An amazing continent full of beautiful natural places and attractions, fraught with many dangers. We can write about him endlessly. If you are a frequent guest on our site most-beauty.ru, then you remember our article about the most beautiful Australians and Australians in the world, as well as about the high mountains of this continent. And we wrote about the best Australian television series that millions of people around the world like so much.
Going to Australia, it is always necessary to remember that at any time you can meet with the deadly inhabitants of this continent, and some of them are so small that you can not notice them. Acting on the principle: warned - means protected, we present a list that includes the most poisonous and dangerous insects in Australia.
Ants
Black Bulldog Ant. Myrmecia pilosula
A sufficiently large ant, reaching a length of 12-14 mm, has the strongest poison, and is considered one of the most dangerous among insects.
The poison released by a bite from a bulldog ant causes severe swelling and redness at the site of the bite. A person begins with a rapid heartbeat, an allergy, which can lead to anaphylactic shock.
Statistics show that more people die from the bites of these ants in Tasmania and southern Australia than from the bites of snakes and spiders.
By the way, on our site most-beauty.ru you can read a fascinating article about the most beautiful snakes on the planet. There really is something to see.
Red fire ant. Solenopsis invicta
Australian zoologists claim that this species of ants came to the continent of Australia in 2001, and became a real disaster for the inhabitants, flora and fauna of the continent. The invasion of red ants dramatically changed Australia's species diversity.
With a powerful sting and poison, red ants are deadly, especially for people with allergies. They are dangerous for domestic animals. Attacking a pet colony or bird in a huge colony, they blind and then kill their prey.
These ants are very small, no more than 2-6 mm in length, so you can not immediately notice them in the grass. But, despite the small size, they are very aggressive.
Wasps
The scientific world has not yet determined the exact name, and refers to them all stinging insects that are not assigned to ants or bees.
Unlike a bee, the wasp is also protected by strong jaws, and when bitten, it does not leave a sting in the body. But, released poison leads to allergic reactions.
After the bite, the temperature may rise, there is a swelling and redness. Wasps are especially dangerous for allergy sufferers, and multiple bites of these insects can cause irreparable harm to the health of even strong and healthy people.
Hornets. Vespa
Hornets, this is the largest of the genus of public wasps, and reach a length of up to 55 mm. In addition to benefits, they can be dangerous to human life and health.
A hornet sting is more painful than a regular bee sting, as the hornet venom contains a large amount of acetylcholine. Poison, if it enters the human body, can cause anaphylactic shock, which requires urgent medical attention.
The danger is that a hornet can bite several times, and each time releasing poison into a person’s body. And with a high concentration of poison in the body, strong inflammatory processes begin.
Western honey bee. Apis mellifera
Everyone knows that a bee is a beneficial insect. But it is also known that they have a sting and poison to protect them.
A bee bites once in a lifetime, after which it dies. But the bite of a seemingly harmless bee can cause severe allergies, and in people with weak immunity, without medical help, they can die.
Based on statistics and Australian Geographic, we’ll inform that on the continent more people die from bee stings every year than from shark attacks.
Mosquitoes of the Kusaki genus. Aëdes
Small flying and stinging insects do not have poison, but are considered the most dangerous representatives of the fauna of Australia, so they can be carriers of 4 deadly diseases.
After the bite of this small creature, a person may develop tropical fever, or as it is called Dengue fever, encephalitis of the Murray Valley, as well as Ross River Fever.
Dangerous disease viruses enter the bloodstream during a bite along with mosquito saliva. It's hard to believe, but in recent years more than 20 thousand people have died from diseases carried by mosquitoes on the continent.
Spiders
Spiders are not quite insects, but arachnids are singled out in a separate class. But for a complete picture of the poisonous insects of the Green Continent, we will present some of the most dangerous representatives of arachnids in Australia.
Sydney funnel spider. Atrax robustus
According to experts, the Sydney spider is one of the most poisonous and deadly spiders that live not only in Australia, but throughout the world.
It is characterized by very aggressive behavior, and feeling danger, immediately tries to attack and release poison. He clings to the victim, and bites several times, introducing a large amount of poison.
Atrax robustus venom contains neurotoxins that damage the nervous system. After a bite, a heartbeat quickens in people, a muscle spasm occurs, and breathing difficulty is felt. The country even recorded a case where a child died within 15 minutes after being bitten by this dangerous resident of southern Australia.
Red-backed spider. Latrodectus hasselti
This poisonous spider of Australia from the family of grouse is easy to identify by the characteristic red stripe on the black body. They belong to the same genus as the Black Widows, and are outwardly similar in something.
The red-backed spider has the strongest poison of all Australian spiders, which contains potent toxins. At the site of the bite, redness and swelling appear, the person begins to feel sick, there is a sharp pain in the abdomen.
In the 50s of the last century, antidotes were invented, and since then not a single death has been recorded after a bite of an Australian widow (the species Latrodectus hasselti is also called).
Wandering spider. Banana spider
Another poisonous spider that can be found on the mainland. Its venom contains the strongest neurotoxin that zoologists have called PhTx3.
In small doses, this substance has valuable therapeutic properties, but at high concentrations it is a deadly poison. After a bite, a wandering spider releases enough poison to paralyze the victim.
The poison causes a complete spasm of the muscles, which leads to suffocation, and a high concentration causes cardiac arrest. Scientists have developed antidotes, so there are less and less deaths after meeting this spider.
Not scary?
Scolopendra. Scolopendra
We conclude our acquaintance with the poisonous inhabitants of Australia as a representative of the Scolopendra squad.
One species of this arthropod is already terrifying, and they also have powerful poison. Scolopendras are especially dangerous during the mating season. The bite is quite painful, leading to redness and swelling, as well as severe burning.
They grow up to 30 cm in length, and the color of the Scolopendra of Australia is the most diverse. You can find yellow, red, and even black. Inhabited in secluded places, they can creep into the house, so you must be extremely careful.
So we figured out the names of the most poisonous insects of the Green Continent, and also provided their photos for clarity. Australia is a truly amazing corner of our planet, and some species of insects live only in its open spaces and are not found in other parts of the world. And, believe me, this is not the last article on most-beauty.ru about the "Green Continent".
Article author: Valery Skiba