It is widely known that Australia is a dangerous continent in terms of many dangerous creatures living there, such as snakes, spiders, sharks or crocodiles.
Do you know how many people have died from snakes, spiders, sharks or crocodiles, blue ringed octopus, stonefish, cone snails or jellyfish? Read the list below (source: bobinoz.com) and find out.
- Snakes: With 41 recorded deaths between 1980 and 2009, snake deaths in Australia average out at less than two per year.
- Spiders: Nobody in Australia has died from a spider bite since 1979 after the successful introduction of antivenom for all native species.
- Sharks*: Accounted for 25 deaths between 2000 and (March) 2012 in Australia, about 2 a year.
- Crocodiles: Historically, crocodiles account for less than one death per year here in Australia, although that is increasing slightly as the crocodile population rises following the ban on crocodile hunting in 1971.
- Blue Ringed Octopus: Just 3 recorded deaths in the last century.
- Stonefish: One unconfirmed death by stonefish in 1915.
- Cone Snails: no recorded deaths from cone snails in Australia whatsoever.
- Killer Jellyfish: Jellyfish account for (at time of writing) 66 deaths since records began in 1883. The box jellyfish was responsible for 64 deaths, and the Irukandji the other two. It sounds a lot, but still less than one death per year, more like just half a death per year.
* Updated 5.4.12. with latest shark death figures.
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