Australia's Dangerous Creatures

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. Let's start with one of the most feared animals on the earth - the crocodile. What is considered the MOST dangerous of the crocodiles found in Australia? The freshwater crocodile. The estuarine crocodile. The morelet's crocodile. The orinoco crocodile.

2. Estuarine crocodiles bask with their mouths wide open to control their temperature. True False

3. Which one of these facts about saltwater crocodiles is INCORRECT? Saltwater crocodiles can be found as far north as Vietnam. Saltwater crocodiles are territorial. The safest time to swim/wash is during the night as they have poor night vision. Saltwater crocodiles can be found hundreds of kilometres inland.

4. Australia has a large number of snakes on the land and in the water. Which of these dangerous snakes have species referred to as 'inland', 'coastal' and the 'central ranges' varieties? The brown snake. The death adder. The taipan. The red bellied black snake.

5. In what state/territory of Australia would you NOT find a tiger snake? Western Australia. Northern Territory. Tasmania. Trick question: They are throughout Australia in every state/territory.

6. The death adder has four main species found in Australia. In what state/territory of Australia would you NOT find a death adder? Northern Territory. Trick question: They are throughout Australia in every state/territory. South Australia. Tasmania.

7. One of these statements about the copperhead snake (Austrelaps superbus) is correct and the others are incorrect - which one is CORRECT? The ADULTS have a blue head and upper body (not copper as the name suggests) and it was named this way because the metal element, copper, also turns to blue. Copperheads are found in locations that are too cool for other venomous snakes. Copperheads will feed on the cane toad, it is the only snake immune to the cane toad venom. Copperheads are found only in the tropical area of Queensland and the Kakadu National Park.

8. Have Australian scorpions been responsible for any recorded deaths in all of the states/territories combined? Yes No

9. Mosquitoes are known to carry diseases, especially malaria. Which of these Australian diseases carried by the mosquito are restricted to ONLY the Queensland regions? Ross River fever. Dengue fever. Barmah Forest virus. ALL of them are specific to Queensland and can only be caught in Queensland.

10. Just moving away from the dangerous animals for a tick, lets focus on those that have studied some of the dangerous creatures found within Australia and shared their knowledge with the world. One of these people began their career as a real life crocodile hunter, then later on established a crocodile farm and started a breeding program to ensure that the species did not die out. This person also had an Australian python named in their honour. Name that person. Charlie "Kangaroo Jack" Carbone. Steve Irwin. Josef Bredl. Terri Irwin.

11. Back to the dangerous animals of Australia and we turn our attention to one of the national emblems of Australia - The kangaroo. One of the following statements is CORRECT - which one? Kangaroos are only found on the Australian mainland. The kangaroo and emu were chosen and positioned on the Australian Coat of Arms as a symbolisation of Australia moving forward as both animals have difficulty moving backwards. Kangaroos have barbs on their front upper paws that contain venom. Organised kangaroo fights used to be held on Australia Day as part of the celebrations until it was banned across the country.

12. Which of these spiders is considered to be the LEAST dangerous? The mouse spider. The redback. The huntsman. The funnel web.

13. A daddy long-legs spider can kill and eat a redback spider. True False

14. I am an invertebrate. I live in the tropical coastal waters of Australia but prefer shallow water. The best weapon against me if I envenomate you is to pour vinegar on me and/or the bite area. What am I? Extra Hint: Looking mainly for TWO words, but can be three words. Can use "the" as well. Answer: (Two Words)

15. The great white shark is a frequent visitor to Australian waters. Which fact about sharks is INCORRECT? The great white shark can no longer be found near Port Lincoln, South Australia (where it was abundant) due to heavy culling and over exploitation of the fishing grounds. Rodney Fox survived a great white shark attack after being bitten around the chest and arm. The earliest recorded Australian shark attack was on an indigenous female. The teeth of a great white shark are triangular shaped making a single bite lethal.