I remembered!

[cornerofmadness]

The deadly venomous Australian sea shell, it's the Cone Shell whee, so not only do we have to worry about box jellies and sharks when we go into Australian waters we have these things. Shrugs. Rather see them than a funnel web or a red back.

Comments

[emmyaward.livejournal.com]

I think you'll only get the cone shells when you're out on the reef, going by what I remember from learning about them in year seven. They're pretty though, despite their venomous ways; I think we actually have a couple of shells somewhere. Box jellies are evil. We get heaps of them where we live, and during the jellyfish season the beaches are forever getting dragged. We've got irrukandji (sp?) too, which are tiny, but deadly.

You know, I've never actually seen a funnel web or a red back. It's weird. Hmm.

Have a question, Dana, before I go: why do you need to know this stuff? I'm curious.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Yep cone shells are on the reef. I don't think they come to shore.

What the heck is an irrukandji?

Well I had an Australian character once so I did my research. And I'm also a biologist so Australia has always fascinated me. I did one paper on some of your critters already and I wanted to do one there for conservation but the prof nixed it. He wanted us to stay American for that (as if Australia doesn't have a boatload of totally unique and rapidly disappearing creatures)

[emmyaward.livejournal.com]

Irrukandji are little jellyfish. They're not quite as deadly as the box jellies, but they're not a creature you like to have hanging around. They're becoming increasingly common where I live (north-eastern Australia), which is a bit of a worry.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

I can imagine so.

[mzzgoddessblue.livejournal.com]

Damn. I didn't know those things were venomous. Remind me not to pick one up next time I go to the beach (which I don't actually, cos of the sharks and jellyfish...oh and the whole wearing-a-bathing-costume thing....)

Y'know, redbacks aren't all that bad. It really depends on the size of the spider that bites you - a smaller one biting an adult won't neccessarily kill you.....

Hey, come up here to North Qld. We don't get funnel webs. Just crocodiles (I remember there being one near my school at Clifton Beach) and jellyfish and taipans and eastern browns and....er maybe you better stick to the cities when you visit. Then you only have to worry about the poisonous and vicious drop-bears....

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Yeah I'm not much of a beach person either...at least in the daylight. I love going at night.

At least crocodile don't lurk in the pantry like a damn spider.

Okay I'll bite, a drop bear?