Australian Wildlife
Marine Creatures

This page contains photos and details of box jellyfish, blue ring octopus, stone fish, stingray, and sharks.

Australia has many unique and strange inhabitants including the wildlife. Enclosed within this page are some that should be avoided.

Most inland native Australian marine creatures are harmless to man, but the same cannot be said for those that live in the sea; there are some really nasty fellows in there! The creatures shown in the photos below should be left alone because they can quickly injure an unsuspecting child or adult.

Box Jellyfish.

Chironex fleckeri

Sometimes known as the sea wasp, it is arguably the most poisonous of all animals! It has claimed the lives of many swimmers in Queensland and children have died within minutes of being stung.

The Box Jellyfish has a body as large as a bucket with up to 16 semi-transparent tentacles that grow up to 3 metres in length. They live mostly on prawns that are immobilised by the venom then drawn up to be digested.

Blue-ringed Octopus.

Hapalochlaena lunulata.

Although it is only small (up to 20cm long fully extended), the blue-ringed octopus is one of the world's deadliest creatures. Its bite is painless and may even pass unnoticed, but its effect is immediate and often fatal.

When hunting a crab, the octopus swims over it and sprays its poisonous saliva into the sea. The crab absorbs the poison and becomes paralysed within minutes allowing the octopus to seize and devour it.

Stonefish.

Synanceiidae horrida.

Few fish can match the sinister reputation of the stonefish, but then not many species have as potent a venom as these grotesque gargoyles of tropical seas.

These fish are among the deadliest of all Australian animals. The venom is contained in glands below the skin on the creature's back, connected to thirteen sharp spines. The spines usually remain folded, but at the slightest disturbance they are immediately raised and protrude vertically.

Stingrays.

Dasyatis sephen.

The stingrays are Australia's largest venomous fish. The sting from some species can cause excruciating pain and is sometimes lethal. More than often, the penetration of the poisonous spine is more dangerous than the venom.

Stingrays usually are bottom feeders and prefer to lay on the sand in wait or feed on mollusks. They will usually try to avoid humans and only defend themselves if trodden on or handled.

Platypus. Ornithorhynchus anatinus.

This furry mammal lives in fresh water rivers on the East Coast, but are rarely seen these days. Platypus are extremely vulnerable and usually disappear if their habitat is altered in any way.

Platypus live in burrows dug into the river bank and are only active at dusk and dawn. The males grow to about 400 mm and the females to about 550 mm long. They use their duck-like bills to dig out marine animals from the river bed. Platypus also have web feet and sharp claws with a poisonous spike.

Shark. (various varieties)

This is one critter that has no friends. I'll bet his mother doesn't even like him!

Unfortunately they are out there, prowling the seas for seals, sea lions, dolphins and unsuspecting humans.

If you thought 'Jaws' the movie was a bit over the top then think again. This guy could bite my boat in half and use the oars for tooth picks.

We'll stick to the bush thanks. How about you?

There are other sea creatures with bad reputations that frequent our shores. One of the most common is the Portuguese Man-O-War, or otherwise known as the Bluebottle.
These innocent looking tiny blue balloons float along with the wind and tides, but their trailing tentacles can inflict sever pain.

If after reading all this you still go surfing at the beach, always swim between the flags. You never know what might be out there!