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WEL!!!L Take a GUESS who just knocked (literally) on our door.....
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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 436988" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Star, in Australia the snakes (especially the redbellied black snakes) hang around blackberry bushes because it protects them from predators and also provides a haven for animals for them to eat. Whenever we went blackberry picking as kids we were advised to wear boots. Redbellies are fairly timid snakes that will get out of your way if they can. They are venomous, but I don't recall any snakebite deaths in recent decades, from redbellies. We generally see a couple every summer, our rainwater tank outside the back door tends to be a place where they like to sleep. I occasionally see one sliding past the back door, but it's never even hissed at us. I found a dead Eastern Brown snake near my vegetable patch - it got tangled in the bird netting and died. I was glad to not have met that one while alive! It probably came in hunting the redbelly. But the Eastern Brown is pretty much the worst snake in our area. You have to go a long way north to get the real nasties - the Taipan. We have lots of non-venomous snakes in our area which is a good sign - they keep the venomous ones in check.</p><p></p><p>We don't have crocs anywhere near here - only in the tropics, in waters they can get to from the sea, as a rule. The saltwater crocs are the nasty ones, they can be HUGE. And much nastier than alligators, which are placid and docile by comparison. If you go north of the Tropic of Capricorn you need to begin watching out for crocs. Not sure how big the biggest ones are - reptiles keep growing, and there has long been a moratorium on killing crocs (thanks to Steve Irwin) and so they are getting bigger and meaner up north. </p><p></p><p>The Saltwater Croc is the biggest reptile in the world. Here is a useful link - <a href="http://www.buzzle.com/articles/biggest-crocodile-in-the-world.html" target="_blank">http://www.buzzle.com/articles/biggest-crocodile-in-the-world.html</a></p><p>They say that salties can grow to 23 feet, but the largest one in captivity was Oscar, at 20 feet. From memory this was one of Steve Irwin's, I think we 'met' Oscar. I'm not sure, I think he was the croc that got a chunk of Wes's backside and Steve rescued him. Or it was Steve's backside and Wes rescued him...</p><p></p><p>Despite the publicity, we have very few croc attacks, only one or two a year. The danger areas are well signposted and the people who get attacked tend to be those who ignore the warning notices, or who get complacent. </p><p></p><p>The freshwater crocs, aka Johnstone's Crocodile, can grow to about 4 metres long. They have a much more delicate, narrow snout (a bit like a gharial) and their eyes are higher to the top of the head and much closer together than in a saltie. The zoo near us had about half a dozen freshies, but the keepers still will not go in there without locking the crocs away. </p><p></p><p>Steve Irwin's work is continuing - the zoo is going from strength to strength, Bindi is heir apparent with Robert also growing up to help run the zoo. Steve's mate Wes is still heavily involved, as are a lot of other people who worked with Steve. His father Bob is estranged, has 'retired' to a quiet property nearby and taken a back seat from media attention. Terri Irwin is doing a lot of Steve's work. Bindi & Robert are home-schooled and do a lot of media stuff, but not too much. Generally their appearances are reserved for fairly important environmental messages, or Bindi's TV show which is like a junior version of Crocodile Hunter.</p><p></p><p>A lot of the money they make goes to buy up wilderness to lock it away from development. They are also extending the land area around Australia Zoo, partly to extend the zoo and partly to provide wildlife corridors. Steve also built an amazing vet hospital in the zoo grounds, and this functions as a wildlife hospital servicing a very large area.</p><p></p><p>If you ever get over here, do get yourself to Australia Zoo. We didn't get there on our recent trip, we'd have had to drive for six hours to do it. </p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 436988, member: 1991"] Star, in Australia the snakes (especially the redbellied black snakes) hang around blackberry bushes because it protects them from predators and also provides a haven for animals for them to eat. Whenever we went blackberry picking as kids we were advised to wear boots. Redbellies are fairly timid snakes that will get out of your way if they can. They are venomous, but I don't recall any snakebite deaths in recent decades, from redbellies. We generally see a couple every summer, our rainwater tank outside the back door tends to be a place where they like to sleep. I occasionally see one sliding past the back door, but it's never even hissed at us. I found a dead Eastern Brown snake near my vegetable patch - it got tangled in the bird netting and died. I was glad to not have met that one while alive! It probably came in hunting the redbelly. But the Eastern Brown is pretty much the worst snake in our area. You have to go a long way north to get the real nasties - the Taipan. We have lots of non-venomous snakes in our area which is a good sign - they keep the venomous ones in check. We don't have crocs anywhere near here - only in the tropics, in waters they can get to from the sea, as a rule. The saltwater crocs are the nasty ones, they can be HUGE. And much nastier than alligators, which are placid and docile by comparison. If you go north of the Tropic of Capricorn you need to begin watching out for crocs. Not sure how big the biggest ones are - reptiles keep growing, and there has long been a moratorium on killing crocs (thanks to Steve Irwin) and so they are getting bigger and meaner up north. The Saltwater Croc is the biggest reptile in the world. Here is a useful link - [url]http://www.buzzle.com/articles/biggest-crocodile-in-the-world.html[/url] They say that salties can grow to 23 feet, but the largest one in captivity was Oscar, at 20 feet. From memory this was one of Steve Irwin's, I think we 'met' Oscar. I'm not sure, I think he was the croc that got a chunk of Wes's backside and Steve rescued him. Or it was Steve's backside and Wes rescued him... Despite the publicity, we have very few croc attacks, only one or two a year. The danger areas are well signposted and the people who get attacked tend to be those who ignore the warning notices, or who get complacent. The freshwater crocs, aka Johnstone's Crocodile, can grow to about 4 metres long. They have a much more delicate, narrow snout (a bit like a gharial) and their eyes are higher to the top of the head and much closer together than in a saltie. The zoo near us had about half a dozen freshies, but the keepers still will not go in there without locking the crocs away. Steve Irwin's work is continuing - the zoo is going from strength to strength, Bindi is heir apparent with Robert also growing up to help run the zoo. Steve's mate Wes is still heavily involved, as are a lot of other people who worked with Steve. His father Bob is estranged, has 'retired' to a quiet property nearby and taken a back seat from media attention. Terri Irwin is doing a lot of Steve's work. Bindi & Robert are home-schooled and do a lot of media stuff, but not too much. Generally their appearances are reserved for fairly important environmental messages, or Bindi's TV show which is like a junior version of Crocodile Hunter. A lot of the money they make goes to buy up wilderness to lock it away from development. They are also extending the land area around Australia Zoo, partly to extend the zoo and partly to provide wildlife corridors. Steve also built an amazing vet hospital in the zoo grounds, and this functions as a wildlife hospital servicing a very large area. If you ever get over here, do get yourself to Australia Zoo. We didn't get there on our recent trip, we'd have had to drive for six hours to do it. Marg [/QUOTE]
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