Over the past 100 years, this box jellyfish has stung to death about 60 people swimming in Australia's northern tropical waters between October and May. 

They are almost transparent, with sticky stinging tentacles three metres long. Experienced surfers wear pantyhose if they have to enter stinger-infested waters.

First Aid:

• domestic vinegar (never methylated spirit or alcohol) should be poured liberally over the adhering tentacles as soon as possible.
•  tentacular material may then be removed.

The species most likely to attack humans in Australian waters are the whaler (or bull) shark, the white pointer (or great white) shark and the tiger shark. There have been about 400 deaths from shark attacks in Australian waters this century, but a swimmer in Australia is 50 times more likely to die from drowning than from a shark bite.

pic: courtesy of Simon Harmon

Australia has more deadly species than any other country, with the worst three being the taipan, the tiger snake and the death adder. Since the 1970s around 300 Australian snake-bite victims a year have been injected with antivenom and two or three people die every year because they don't get the antivenom in time.

First Aid:

• even though not all snakes are venomous it is best to consider all snakes as dangerous

• sometimes only a small amount or no venom is injected, even if puncture marks are present

• at least 95% of bites occur on the limbs. Around 75% involve the lower limb

• the venom is injected quite deeply. Little venom  is removed by cutting or sucking (John Wayne method), and this potentially dangerous practice is to be discouraged. 

• appropriate first aid is the pressure-immobilisation technique  

Prevention of Snake Bites

There are some simple rules helping to avoid snake bites:

• leave snakes alone
• do not attempt to catch or handle snakes
• wear boots and long trousers in snake country
• never put hands in hollow logs or thick grass or under woodpiles etc. without prior inspection
• step on instead of stepping over logs and inspect the other side
• educate children in precautions
• do not rely on visual identification of snakes as non-venomous, you might simply be wrong!

The largest saltwater crocodile caught in Australia was 8.6 metres long, but mostly they don't exceed five metres. Either way you're unlikely to survive an encounter with one, so it is not advisable to swim in unpopulated rivers or swamps along the northern Australian coastline between King Sound, WA and Hervey Bay, QLD. Since 1970 there has been an average of one crocodile attack on a human each year.

Of Australia's 1,400 identified species, the most venomous are the funnel-web (found mainly around Sydney), and the redback  (found everywhere). Each was recorded as killing 13 people between the time white settlers started noting such things and the development of antivenin in the 1970s. In the 1990s, funnel-web bites have been rare, and there are about 100 redback bites a year, none fatal.

Funnel web spider bites:

• the pressure-immobilisation method of first aid should be employed for bites by any large black spider in the Sydney area, since the illness caused by funnel web spider bites may be rapidly progressive and death may ensue within minutes to hours. Bandages and splints should be left in position until the patient is in hospital.

Red back spider bites:

• first aid for red back spider bites consists of the application of ice packs for local pain relief. Pressure-immobilisation is not necessary. The application of compression bandages may increase the severity of local pain

First Aid:

• finding and removing the tick using a pair of curved scissors
• supporting the patient until antivenom can be administered
• if the patient is already ill, the pressure-immobilisation method should be used if possible to inhibit the movement of any toxic saliva
• check carefully for other attached ticks

First Aid:

• venom causes motor paralysis and occasionally respiratory failure

• the patient may be aware but unable to respond or move

• pressure-immobilisation first aid is recommended

• prolonged artificial respiration may be required

• call a doctor!

The most dangerous ants in the world, they are big , up to 4centimetres long (see dotted line for comparison: ----------------- !), with long mandibles with which they grip their victim while injecting their sting. They are found all over Australia and are held responsible for three deaths, the latest a Victorian farmer in 1988.

In rainforests along Australia's eastern coastline grow three species of stinging tree, which have large leaves covered with sticky hairs. Brushing against them causes agonising pain and swelling in the groin and armpits. The pain can last for weeks, but the sting is not usually fatal.

First Aid:

• bathing or immersing the stung area in hot water to reduce pain
• do not attempt to restrict the movement of the injected toxin
• hospitalisation may be required, call a doctor!

First Aid:

• removal of the tentacles, preferably with forceps.

• vinegar is not recommended

• analgesia may be required, although most stings respond to ice packs and/or topical anaesthetic agents.