Australia Is The Land Of ‘Nope’, And These 75 Pictures Prove It

From enormously big spiders to deadly venomous snakes, ferocious crocodiles, octopuses, and disgustingly overgrown earthworms, the Great Southern Land seems to have it all when it comes to nightmare fuel and creepy crawlies. We can probably all agree that some Australian animals look absolutely terrifying, but how dangerous are they really?

Around 170 snake species live in the country, 100 of which are poisonous. However, that’s not even the worst part: 21 out of the world’s 25 most venomous snakes inhabit Australia.

Snakes kill less than 3 people a year in Australia, and the number of casualties seems even smaller when you compare it to the 11,000 individuals that snakes annually kill in Asia.

If poisonous snakes don’t cause you to scream and panic, then what about spiders? More than 2,400 different species of arachnids call the Land Down Under their home.

Among them is the deadly Sydney funnel-web spider, which can end a person’s life within 15 minutes of biting them. This spider always gets into the top lists of the world’s deadliest arachnids and doesn’t mess around: if you see one, nope, right out of there!

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That’s not to say that every single spider you encounter abroad is going to be a threat to you. Fortunately, less than 50 Australian spider species pose a threat to people. Let’s also not forget that most spiders are our friends and help keep the native insect population down. 

Obviously, these tidbits of good news won’t really make Australia’s spiders any less scary to look at. Anyone with arachnophobia should probably still avoid Australia until they get over their fear of spiders and travel elsewhere for their summer vacation.

What is Australia’s Deadliest Animal?

It might come as a surprise, but Australia’s deadliest animal isn't one of its many venomous creatures. Forget the spine-chilling spiders or the fearsome crocodile. According to the NCIS (National Coronial Information System), the title of Australia’s deadliest animal goes to a far more familiar creature: the horse.

In the wild and rugged landscapes of Australia, where one might expect the most danger to come from its notorious wildlife, it’s actually horses, ponies, and donkeys that pose the greatest risk. From 2001 to 2017, horses have been responsible for the highest number of animal-related deaths in Australia, with 172 fatalities, mostly due to falls.

Cows and other bovine animals also rank high on the list, with 82 reported deaths for the same period of time, mainly through accidents rather than direct attacks. Even our loyal companions, dogs, hold a surprising rank as the third leading cause of animal-related fatalities, responsible for 53 deaths. Most victims were children and elderly people.

Meanwhile, creatures like snakes and spiders, while dangerous sometimes, have caused far fewer fatalities than one might expect.