Recent reports of a man finding a four metre long carpet snake inside his spare room has shocked residents in Queensland. Although the carpet snake is harmless, it could be mistaken for any of Australia’s deadliest species. The Eastern Brown snake, on the other hand, is extremely dangerous and causes a huge threat in rural parts of Australia.
The Eastern Brown snake
The Eastern Brown snake, part of the brown snake species, is responsible for more deaths in Australia than any other. Found throughout the eastern half of mainland Australia, as well as Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, the Eastern Brown Snake, usually orange-brown in colour, can exceed lengths of two metres. This extremely dangerous species inhabits a wide range of habitats but it is particularly spotted in woodland and grass areas. It has also been known to be lurking in coastal and inland areas that are vastly populated. The number of fatalities due to Eastern Brown Snake bites have decreased over the years due to new developments with anti-venoms, but they still pose a threat to the public.
The Cane Toad
Introduced into Australia in 1935, the cane toad was brought in to try and control the cane beetle – but this did not work out as intended. It soon became clear that the cane toads were reproducing and spreading quickly. When first introduced, the cane toad numbers were small and have now increased to over 200 million. Because of this, the cane toad is considered a pest by the Australian Government. Known to feed from food bowls left outside homes, they are contributing to the decrease in numbers of native species, pets and although, not fatal in most cases, the cane toad has poisoned humans in some instances. Their venom is known to affect the heart of their victims.
The Black Rat
The black rat did not cause a great problem itself, but the fleas it carried are one of the causes of the Black Death, which killed over 100 million people, which was around 25% of the world’s population at the time. Ever since, we have feared and hated rats. Rats still carry disease, thankfully not the Black Death, so if you see one contact a local rat exterminator.
The Huntsman Spider
The Huntsman spider, mainly found in parts of the world with tropical climates such as America and Australia, got their name from the aggressive way they hunt their prey. The spider uses the venom produced from a bite to debilitate their victim making it easier to digest them. Although, not thought of extremely harmful to humans there can be many side effects if bitten such as, sickness, headaches and heart palpitations.
