years ago I was bitten by a snake. In suburbia, in my front yard, while moving my sprinkler.
I grew up in the outback, and I don’t get bitten till I move into the city. It was too dark to identify it, there was no poison detected at the site, but it was probably a tree snake. But protocol said they had to keep my in the IC unit over night sticking me with needles every few hours. Did you know that if you hold your breath in the IC unit, alarms go off on the machines hooked up to you?
I’m back out of town now.
Last week I was I stood up from putting my shoes on and my wife said, “Don’t move! You’ve got a spider on your back”. So I did what any person would do, started to dance around trying to slap my back. “Stop it!”, she screamed, “It’s really big!” So now I’m standing there and she creeps up on me with a tea towel and makes these shooing motions at my back. This bloody great huntsman comes charging over my shoulder and dives down the front of my shirt.
Great. Not only have I seen how how big it is, but I can feel how big it is in all it’s hairyness on my chest.
So I did what any man would do. Started grappling at my shirt and screaming like a little girl. My wife joins in trying to pull my shirt off, but the damn thing is tucked in tight. So we both start fumbling around trying to undo my belt and jeans, while this bloody great ball of hair, fangs and legs does laps around my middle.
My wife manages to rip my shirt off throws it onto the front lawn, where surprisingly it doesn’t run off into bush.
So yes, they are not poisoness, but that still didn’t stop me from dancing half naked all over my shirt.
October 20th, 2006 at 12:20 pm
Firstly, Craig, my sympathies!
Ive also done the “Huntsman Shuffle” but with a wood spider big enough to wrap itself around my arm so it took 3 or 4 attempts to sweep her off…
After a recent visit from UK friends I’ve decided that all Brits are arachnaphoes. For the month that they were here the only wildlife incident was a young lady who had a redback in her ensuite… and promptly panicked, ran from the room, missed the doorway, got knocked unconsious for a few seconds and woke up face to face with the redback…
The moral of the story for our brit (or any other arachnophobic) visitors is this: They really are more scared of you than you are of them. Leave them alone and they’ll generally leave you alone. And finally a bit of advice - if its big brown and hairy, its generally harmless… if its small and black, its more likely to be a real nasty bugger. I’d rather be bitten by a bird eating spider than than funnel web!
October 28th, 2006 at 1:37 pm
Heavy weapons don’t help. A few years back I was camped out in the scrub and needing some firewood. I took my mighty chainsaw to a nearby dead casuarina tree, fired it up and started cutting. Out from under the tree bark scurried a host of very large, very hairy huntsman spiders, climbing all over the chainsaw.. Now, I know they’re bloody harmless, but by the time the chainsaw hit the ground 20 metres away, still running, I reckon I was 50 metres away in the opposite direction and doing the “huntsman shuffle”.
December 2nd, 2006 at 10:24 am
Hi to everyone. I spent 25 years in the Australian Army and during that time spent a hell of a lot of time in the bush. (Probably 3 to 4 moths of every year spent in the bush)
In all that time I have had only 5 encounters with snakes. 4 were common Carpet Snakes or pythons comming to say hello at night time, and one King Brown that attempted to injure my landrover by throwing itself under the tyres at 100kph.
Spiders are a different story. Huntsman look very nasty but the biggest I ever felt was a Bird Eating spider that crawled over my face while I was sneaking around in the rain forrest near Cairns at night. OK so i walked into his/her web and it was entirely my fault so i can’t blame anyone else but the bloody thing was as large as a dinner plate.
It wasn’t entirely unpleasant but having both of ones ears massaged while its belly slides over your nose could make some people feel just a tad uncomfortable. Yes I was wearing insect repellent at the time and no it didn’t deter the wee beasty in any manner. Contray to popular belief they are quite soft and the hairy legs tickled a bit and he/she walked off uninjured and so I was happy when it left.
December 4th, 2006 at 12:03 pm
Hmmmmm. Having grew up in NZ and spent the last 11 years in the UK, I came to this site in search of some reassurance.
Figuring knowlege is power - surely research into the nasty beasties that hang out here will help me deal and ultimately cope with ‘the fear’, Particularly because my partner (is it not enough that he dragged me all the way to Melbourne? Must we go further into the depths??) wants to take me ‘camping’ between christmas and new year.
What can I say chaps ‘arrrrrgggh. I’m a celebrity get me out of here!’
hmm. more research required I think.
Sincerely
‘Practically a whingeing pom’
February 12th, 2007 at 1:12 am
Hiya guys,
My name is Donna and I am from Ireland. I am coming over to Australia (SYDNEY)with my mates in august for a yr just as an experience and a bit of travelling while im young and able to do it. The only thing is that (yes youv guessed it) Iv a terrible fear of spiders, and I mean terrible. Baby spiders freak the hell out of me over here in ireland so I can only imagine what I would be like if I seen a huntsman…….I really dont know what to do, because this phobia has a big impact on whether I will I go or not? My worst fear is when I am asleep at night….all alone and I see a spider beside me on my bed and then he jumps onto me! I know its crazy, but the image just scares me so much!!!!!!!!! Please help!
April 18th, 2007 at 7:46 am
I am a Brit who lived in Oz around 15 years ago and I have to say I never saw any snakes during my 2 year stay there. I did see many spiders though. Garry Myers is dead right that we Brits are terrified of spiders…. but its because we don’t have many big ones and none that are potentially dangerous to people. The biggest spider I have ever seen was in my flat in Paddignton (Sydney)… I have no idea whether it was poisonous or not but it looked pretty fierce and was very confident: it walked towards me and wouldn’t be put off by my arm flapping!!!
August 5th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
All u people are sissys i live in oz and i love poisonions animals i got a very big bird eating spider and a desert Scorpion living in my bed room and im only 14.
March 30th, 2008 at 2:23 am
Hi, my brother is now a resident in oz with a beautiful wife and 2 gorgeous girls! i visit evey yr from the uk and its safe to say i have to go looking for snakes and spiders and if thats not bad enough, i take a big stick to poke them with!!! My brother is well over 6 foot tall and built like a house end (that means huge), he just moved out to laidley, sorting the garden he came across a scorpion-he jumped in the air so high he looked like a plane-big softy!!!