Australia's Deadliest Creatures Quiz

Answer: Eastern brown snake

Usually referred to just as a brown snake, this fellow is absolutely deadly. And it likes to live in areas where humans dwell, especially around farms. Unlike many snakes, it won't attempt to slither away if cornered, but will attack, mouth wide open ready to strike, venom ready to kill. It can, in fact, kill a victim within a few minutes. Before that happens, that person will begin to turn an odd colour, his or her kidneys will begin to fail, blindness will set in, and his or her blood will begin to clot, followed quickly by complete paralysis. Don't ever, EVER go near a brown snake.

The most dangerous and bad-tempered of the brown snakes lives on the eastern part of our continent. The western brown, found on the remainder of the continent, is not quite as dangerous as the eastern brown, but it has a venom that is delivered three times as much with each bite. If you're lucky, if you're very, very lucky, and have someone with you who can get you to a hospital on time, a massive dose of anti-venom is the only cure for the eastern brown - if it works at all. You have to be very lucky to survive this killer.

Answer: Tiger snake

The tiger snake is found in the states of New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and parts of South Australia. This gruesome creature likes to live in populated areas along the coastal regions, and is rather fond of slithering into houses now and then. Look out! Their main diet is small animals, which they hunt in the dark, and more deaths have occurred as the result of people accidentally treading on them than any direct attack.

They will attack if cornered though. Growing over six feet in length, a bite from a tiger snake will see you suffering pains in the neck or feet, tingling, breathing difficulties, kidney failure, and if untreated, death.

Answer: Taipan

The taipan is a small scaled snake that lurks in crevices in the more arid areas of our country. This is particularly the case in the area where the corners of four of our states converge - Queensland, Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales. Of all the land snakes on the globe, the inland taipan has the deadliest venom. There is a another breed of taipan that lives on our wetter coastal areas as well. As this is where most of the population of Australia lives, you can understand why we fear it. You can survive its bite, but only if you get to the hospital on time. Most of our hospitals store anti-venoms for the known snakes that lurk in their areas.

Australia has an incredible number of dangerous snakes. The first three question of this quiz deal with the three most dangerous. The remainder of the quiz will deal with other equally deadly creatures that live here.

Answer: Funnel web spider

Funnel webs are found mainly down the east coast of Australia, and into South Australia. They like to live in humid sheltered spots around the house when they decide to move into your habitat, and, if you own a backyard pool, can also be found in those areas as well. Save water and survive. Their venom, particularly that of the male funnel web, attacks the human nervous system, and this can kill unless rushed to hospital. It attacks all our organs. Fortunately, because of their prevalence, most hospitals have the anti-venom on hand.

This is a very creepy fact about the most dangerous of these creatures, the Sydney funnel web: Though this spider is quite small, its fangs are longer than the eastern brown snake. These fangs are so powerful, they can pierce toenails with ease. When attacking, it will cling on to its victim, biting repeatedly. There are over forty different breeds of funnel webs in Australia. Six of these are more than dangerous. Each year, approximately 35 people are rushed to hospital as a result of their bites.

(This quiz is giving me the creeps)

Answer: Redback spider

Hopefully, you're not colour blind. Redback spiders are fond of living in urban areas and can often be found lurking in backyard sheds, letter boxes, and even underneath toilet seats - any place that's dark and hidden in fact. Their bite affects a human's nervous system, causing incredible pain and nausea which can last for days. Of the 2,000 people that are bitten annually in Australia, 250 of these require hospitalisation.

The only positive thing that can be said about lady redback is that, because her fangs are quite small, some of her bites don't penetrate the skin.

Answer: Mouse spider

These disgusting looking creatures are found all over Australia, particularly in areas around riverbanks and other waterways. Their venom is described as being similar to that of a funnel web, and the funnel web's anti-venom will work just as effectively on its bite. So far, fangs crossed, no deaths have been attributed to it in this country - but then we don't really know, do we? People do disappear and are never heard of again. Perhaps the mouse spider got them. You'll be pleased to know, however, that these spiders aren't particularly aggressive. The females are home loving types and generally remain in their burrows. It's the male you need to be aware of, particularly in late summer or during the early winter months. That's when they're out looking for mates.

Australia has some of the most venomous spiders in the world. Be careful where you sit. We'll now move on to other delightful Australian killers.

Answer: Blue ringed octopus

The only good thing that can be said about the blue ringed octopus is that they avoid people when possible. Small and very deadly however, they like to hide in rocks, crevices, old shell bodies and in human garbage such as discarded drink cans. Be careful what you pick up.

They are also very hard to see unless threatened. That's when their distinctive blue rings appear. By then it's usually too late however, and you're going to be in deep trouble if nobody is on hand to give you artificial respiration. That is how this creature kills.

Its venom, which is over 1,000 times stronger than cyanide, and for which there is no anti-venom, will paralyse you within ten minutes - and then attacks your breathing. Even worse, you will be acutely aware that all this is happening, but unless you can call for help, and until the venom leaves your body, you will die from suffocation. Hospital treatment consists of being put on a ventilator until the poison has left your system.

Answer: Box jellyfish

The box jellyfish has been described as the most dangerous animal in the world by some experts. And you were afraid of sharks. Symptoms of this hard to see creature, with its translucent dome and long trailing tentacles like seaweed, include terrible pain, nausea, sweating, vomiting and a terrible sense of impending doom.

Its worst stings are treated by hospitalisation, massive doses of painkillers and intravenous narcotics. Pouring vinegar on a sting will remove the surface venom, but if even a little has penetrated the blood stream, you can expect feelings of agitation, the onset of unconsciousness and possibly cardiac arrest and death in the worst cases.

The reason the box jellyfish is so deadly is that it has fifteen tentacles, with each one of those possessing the ability to inject thousands of venom filled stings.

Answer: Stonefish

The stonefish carries some of the deadliest poison of all the finned creatures in the deep. Only about twelve inches long, it lurks in shallow rocky areas in reefs and along shorelines. Those sharps spikes along its spine, thirteen of them, can pierce straight through the soles of any shoes and into the skin of the human occupant wearing them. Their venom is extremely toxic. Depending on the number of spikes that have pierced the skin, the pain is unbelievable, so much so that even morphine has little effect on it. That sting can be fatal. Minor stings can be treated with the application of heat and vinegar, and in extreme cases by anti-venom and the strongest of pain killers. The worst thing about the stonefish is that if washed up onto beach, it's not just a water killer. As it can stay alive out of water for up to 24 hours, it can still do its deadly work.

We won't do crocodiles in this quiz as enough has been written about them already. The saltwater croc from the northern parts of Australia is the deadliest. You haven't got a hope against it. When attacking humans, it goes straight for the head. If the victim is lucky, that first roll will break his or her neck. Otherwise they are drowned during the creature's death rolls.

Answer: European honey bee

This is astonishing. The lovely little European bee is not native to this country. It was introduced by European settlers, at a time when little was known about the terrible damage introduced species can do to our fragile environment. Australia has native bees, but these are much smaller than the honey bee and do not sting. The European version however, when it stings a human, leaves its barb and its little bag of poison in the bite to do its deadly work. Fortunately, less than 3% of Australians are allergic to its sting, but when they are, they're in trouble. This little creature causes more annual deaths than either snakes, spiders, crocodiles, sharks or other sea creatures.

So, are you terrified? You should be if you have a daring and reckless streak. If you're careful and sensible however - and lucky - you'll breeze through any visit here and return back home safely once again. Welcome to Australia.