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Hi Anna and Margie,
Thank you for your help and response. In further Internet research we have
come across some critters that are of concern to us, mainly the Jack Jumper.
As our wish is to live in a rural area and farm, we thought that you would be
the ones to ask beause of your experience in the outdoors. How bad of a problem do you
think the ants are and are they a problem everywhere in Tasmania or only in certain
areas? Also anything you can tell us about the snakes and spiders would be appreciated.
There are plenty of poisonous critters here in South Florida ( 3 kinds of rattlesnakes, coral
snakes, water moccasins, copperheads, brown recluse spiders, scorpions and fire ants. However, fire ants have never caused anaphylactic shock or death.
Thank you.
Danny
The response....
Hi Danny
Good questions, and I think raising issues that concern many visitors to not only Tasmania, but Australia in general.
Australia is often referred to as one of the deadliest places on the planet with various critters than can kill across almost all species, including shells, and a fish that looks identical to a rock that will potentialy kill you should you accidentally step on it. Despite the widespread distribution and prevalence of such nasties, Australians tend not to overly concern themselves with such natural features.
The Jack Jumper ant.... curiously, this ant is not restricted to Tasmania, as the following quote reveals...
QUOTE
The Jack jumper ant has a widespread distribution
These ants are found in Tasmania, Victoria, The ACT, the Snowy Mountains of New
South Wales and coastal New South Wales, the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, and
with some pockets reported in the Blue Mountains, some parts of Western Australia and
unconfirmed sightings in Queensland. It is likely that there are other (as yet undescribed)
habitats as well, and that observations relate to interactions between ant colonies and
human habitats
These ants are found in Tasmania, Victoria, The ACT, the Snowy Mountains of New
South Wales and coastal New South Wales, the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, and
with some pockets reported in the Blue Mountains, some parts of Western Australia and
unconfirmed sightings in Queensland. It is likely that there are other (as yet undescribed)
habitats as well, and that observations relate to interactions between ant colonies and
human habitats
Surprisingly though, with such a widespread distribution, this is the first time I have heard anyyone raise the question regarding their danger. Anaphylaxis is not, strictly speaking, a direct result of the venom, though is a reaction in those who may be allergic to the venom in the first place. Although it is far more common to read about people suffering such reactions to bee stings, research seems to point to allergic reactions from this ant being more common than it is for bees. (As an aside, one of the most common causes of anaphylaxis in older people is peanuts... would you now be afraid of a peanut?).
I have spent time in the bush in most states of Australia, and although the description of this ant seems to point to one that I am familiar with, I do not think I have ever been stung. I doubt you would find any Australian terrified of such ants, and the most likely response to questions regarding their danger would be met with "they don't tickle" and a laugh.
Tasmania has 3 varieties of snake, the copperhead, Tasmanian Tiger, and the thin lipped whip snake. The copperhead is the only snake alive that can exist above the snow line, and can also be found in winter. These snakes are aggressive if approached. The Tasmanian tiger snake has very short fangs when compared to the mainland species, yet is highly venomous. These are quite common throughout the state. The thin lipped whip snake is a very small snake and supposedly also common, though I have never seen one in the wild. They are also highly venomous. I do not want to scare you, but our three snakes are among the deadliest in the world.
Common sense stops Australians being killed by snake bite. To be honest, I cannot recall the last time anyone died from a bite, it simply does not happen. People being bitten is also rare, but then again, we grow up with these things, have respect for them, and use common sense when wandering through the bush. Although I have seen many tourists set out on bush walks in shorts, it is not something I would do personally, neither would any intelligent Australian, no matter which state they lived in.
The vast majority of snake bite cases result from people trying to catch them, or interfering with them in some way. These things are more scared of you than you are of they, and will, if they can, run to avoid you. Corner one, and you get what your stupidity deserves.
Reports of tiger snakes, in particular, being found around homes in rural areas is not uncommon, which may sound rather frightening, but, to be honest, I again think it would be difficult finding an Australian rural dweller who is paranoid about the things. They are just another part of nature, and part of Australia. Tasmania has far less species of poisonous snake than the mainland though.
We have our share of deadly spiders, again, another common nicety about Australia as a whole, though, unless you go looking for them, it is unlikely you will ever encounter one. I was trying to do some research on the Tasmanian Funnel Web spider last year. This critter was, as I understand, believed to be extinct (though I have lost the original source of this information). Apparently a healthy community of them was discovered in one region of the state, a very small area at that. I do not know of any Tasmanian reports of bites.
The Tasmanian cave spider is another nasty little critter, but only found in the entrance of caves in certain areas. Again, not one that poses any great threat.
One that is common on the mainland is the red back spider. People have told me they do exist in Tasmania, though we have never seen one, despite often scrabbling through the kinds of places where these spiders love to live, and where, had we been on the mainland, we would have definitely found nests of them. They seem to be much rarer down here.
During our travels around the state we have also found small scorpions, though it is my understanding that the Australian scorpion is not deadly, unless you may be allergic to its venom. I have not heard any cases of a person being killed by one of these.
The bottom line though, is that yes, Australia contains a very large species of critters that will kill a person, however, such reports are either rare, or just do not happen. The funnel web spider, for example, is spread across virtually the entire country, in large numbers, but the last reported death from a bite was around 20 years ago.
Most people killed by any kind of critter in Australia are usually tourists. I think the most common report of anyone being killed by a nasty would have to be American tourists and crocodiles. (We do not have crocs in Tassie).
Growing up in this country tends to create a carefree attitude towards such things. There are literally thousands of things out there that potentially could be the end of you, but, for some reason we just do not really think about it. When walking through the bush, I am always aware of the potential for a snake encounter, though in many years of bushwalking I have only actually seen about 6 of them in total, and most of those were quickly glimpsed as they ran away. (I always carry a staff when bushwalking, and bring this down heavily on the ground in front of my next step, perhaps this is why I rarely see snakes).
Margie and I discussed this subject during our recent trip, especially as we had becopme fascinated by the absolute myriad of spider species we had begun to notice all around us. If a person really stopped to think about, and become afraid of the Australian environment, they would be in big trouble. Sure, there are lots of things outside that may kill you, but lots of these things can also be found indoors too. If you wanted to get paranoid about the deadly Australians, you would leave the country. The fact is we don't!
