(OT) Critters that can kill...

[happyheathen]

Soggy and I have recently discussed Gila Monsters and the number of people who fail to recognize them as deadly to homo sapiens.

So - give your your geograpical location, and native species capable of killing a human (any age)

I'll start - (all north American)

any adult bear (ursine)

most (native) pigs (porcine)

(California)

brown recluse (spider)

sidewinder

Western Rattler

Western (Sea) Gull

[Glenn]

You forgot other Homo-Sapiens

[dendawg]

Originally posted by Glenn
You forgot other Homo-Sapiens

Yeah, especially angry Girlfriends/Wives:p :p :D

[happyheathen]

Originally posted by Glenn
You forgot other Homo-Sapiens

huh...

just how cynical must one be to call homo-sapians 'critters'?


for the record: 'critter' means animals large enough to be seen by humans using their 'naked eyes', but NOT themselves homo sapians

[dendawg]

Originally posted by happyheathen
[B]

huh...

just how cynical must one be to call homo-sapians 'critters'?

A resident cynic complaining about other cynics??:confused:
What has this world come to?:eek:

[laugh4me]

Here are a few potentially fatal venomous snakes found in the upper midwest:

Copperhead
Timber Rattlesnake
Prairie Rattlesnake
Massasauga (another rattlesnake species)



Dave - about them spiders - are you sure that a brown recluse can cause fatalities? I thought they caused scarring and such, but wouldn't actually kill you. I could be misremembering the facts of course...

If you really want a spider for your list, I remember seeing a few black widows out there in the Bay area and they have killed people in the past (although usually not fatal to healthy adults).

One question for you: Why is a gull capable of killing? They are quite annoying at times when tourists start feeding them, but what specific threat do they pose?
I'm hoping they aren't *really* as dangerous as they were in "The Birds"... ;)

[DR. BELCH]

--any mammal (though we usually only consider dogs and coyotes and maybe raccoons) that's gone rabid is extremely dangerous.
And we mustn't forget the cottonmouth, which is native to my area, as is the recluse. If not promptly treated, any spider or snake bite can kill you.
There is a species of frog in the Amazon whose poison can absorb directly into the skin if touched. It's said to be so potent a man will drop dead of it before he takes ten steps....

[Megatoon]

How bout:
Cougars
Wolverines
Gators

And let's just all pit vipers and the frog is a poison arrow frog (I think)


This sounds like a job for Steve Erwin "The Crocodile Hunter".

"Whooooo Hooooo!"

[Matthew Hunter]

Lots of things here in Texas. Let's see if I can name the worst:

Snakes:
Diamondback Rattlesnake
Copperhead
Cottonmouth Wather Moccasin

Spiders:
Black Widow
Brown Recluse

And I don't think anything in the mammal category that could really kill you, unless it has rabies. We have skunks and raccoons, those often carry rabies, as do Mexican Freetailed bats.

We also have scorpions and yellow jackets, and while not deadly to most people, they are to those with allergies to them if not treated. Plus, they hurt like hell. I have been on boy scout camping trips and shared my tent with a scorpion, that hurts.

And then, the poisonous creature that I hate worst of all, not deadly, just incredibly annoying and painful....FIRE ANTS! ARRGGGHHH! Those little suckers were an introduced species, they came from somewhere overseas by accident, they've now spread, and they kill the native red ants, hence the near extinction of the horned frog. They also kill quail, hurt cattle, and sting humans. They build little mounds of brown dirt and pile them high, just waiting to get stepped in and cover your shoes and socks in angry ants...and try having them in a sleeping bag....
-Matthew

[Joe Tully]

Let's see

Sharks (Good ole Jaws was filmed in Mass.)
Moose (unlikely, but if it decided to charge you, you'd be gone)
Deer (same possible problem as above)
Coyotes (yes, they are migrating north and have been sighted in Mass.)
Wolves
Bobcats and Lynxes
Gators
And of course Pit Bulls get out of control from time to time

[happyheathen]

Originally posted by laugh4me


Dave - about them spiders - are you sure that a brown recluse can cause fatalities? I thought they caused scarring and such, but wouldn't actually kill you. I could be misremembering the facts of course...


the brown recluse is not NORMALLY fatal to healthy adults. But... not everyone is a healthy adult




One question for you: Why is a gull capable of killing? They are quite annoying at times when tourists start feeding them, but what specific threat do they pose?
I'm hoping they aren't *really* as dangerous as they were in "The Birds"... ;)

the western gull is larger and nastier than the eastern species. it has been known to attack and kill human infants.


and, how come nobody's mentioned tarantulas?

and the little SA tree frogs (about the size of a dime) secrete curare - the dart poison.

believe it or not, some people 'collect'/breed them (they are beautiful - some of the most spectacular 'don't mess' colorations

[Matthew Hunter]

I think there are some tarantulas that can hurt you, but I've handled one before, they're not very aggressive. at least, the ones out near Palo Pinto county, anyway. They're actually fun to play with. Daddy Longlegs, or "harvestman" spiders, are also quite common here, they're extremely poisonous...but they cannot bite humans.
-Matthew

[BourgeoisBuffoon]

Hm...the biggest thing here in Delaware is a rabid dog. I'm lucky to live in an urban area...though if you want to go to a more natural setting in the Delmarva region, there is a bear or two.

And once a puma somehow escaped into my state...hid in the swamps of Sussex county for a month, then finally got caught. Everyone was scared it would wonder into a town, though...

....I do get gulls, here, though. I guess that counts as well. :p

[laugh4me]

Originally posted by happyheathen

and, how come nobody's mentioned tarantulas?

Probably because a Tarantula's venom is not deadly. Their bites are comparable to bee stings.

Quoting the Tarantulas Online Site (http://www.tarantulas-online.co.uk/pet/pet.html)
All spiders including tarantulas are venomous, but no tarantula discovered so far has been found to be deadly venomous to humans. This said, the bite of a tarantula can be painful and there is always the danger of an allergic reaction to the venom, so you should always be careful. In most cases however the bite from a tarantula is no worse than the sting of a bee or a wasp, causing slight swelling, some numbness and itching. These symptoms usually disappear within a few hours.

[Jack]

I can't think of anything not already mentioned, and I haven't really encountered anything that's deadly where I live. We do have seagulls, geese, coyotes, and dogs, as well as those flesh eating lady bugs (I suppose they could kill you if millions bit you at once).


Jack:D

[Cartman]

Originally posted by Jack
I can't think of anything not already mentioned, and I haven't really encountered anything that's deadly where I live. We do have seagulls, geese, coyotes, and dogs, as well as those flesh eating lady bugs (I suppose they could kill you if millions bit you at once).


Jack:D


How can geese or seagulls kill a human?

[Joe Tully]

Ever seen Hitchcock's The Birds? ;)

[happyheathen]

Originally posted by Joe Tully
Ever seen Hitchcock's The Birds? ;)

Cheap shot!!!

anyway, why no barracudas? (w. coast of Florida is sometimes home)

Jellyfish? where do they live? (yes, it takes a bunch, but it has happened)

and - new sub-topic - Constrictors (Boas, Anacondas, Pythons - others?)

how do they kill?

[Sogturtle]

Dave and all~

Just little me loping by for a second ;)

For potentially lethal species here in Arid-zona...

Buffalo!!!
Mountain lions (I have a funny story of a friend face-to-face with one though...)
Rattlesnakes (take your pick)
The Mexican Gray Wolf
My friends, the coyotes ;)
Plenty of Black Widows to go around (believe me, the poison hurts a GREAT deal!!!)
The Brown Recluse
Scorpions (chopped one in two a couple weeks back)
Javelinas
Elk
Deer
Dave's Gila Monster
Gang members :);):D

Unfortunately my favorite arachnid "The Wolf Spider" can not kill you... Course you can ride him to the hospital after he bites you.
:D :D :D

[happyheathen]

Originally posted by Sogturtle
Dave and all~

Just little me loping by for a second ;)

For potentially lethal species here in Arid-zona...

Buffalo!!!
Mountain lions (I have a funny story of a friend face-to-face with one though...)
Rattlesnakes (take your pick)
The Mexican Gray Wolf
My friends, the coyotes ;)
Plenty of Black Widows to go around (believe me, the poison hurts a GREAT deal!!!)
The Brown Recluse
Scorpions (chopped one in two a couple weeks back)
Javelinas
Elk
Deer
Dave's Gila Monster
Gang members :);):D

Unfortunately my favorite arachnid "The Wolf Spider" can not kill you... Course you can ride him to the hospital after he bites you.
:D :D :D

exactly WHY you chose to live there? the politics CAN'T be THAT appealing...:D

[Sogturtle]

Originally posted by happyheathen


exactly WHY you chose to live there? the politics CAN'T be THAT appealing...:D

Somebody has to instill fear in the hearts of all this wildlife!!! ;)

[happyheathen]

Originally posted by Sogturtle


Somebody has to instill fear in the hearts of all this wildlife!!! ;)

or feed it...