Would you live in Canberra?

[AndyRM]

What about the orcs, wargs, goblins and dragons?

 

[Shut Up Legs]

What about the orcs, wargs, goblins and dragons?

You can blame Peter Jackson for importing those. What the hell was the guy thinking?

 

[jefmcg]

Yes, so long as you see a doctor quickly, you're generally OK.

(disclaimer: above text contains generalisations )

You're thinking of funnel Web spiders. You get bitten by one of them, you will die without antivenom.

First aid for red back is the same as bee sting

 

[Shut Up Legs]

You're thinking of funnel Web spiders. You get bitten by one of them, you will die without antivenom.

First aid for red back is the same as bee sting

Actually, you're wrong about what I'm thinking, so please don't make assumptions.

 

[swee'pea99]

I'm told that they are no actually that bad. The bite will only make you sick rather than kill you (this this in with what I have read online) and that is the brown and Tiger snakes I need to worry about. Oh well.

It was probably some other spider - it's a long time since I read the book. I seem to remember them hurling themselves at her, as she swatted them out of the air. Searching (without success) for the relevant quote online, I did come across: "... Two of the worst Australian spiders are the funnel-web and the trap-door. One is even more lethal than the other but I can't remember which. The funnel-web is a ping-pong ball in a fox-fur. But the real horror among spiders was more likely to be encountered in the lavatory itself. This was the red-back. It had the awkward habit, in unsewered areas like ours, of lurking under the lavatory seat. If a red-back bit you on the behind you were left with the awkward problem of where to put the tourniquet and not long to think about it. Nor could you ask anyone to suck out the poison, unless you knew them very well indeed. ..."

 

[jefmcg]

Actually, you're wrong about what I'm thinking, so please don't make assumptions.

Red Cross first aid course in Melbourne in the nineties did not recommend medical attention unless the patient was very old, very young, frail, or if the symptoms were severe.

St John's says the same now.

http://stjohn.org.au/assets/uploads/fact%20sheets/english/FS_spider.pdf&ved=0ahUKEwjJqIi39YHOAhXBAcAKHckWBewQFgglMAM&usg=AFQjCNHOlti36sbOl3W6Qt_ZaDWzaBFPEA

So what were you thinking?

 

[jefmcg]

where to put the tourniquet and not long to think about it. Nor could you ask anyone to suck out the poison, unless you knew them very well indeed. ..."

(I know this isn't serious advice...)
Well, that's ok as neither a tourniquet or sucking out the poison is ever advised. Sitting on a pack of frozen peas is an easy fix.

I'm told that they are no actually that bad. The bite will only make you sick rather than kill you (this this in with what I have read online) and that is the brown and Tiger snakes I need to worry about. Oh well.

You really don't need to worry much. According to Wikipedia, 18 people have died of snake bites in Oz this century. Compare that to road deaths over Easter which was 8 this year but usually in the twenties.

Australian snakes are deadly to animals in laboratories, but not so much for people in real life.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

An argument about poisonous spiders, only on CC!
Good to hear from you again @SatNavSaysStraightOn, I must check the mundane news thread more often

 

[gavgav]

Still trying to sorry internet out. We have moved out of the city. Whilst I like the city to visit, I can't hack living in it. So we are living rurally. Moved last Tuesday. Lots of cleaning to be done. Met my first red back spider yesterday. Had a wombat in the garden last night. 2nd night without any mice caught in the traps.... Hit a roo the day it snowed on a road hate, but we got off lightly. Road we were meant to be on was closed after the 4th accident due to snow. Sadly the 4th was a fatality, well known local artist apparently. What else? Not sure. Photos are somewhere on the mundane news thread. Just driven track to ensure its OK for the delivery and installation of washing machine and fridge freezer today. It had rained all night and they were worried about gets bogged down in mud. Can't see any issues after first bend... That's it really. Must get back to cleaning... Will try for a better update later and link to photos.

Red Back Spider in fact any spider for me!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

We added possums to the list of creatures living with us last night. I suspect it is the common bushtailed possum because of the noise on the tin roof, the fighting between, presumably, two make and a certain stain on the roof in one of the bedrooms which i now suspect it's possum urine rather that a leak. oh and we have a few rabbits as well. Add that to the wombat which I have seen and we have a good collection so far and I've only been here a week.

I've identify the following birds. The laughing kookaburra, sulphur crested cockatoo, superb fairy-wren, common Rosella, scarlet robins...

 

[AndyRM]

Are there other fairy-wrens? Like an average fairy-wren? I hope it doesn't get jealous.

 

[raleighnut]

Came across this, had to post it even though it's from 30yrs ago.


View: https://youtu.be/Gucd0IbRn5c

 

[jefmcg]

Came across this, had to post it even though it's from 30yrs ago.


View: https://youtu.be/Gucd0IbRn5c

boy, the Japanese stuff at the beginning has not aged well

We were thoroughly drilled on blue ringed octopus, as a kid. The are small, and live in rockpools, and they bite with a mouth piece that is underneath. So the only way to get bitten is by picking it up and putting it on your hand. But the the blue rings flash when they are aroused, so very appealing to kids playing in rock pools.

Apparently the poison stops every muscle in your body working, including heart and lungs. So the treatment is a CPR followed by a heart/lung machine until the poison works it's way out of your body. There's no antivenene. This makes them a very useful lesson in first aid, because they want you to keep administering CPR until you hand off to paramedics, even if you think the person is dead. When I did a first aid course, they told us about an oil rig worker who somehow got bitten by one, and was able to tell his friends that he heard them say "he's dead. Let's stop the CPR." With every muscle paralysed, he couldn't tell them otherwise. But they kept going - yay! That lesson stuck with me.

 

[raleighnut]

boy, the Japanese stuff at the beginning has not aged well

We were thoroughly drilled on blue ringed octopus, as a kid. The are small, and live in rockpools, and they bite with a mouth piece that is underneath. So the only way to get bitten is by picking it up and putting it on your hand. But the the blue rings flash when they are aroused, so very appealing to kids playing in rock pools.

Apparently the poison stops every muscle in your body working, including heart and lungs. So the treatment is a CPR followed by a heart/lung machine until the poison works it's way out of your body. There's no antivenene. This makes them a very useful lesson in first aid, because they want you to keep administering CPR until you hand off to paramedics, even if you think the person is dead. When I did a first aid course, they told us about an oil rig worker who somehow got bitten by one, and was able to tell his friends that he heard them say "he's dead. Let's stop the CPR." With every muscle paralysed, he couldn't tell them otherwise. But they kept going - yay! That lesson stuck with me.

Aye I'll admit it is a 'bit' rascist, strange he got away with it at a charity 'gig' though.