The ignorant's question thread

[belamyi]

For all the sillinesses you had never dared to ask... (quoran thread) like..:

What is the urban reach of the infamous wildlife in Australia? Do they occasionally suffer mutant spiders and snakes in dowtown Sydney or Melbourne too?

 

[BiBtm64]

We frequently see spiders and many or most are harmless. The most common poisonous ones around homes and sheds are redbacks in my experience (their webs are distinctive but you see the actual spiders less). Larger and deadly funnelwebs are uncommon in Melbourne. Maybe there are more in and around Sydney.

Snakes, I've never seen in urban areas but that doesn't mean they haven't seen me. I see them frequently on the city fringes, in and near forested areas and farms. One particular forest is a popular gay beat and I see snakes (of the slithering variety, lol) there.

Smaller towns have a different experience. I lived in an outback town and we frequently encountered snakes in our back yard. Many fatal snake bites happen around people's homes.

None of them are mutant, in my experience. We Aussies chuckle at some perceptions abroad of our deadly wildlife that's out to get us, and hunt us down in droves. Yes, snakes and spiders are dangerous if they bite you. But snakes eat small critters, such as mice, and spiders eat insects. We're not their prey. They'll bite in self defence if they think they're cornered.

Now sharks, and crocodiles... there's a different story...

 

[belamyi]

^ Oh, I forgot asking about those too