Lions, Tigers and Bears - Oh My!

No journal about moving to Australia would be complete without wildlife stories. I read that Aussies dislike newcomers who complain about various aspects of life in their country – my apologies to anyone who might find offence (Aussie spelling) in what I am about to write. The wildlife in this country is mighty strange… some of it in a charming way, some of it in a lethal way, and some just plain weird.

Wildlife encounter #1: My first encounter with Aussie wildlife was walking up the path to Tim’s work. We saw something cross the path ahead of us so we went to look. What looks like a snake that has been cut in half, has small legs and a head that looks like a cross between a snake and a lizard? A land mullet! A mullet is a smooth skinned reptile of the Skink family that lives in the tropical rainforest and grows up to two feet long. (Note: The park adjacent to Tim’s office is a piece of rainforest that is being lovingly “refurbushed” (get it?) by a group of local ecologists. This animal does not seem to be the least bit aggressive – but I am minding my steps just in case.

Wildlife encounter #2: The spider. When you stay as a guest in either the lodge or the guest cottage, you are provided with an information sheet about spiders (with photos). There are three categories: The friendly or “low risk” spiders; the toxic (poisonous) – painful bite spiders; and the deadly and dangerous ones. My spider was in the dresser walking across Tim’s t-shirt drawer. When it went out of sight, I pulled out the drawer (I had the bug spray by this time, of course – I couldn’t find a hammer!). I found the spider and sprayed it, but not before it dropped into my underwear drawer! Do I have to draw you a picture here? Imagine putting on your silk undies and …. well, you get it. By the way, I am convinced this was a white-tail spider described as: May cause horrific ulceration to skin of sensitive people found in the garden and indoors, and listed under the deadly and dangerous ones. Need I mention that I will be shaking out my skivvies before donning them in the future?

Wildlife encounter #3: This report is getting a bit lengthy, so I am going to add just one more story (I have others!). Tim and I were again walking along the path from his office when we came across the most amazing sight. I guess I will call it a “caterpillar train”. We watched as caterpillars (the fuzzy, 1 ½” kind) paraded across the path – nose to butt until the “train” reached about 3-4 feet! See photo below.



Even when a little guy looked like he/she might dart off, they never broke rank – incredible.

Judi

Update: Our buddy J-P, a Sydney native now resident in Socorro, says:

It's good to see the locals putting themselves out to meet you.

Somebody has probably told you this already, but creature #1 listed in the blog (the one about 1/2 the size of a snake with legs and mullet-head) was almost certainly a blue-tongue lizard. They eat ants and are completely harmless.

As for creature #2 (the White-Tail spider I assume)...I gather you have a sheet like the one attached to this email? In all my years in Sydney, I never saw a white-tail spider in the wild. I do understand that Funnelwebs are relatively common on the north shore. They have been known to kill dogs and they can be aggressive.


Judi is not convinced about the mullet/lizard, J-P, but she concedes you may be right about the spider. While we are talking about mullets, I should mention that the local weatherman, whose name I cannot recall, has invented dual side mullets, dyed blond. It's quite something to see.