[Serial_Worrier]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_jumper_ant

Jack jumper ants are carnivores and scavengers. They sting their victims with venom that is similar to stings of wasps, bees, and fire ants. Their venom is one of the most powerful in the insect world. Jack jumper ants are proven hunters; even wasps are hunted and devoured. These ants have excellent vision, which aids them in hunting.

The symptoms of the stings of the ants are similar to stings of the fire ants. The reaction is local swelling and reddening, and fever, followed by formation of a blister. The heart rate increases, and blood pressure falls rapidly. In individuals allergic to the venom (about 3% of cases), a sting sometimes causes anaphylactic shock.[1] Although 3% may seem small, jack jumper ants cause more deaths in Tasmania than spiders, snakes, wasps, and sharks combined.[2]

Safe to say I think Tasmania has more toxic critters per square kilometer then any place on earth.

[Ludi]

We have a moderate number of nasty critters here in Central Texas: scorpions (not killer, but painful), many wasp species (painful, not deadly), centipedes (painful), kissing bugs (painful, potentially worse if conditions change a bit and we get Chagas disease this far north), fire ants (painful), killer bees (I've not seen any - our feral honeybees are small and gentle but supposedly the killers do live in the region - potentially deadly), rattle snakes (we've had only one known Western Diamondback in our yard, but many reports of rattlers in the area- deadly).

And like that! Not as bad as some places, but pretty bad.

[SeaGypsy]

Me an my brothers used to throw each other on jack jumper nests when we were bored. The anti venom is in the stems of young fern grass; which is always around the nesting areas.
Spent many years in crocodile, jellyfish infested areas up north in Australia; have woken up with more than 100 paralysis ticks embedded in my body after camping inauspiciously.
Where I live now there are heaps of cobra snakes (yum!).
The only critter which I run away from is midges, otherwise known as sandflies, sandfleas/ they are tiny and the bit itches for days so bad it wakes you up carving holes in your skin with your fingernails.
When you are familiar with an area you learn how to avoid the real pesky ones. I have swum in every croc infested river in the northern territory, but only in certain places at certain times of day.
The good thing about these critters is they keep out the riff raff; those to stupid or unmathmatical to realise the most dangerous creature by far is the one walking around on 2 legs.
There are about 25 deaths by animals every year in Oz, 95% are the result of alergic reaction to bees or ants, 1 by shark and 1 by crocodile.
There are 250 murders, 95% of which are done by friends or family of the victim.
But go ahead being paranoid about nature, this leaves plenty of space and food for me and my kin. Thanks.

[Ludi]

The only critter which I run away from is midges, otherwise known as sandflies, sandfleas/ they are tiny and the bit itches for days so bad it wakes you up carving holes in your skin with your fingernails.

We have something like that called "chiggers" that crawl up your legs and bite, causing horrible itching for days. I'm really sensitive to them and have scars all over from the bites. Ugh. No way to avoid them except to use bug repellent around the ankles and take a shower as soon as you come into the house from working outside. But if you work outside all day, they'll get you no matter what.

[efarmer]

I don't like to use the "C" word or the "N" word Ludi. It is allright for the C and N entities to use these words when dealing amongst their own kind, but when one of us outsiders uses these words it is very offensive and a sign of great disrespect. There are better words to use of course, and just to remind you my dear lady they are:

Negros

and

Chigros

[Pretorian]

So what there are 12 non-family murders in Australia per year? wow. You guys have a lot of room for African refugees I think.

[Ludi]

Thanks for the reminder, efarmer. I'll just call them "those little bastards."

[VZR1800]

We've had two rattle snakes, and a water mocassin (cotton mouth) in our back yard this year, which is way more than the normal zero considering we have two big dogs. One of the dogs was chowing down on a rattler last night. Lucky for her she got it before it got her.

We also get scorpions on our house numerous times every year, should start seeing them again soon due to the cold. I just trap them under a glass and throw them over the fence. Same with the big ol wolf spiders we get all the time these days.

I rarely ever get bit by skeeters, or chiggers. Don't know why, the booze or the cigars? Either way they have left me alone for the entire time we have lived in OK, eight years.

My parents down in McAlester OK get copperheads regularly. My dad carries a handgun that can be loaded with shotgun shells or .45 ACP, just for the snakes.

[Pops]

"The Little Bastards" get me too, bad as poison oak. An old fart who grew up here in the Ozarks said his momma told him to not go out in the tall grass after the dew is off and you won't get bit. I've got a lot of advice out here but that is by far the best, I only get the occasional bite now. BTW I use Neosporin to help them heal up faster.

Susan got a pretty nasty spider bite. Nice big welt and inflammation of her whole upper arm, probably not a fiddleback (Brown Recluse) at least it didn't develop an ulcer, maybe a Black Widow. Either one can be dangerous but rarely fatal.

[Serial_Worrier]

With global warming increasing you can bet as hell toxic critter populations will explode! Imagine everyone getting bitten and killed from this in a single night!

[Shaved Monkey]

There are about 25 deaths by animals every year in Oz, 95% are the result of alergic reaction to bees or ants, 1 by shark and 1 by crocodile.
There are 250 murders, 95% of which are done by friends or family of the victim.
But go ahead being paranoid about nature, this leaves plenty of space and food for me and my kin. Thanks.

Saw something the other day about sharks and kill them all hysteria in WA
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/anima ... 30vsq.html
,they said the most dangerous animal in Australia is the horse (responsible for more deaths per year)
Yet we dont want to go and kill every horse.
....obviously they dont count man.