His Bite is Worse Than His Bark Quiz

Answer:

Venom is a toxin that comes in various forms. For example, venom that attacks the brain and the nervous system is categorized as a neurotoxin and these, generally, are the ones that are most harmful to humans. Proteolytic venom attacks the molecular structure of cells, myotoxic, the muscle tissue, and the coagulopathic adversely affects the cardiovascular system. Some venom is cytotoxic and is likely to break down cell tissue. A creature that injects venom into its victim may carry one or a combination of these compounds. How lethal it is likely to be to humans will be dependent upon how it is delivered and the amount of venom that has been injected.

So, why is Australia the lucky country to be blessed with so many venomous creatures? Without being disrespectful, one of the old chestnuts (delivered in jest) is that when God began to distribute these creatures, he started with Australia but soon got bored. That said, the venomous animal diversity in Australia is not unusual when compared with the rest of the world. However, what has helped to create the myth of this continent being "the home of the deadly", is that, in certain fauna, the concentration of venomous creatures is significantly greater than in other regions of the globe. The classic example here is the snake... there are some 220 species of snake in Australia, of which 145 are venomous. That means that, approximately, 65% of the snake species here are venomous. Compare that with the global scale where only 15% of the snakes are venomous.

The list above contains three snakes (including one sea-snake), three other sea creatures, two spiders, an insect and, rather surprisingly, a mammal. Of the snakes, many consider the inland taipan to be the world's most venomous snake. An average bite from this creature is likely to yield 44mg of toxin, sufficient enough to kill between 25 and 30 people. The good news is that it is an elusive desert dweller, so contact with humans is rare. The tiger snake, on the other hand, is commonly encountered, and it is an extremely deadly creature. Despite the fact that there is an antivenom available, there have been three recorded deaths attributable to the tiger in the first twenty years since the turn of the 21st century. All of Australia's sea-snakes are venomous but, for the most part, they are also docile.

The Sydney funnel web spider is, arguably, the world's deadliest, possessing a venom that is high in neurotoxins. An antivenom is now available and, since its introduction in 1981, no deaths have been recorded from its bite. Prior to that it is believed to have been the cause of 13 deaths. The redback is a member of the widow group of spiders. This black beauty, with its longitudinal red stripe on its back, originated in the desert regions of Western Australia and South Australia and has since spread across the country. If you get bitten by one, pray that it is the male of the species, as it has shorter fangs and would struggle to penetrate your skin deep enough to deliver a lethal dose.

Of the other sea creatures mentioned above, the cone snail (also known as the cone shell) bears a spike that delivers a fast acting neurotoxin. The reason that it is fast acting is that the snail is quite slow and it needs to kill its prey quickly. That said, only one human death, by sea snail, has been recorded in Australia, and that was way back in 1935. Humans will get stung by stepping on the snail and, here's the real sting (yes, the pun is intended), it is usually a painless transaction and it is highly likely the victim will not realize what has taken place. The sting from the box jellyfish, on the other hand, is excruciating. Delivered by tiny little, harpoon-shaped, cells, covering some 60 tentacles, the creature has the capacity to kill a healthy human in minutes. Found in the warmer northern waters of Australia, it has been responsible for more than 70 deaths since 1883. The blue-ringed octopus is about the size of your open palm and can deliver enough neurotoxin to paralyze most people. Like the cone snail, its sting can go unnoticed, however, there is no antidote for its venom.

The bull ant, also known as the bulldog ant or the jack-jumper among others, has a median lethal dose (LD50 measurement) of 0.18 to 0.35 mg/kg of venom, which makes it one of the most toxic in the insect world. This is enough venom to trigger life threatening anaphylactic reactions in humans that are allergic. In Australia, 2 to 3% of the population is allergic and, if that doesn't sound like much, consider this... Australia's population in 2022 was a little over 26 million, which means that up to 780,000 people are vulnerable to it.

To add some uniqueness to Australia's venomous population, we introduce to you the platypus. It is one of those rare mammals on the planet that utilizes venom as a weapon. The male of the species has a set of sharp stingers in the heels of its hind legs, which it will wrap around its victim and then drive them into their flesh. Whilst its venom contains three major toxin groups and can kill a small dog, it is believed to be non-lethal to humans, however, it can cause excruciating whole body pain that can last for weeks.

Finally, there is a slight difference between deadly and dangerous. Whilst venomous creatures may well be deadly, their danger may be diminished significantly. The inland taipan, as described above, is a case in point. Crocodiles and sharks, whilst not venomous, represent a far greater danger than it. However, in respect to creatures bearing venom, many Australian scholars believe that the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) should rank as Australia's second most dangerous creature, after snakes. Whilst their venom is not particularly potent, their danger is multiplied by the commonality of their stings among the populace, in particular to the 2-3% of the population who may suffer severe reactions to them. (Footnote) In case you missed it, we were talking about creatures that use venom as a bio-weapon, hence the mosquito has been excluded in this final paragraph.