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Deadly Sydney animals

Deadly Sydney animals may not be front of mind when you think of Sydney. Possibly, you may think of our Opera House, Harbour Bridge, New Years Eve Fireworks or possibly, cute and cuddly animals. Whilst our city is all of these things, it is also home to some of the world’s most deadly animals. Unfortunately, many people associate Australia and its largest city with deadly animals. Whilst there are many deadly animals here, as a tourist, chances of dying after encountering a wild animal are extremely remote. Let us take you through the deadly animals that call Sydney home and then why you will be unlikely to die by any of them.

Deadly Snakes

Of the most deadly Sydney animals, 21 of the 25 most toxic snakes in the world live in Australia. Sydney is home to 4 of these. These are normally in bushlands in and around the city. When hiking in the bushland areas, ensure that you wear enclosed footwear and walk on the tracks rather than through think grass where possible. If walking through areas where you cannot see your feet, make plenty of noise as this will normally scare off the snakes. Never place your hands into tree hollows where you cannot see what is there. Snakes normally only attack when cornered or someone tries to pick them up or walk on them.

EASTERN BROWN (COMMON BROWN) SNAKE

The eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis), aka the common brown snake, is a highly venomous snake. Considered the world’s second-most venomous land snake after the inland taipan, it is responsible for about 60% of snake-bite deaths in Australia and certainly on of our city’s most deadly animals. It grows up to 2.4 metres (close to 8ft). Whilst it has small fangs, it has significant bite. It is often found in tall grass around the outskirts of highly urbanised areas. It is generally a solitary animal and as such you will not normally see it with other snakes.

EASTERN TIGER SNAKE

Tiger snakes (Notechis scutatus) are a highly venomous snake species. These snakes are highly variable in their colour, named after the banding like those on a tiger. Tiger snakes give birth to 20 to 30 live young. Tiger snakes account for about 17% of snake bite deaths in Australia. We were lucky enough to see one of these on one of our tours.

DEATH ADDER

The common death adder (Acanthophis antarcticus) is a species of death adder native to Australia. It is one of the most venomous land snakes in Australia and globally. The common death adder feeds on frogs, lizards and birds. Unlike many Australian venomous snakes this snake stays in one place and waits for prey to come to it.

RED BELLIED BLACK SNAKE

The red-bellied black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) is a species of venomous snake endemic to the city and its surrounds. Averaging around 1.25 m in length, it has glossy black upper parts, bright red or orange flanks, and a pink or dull red belly. It is not an aggressive species and generally retreats from encounters with people, but can attack if provoked. Although its venom is capable of causing significant illness, no deaths have been recorded from its bite, which is less venomous than many other Australian snakes. It is the most commonly spotted snake in Sydney.

Deadly Spiders

Arguably the 2 most dangerous spiders in the world call Sydney home. Never pick up a spider. Sometimes spiders can live in shoes that are left outside. If leaving your shoes outside always check inside before putting them on. Funnel webs are often found in swimming pool filters.

FUNNEL WEB SPIDER

Many regard the funnel-web spider (Atrax robustus) as the world’s most venomous spider. Its bite is capable of causing serious illness or death in humans if left untreated. They are widespread throughout Sydney and you can often find them in swimming pool filters in people’s backyards. They can live underwater at the bottom of swimming pools for up to a week by carrying their own pouch of air. The Sydney funnel-web has a body length ranging from 1 to 5 cm. They are glossy and darkly coloured. It is another of our city’s most deadly animals.

RED BACK SPIDER

The redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti), also known as the Australian black widow is a species of highly venomous spider. The adult female is easily recognised by her spherical black body with a prominent red stripe on the upper side of her abdomen and an hourglass-shaped red/orange streak on the underside. Females usually have a body length of about 1 cm, while the male is much smaller, being only 3–4 mm long.

Deadly Sharks

The world’s 3 most dangerous sharks are found in the waters in and around Sydney. Most shark attacks in Australia are at dusk and dawn and are on surfers whom the shark mistakes for seals. With this in mind, it is best not to go swimming at these times in unprotected swimming areas.

BULL SHARK

The bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) icommonly lives worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in rivers. It is aggressive in nature and lives in warm, shallow, brackish and freshwater systems including estuaries and rivers. Bull sharks thrive in both salt and fresh water and can travel far up rivers.

GREAT WHITE SHARK

The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), also known as the great white, white shark or “white pointer”, is notable for its size, growing to 6.1 m in length. They can live to 70 years or more. Great white sharks can swim at speeds of 25 km/hr for short bursts and to depths of 1,200 m. The great white shark has no known natural predators other than, on very rare occasions, the killer whale. It is arguably the world’s largest-known extant macropredatory fish, and is one of the primary predators of, up to the size of large baleen whales. It is responsible for more recorded human bite incidents than any other shark. Again, it is one of the most deadly Sydney animals.

TIGER SHARK

The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is a large macropredator, capable of attaining a length over 5 m. Its name derives from the dark stripes down its body, which resemble a tiger’s pattern, but fade as the shark matures. The tiger shark is a solitary, mostly nocturnal hunter. Though tiger sharks are sometimes taken by groups of killer whales. Due to finning and fishing by humans, it is now a near threatened species. The tiger shark is second only to the great white in recorded fatal attacks on humans.

Other Deadly Sydney Animals

BLUE RINGED OCTOPUS

Blue-ringed octopuses, comprising the genus are four highly venomous, species, of octopus. They are easily identifiable by their yellowish skin and characteristic iridescent blue and black rings that change color dramatically when something threatens the animal. The Blue ringed octopus is one of the world’s most venomous marine animals. They are 12 to 20 cm and are dangerous to humans if provoked. They can inject enough venom to kill a small child.

The advice here is not to be picking up rocks in small rock pools and not to be placing hands in areas of these small rock pools where you can’t see.

HONEY BEE

Of all the deadly animals in the area, the one responsible for more deaths than any of those already listed above. The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is around 15mm long, golden-yellow, oval-shaped with brown bands. Normally 100 honeybee stings can kill a human, however, a single sting can be fatal to someone with allergies which is why they make this list. Whilst not native to Australia, the Honeybee is Australia’s deadliest insect and Sydney’s most deadly wild animal.

CROCODILES

Contrary to what I have read elsewhere on the internet, there are no crocodiles in Sydney with the exception of a few zoos. If you wish to see these deadly animals in the wild, you will need to go to QLD, WA or NT.

STONEFISH

You may have heard about the Stonefish. If you step on one, it is quite likely you will end up on hospital or dead. Fortunately, these are not found in Sydney. However, if you travel to Northern Queensland you will need to be careful.

IRUKANJI JELLYFISH

You may also have heard about the Irukanji Jellyfish, one of the most venomous jellyfish in the world. They are only 1cm long but their sting can kill a person. Fortunately, there are none in Sydney. However, if travelling to the Central Queensland coast you will need to take care where you swim. They are generally not found on the reef.

MOSQUITOS

Mosquitos worldwide kill more people than all other animals combined. However, whilst mosquitos in Sydney can be a pain in the neck, none are deadly nor do they carry serious disease. In other parts of the country there are some serious and potentially fatal mosquito borne diseases such as Murray Valley Encephalitis, Ross River Fever and Dengue Fever. However, there have been no known mosquito related deaths in Australia since Malaria was eradicated in 1981.

Other Deadly Animals

Sydney is one of the safest cities of its size in the world. It does not have the violent or gun related crime as is the case in many US cities. However, there are a few things that visitors should know to keep safe.

In Sydney, we drive on the left hand side. For international drivers not used to driving on this side of the road, this can cause problems that end in fatalities.

In Australia, most Australians learn to swim at an early age. We also learn about rips in the ocean. These are strong currents that can drag an unwary swimmer out to sea.

Conclusion

Whilst there are more deadly Sydney animals than one would expect in an average city, the chances of seeing any of them in the wild during your visit are next to nil. Even less than that are the chances of dying from one of these deadly animals.

87 people die by drowning each year in the whole of Australia

During the period 2000 to 2010 the following shows the number of animal deaths:

• Horses (77) [incl ponies & donkeys]
• Cows (33) [incl all bovines, 16 by causing car accidents]
• Dogs (27) [children under four years old and in elderly people]
• Kangaroos (18) [mostly related to car accidents]
• Bees (16) {people with allergies]
• Sharks (16)
• Snakes (14)
• Spiders (0)

If that doesn’t convince you then have a look at the following statistics.

• 58 people die in Australia from falling out of bed every year;
• 715 people die from slipping, tripping or tumbling in Australia per year;
• 1,500 people die in Australia per year in road accidents.

As you can see, less than one person per year dies from the teeth, fangs, stingers or tentacles of our deadly Sydney animals on average in the whole of Australia. The chances of dying from one of Sydney’s deadly animals are far less.

That being said, if you see a snake in the wild, back away slowly. Don’t try and touch wild animals, especially any on this list. Don’t go swimming at dusk or dawn in known shark habitats. Swim between the flags at patrolled beaches and understand rips.

Not so deadly animals that can cause pain

Apart form the animals listed, there are still blue bottles, mosquitoes, ants and ticks that reside in Sydney that can cause you pain.

Blue bottles live in our oceans and often wash up on our beaches. They have a nasty sting. If stung, best idea is to go to the surf life savers who may have vinegar or similar to put on the sting.

Mosquitoes are common in summer, especially around areas with stagnant waters and are particularly prevalent at dusk and dawn. Whilst those in Sydney are unlikely to cause disease, they can be an annoyance ad their bites can cause pain. There are various insecticides that can be used to warn them away.

Ants can bite and sting and are sometimes found in great numbers. So be careful not to launch your picnic on top of an ants nest.

Ticks live in bushy areas. They will find the warmest parts of your body (arm pits, groin, hair). So if walking through the bush, check yourself thoroughly afterwards. Leaving ticks in can cause infection and Lyme disease.

STING RAY FALLACY

You may have heard that a sting ray killed Steve Irwin. In fact, it was a freak accident. Generally, sting rays are mostly harmless. In Steve’s case, he was swimming right on top of the sting ray and it struck its barb straight into his heart and ultimately he bled to death.

You may also like to know more about our Sydney wildlife tours. Whilst this page was about the more deadly of our Sydney wildlife, the city and its surrounds offer some of the most beautiful and captivating wildlife in the world.

Sydney is one of the safest cities in the world. Australia does not have the same gun crime associated with US cities and muggings and pickpocketing are rare.

Stay safe in Sydney.

Introduction

People know our harbour city for its stunning landscapes, iconic landmarks, and diverse wildlife but not so much for its possums. While the city celebrates picturesque beaches and a vibrant urban life, it’s also home to a unique and often misunderstood group of inhabitants: possums. Sydney possums, specifically the Common Brushtail and Common Ringtail possums, are fascinating creatures. They play a significant role in the city’s ecosystem. In this article, we’ll delve into the lives of these nocturnal neighbours and learn about their importance in our urban environment. They live in highly urbanised areas and are often found in the roofs of people’s houses.

The Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)

The Common Brushtail Possum is perhaps the most recognizable of our city’s possums. These marsupials are known for their lovely bushy tails, which resemble a bristle brush. Their fur varies in color from grey to brown, and they have large, round eyes adapted for nighttime activity. Common Brushtail Possums are primarily arboreal. That is, they spend their days in tree hollows and emerging at dusk to forage for food.

Brushtail Possum Feeding Habits and Diet

Brushtail Possums are herbivores with a varied diet. They feed on a combination of leaves, flowers, fruits, and even the occasional insect. Their adaptability to urban environments has allowed them to make use of introduced plant species like roses and camellias, but they also feed on native flora.

Nocturnal Lifestyle of Sydney possums

Common Brushtail Possums are predominantly nocturnal, which means they are most active during the night. They have evolved to thrive in low-light conditions and are well-equipped for navigating tree canopies and rooftops with ease. Our city’s residents often hear their distinctive calls, which can range from gentle hisses to sharp screeches, during the nighttime hours.

Brushtail Habitat and Urban Adaptation

In their natural habitat, Brushtail Possums inhabit forests and woodlands. However, they have shown remarkable adaptability to urban environments. With the loss of their native habitats due to urbanization, these possums have taken up residence in suburban gardens, parks, and even the heart of the city itself. They utilize roof spaces and tree hollows as shelter, making them frequent visitors to suburban homes.

Brushtail Conservation and Protection

While Common Brushtail Possums may be seen as a nuisance by some due to their occasional nocturnal disturbances or foraging habits, they play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of our ecosystem. These possums help control insect populations and disperse seeds, aiding in the growth of native vegetation. Consequently, they are protected under Australian law. It is illegal to harm or relocate them without proper permits.

Common Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus)

The Common Ringtail Possum is another of our city’s possum species. These smaller, more delicate possums are known for their prehensile tails with a distinctive white tip. They are primarily folivores, meaning they mainly eat leaves, and have a diet composed of eucalyptus leaves, flowers, and a variety of other plant matter.

Sydney Possums Social Behaviour

Common Ringtail Possums are often more social than their Brushtail counterparts. They build spherical nests, known as dreys, which are made of twigs and leaves. These nests serve as both shelters and communal resting places. It’s not uncommon to spot multiple Ringtail Possums in a single drey, cuddled up together for warmth and safety.

Urban Adaptation

Just like Brushtail Possums, Common Ringtail Possums have adapted to urban life. They are frequently found in gardens, parks, and green spaces, using their strong tails to balance on powerlines and branches as they move through the urban canopy.

Conclusion

Our possums, both Common Brushtail and Common Ringtail, are intriguing nocturnal creatures. They have successfully adapted to the urban environment while retaining their essential roles in the ecosystem. As our city continues to grow and develop, it’s important for residents to coexist peacefully with these native animals, appreciating their unique characteristics and the vital part they play in preserving the city’s natural balance. By understanding and respecting these nighttime visitors, we can ensure that our city remains a vibrant and diverse habitat for all its inhabitants, human and possum alike.

Flying Foxes – The Party Animals

These cute little animals with fox like faces, flying foxes are also known as fruit bats. This is due to their penchant for fruit. Some of our fruit bat colonies disappear completely from our city during winter as they head north for warmer climates. These aerobatic ‘foxes’ normally roost high in the trees. Here, they live with hundreds of their family and friends. In their seemingly party atmosphere they make a great deal of noise and get happy on the diet of (sometimes fermented) fruit. It is a spectacle to see. during the day, they often cover their heads with their wings as though they were pulling the bed cover over their head after a heavy fermented fruit drink hangover.

Our Sydney Flying Foxes are Unique

The flying fox is the world’s largest flying mammal. It can fly at speeds of about 20km/h and 60km/h when using a tail wind and will fly up to 50km from its roosts. The Sydney Flying Foxes we see grow up to 1 metre wingspan. However, the largest fruit bats, the Giant golden-crowned fruit bat will have up to a 1.5 metre wingspan. These Australian bats bear their pups (babies) whilst upside down and only have one at a time and the mother catches them in her wing when they are born. Whilst they chew fruits rather than eat nectar, They suck the nectar.

The Grey-headed Flying-fox is the largest Australian bat and is amongst the largest bats in the world. It has a weight of between 600g and 2000g and has a head and body length of 23 – 29 cm. Moreover, it has dark grey fur on the body, lighter grey fur on the head and a collar of orange/brown fully encircling its neck and thick leg fur extends to the ankle. The wing membranes are black and the wingspan can be up to 1 m. Once a year they can have a pup. The young fruit bats start to fly at about 2 or 3 months of age.

The black headed flying fox is another of Australia’s largest bats, about the same size as the grey headed fruit bat. It is distinguishable as it is completely black with no other colourful markings. Also, its fur stops at the knees.

The third species, the little red flying fox is about half the size of the other two. Their fur is red-brown and their wings are more translucent. They feed almost entirely on blossom of eucalypts and melaleucas. Moreover, they are highly nomadic, following blossoming river redgums along inland rivers or visiting the coast for a month or two.

Excellent Pollinators

The Sydney flying fox is an important pollinator of the Eucalyptus forests in and around the city. Whilst they love fruit, their main food source is provided by nectar from Eucalyptus flowers. Eucalyptus trees need pollen from other trees of their species (out-crossing) to produce fertile seed, and the fruit bat provides this service. 

Population Changes

Recently, in 2019, heatwaves saw temperatures reach around 47°C. This saw a lot of them fall from trees to their deaths from heat exhaustion and thinned their numbers a little. In 2011, the colony of fruit bats that called the city’s Botanic Gardens home was dispatched and moved on to protect the heritage listed trees.

The Dark Side of our flying foxes

Whilst bats are often associated with black magic, vampires and horror movies, this is normally far from reality. However there is a dark side to these cuddly looking animals. They are noisy, smelly, messy creatures whose bite or scratch could have you kissing death. This is because they carry a nasty virus(Lyssavirus) similar to rabies, so its best to avoid touching them. To our knowledge, only one person has ever died of it. Fortunately, they will normally not come close to humans. Another effect when colony numbers are high, whole streets may turn white with fruit bat guano; even the cars change colour. Also, note that it is highly corrosive.

Come and see a flying fox colony

Come and see one of the Sydney flying fox colonies in conjunction with another of Travel Ideology’s Tours and learn all about these amazing creatures. See them plying the air, sleeping, covering their eyes with their wings and hear them squawking. This is the only private flying fox tour in Sydney. Contact us to add it to one of our wild kangaroo or parrot trips. In summer, we often see them on our wild wombat tours as well. On this tour you will learn some interesting facts about these amazing animals including the important role they play in the ecology.

What to bring on your Sydney Flying Foxes Tours

Please wear enclosed (preferably old) footwear as it can get quite marshy at times. Bring good photographic equipment as flying foxes can be high in the trees and flying about.

Come on this Sydney Flying Foxes tour to see our Australian fruit bats and gain an insight into these interesting yet relatively unknown creatures.

Flying foxes

flying foxes

flying fox with wing out

Our Sydney parrots tour is amazing. Whilst our kangaroos, koalas and wombats are iconic, there’s more to Australia than our amazing mammals. Did you know that one sixth of the world’s parrots species call Australia home? Moreover, 56 species of the 300 or so species of parrots are found in Australia, and only 5 of these are found elsewhere in the world. These species are large curious intelligent colourful birds with powerful curved beaks for cracking nuts and seeds. They can also feed on fruit, nectar and sometimes insects. They normally nest in hollows in mature trees. Parrots have two toes pointing forwards, and two toes pointing backwards. Our amazing parrot family includes cockatoos, lorikeets, rosellas and budgerigars.

Our city full of parrots and our parrots with their beautiful colourful plumage can brighten up some of the dullest days. Not only that, about 5% of the world’s parrot species are found in our amazing city and many are found throughout its suburbs. Furthermore, parrots are some of the most intelligent bird species. Our Sulphur Crested Cockatoo for instance has learnt to lift the quite heavy garbage bin lids in search of a snack. In some suburbs, the parrots come and knock at windows in search of food. In other suburbs, the sulphur crested cockatoos take a bite out of the woodwork. They are famed for their beautiful crests which are used in courtship. Our beautiful colourful rainbow lorikeet, another favourite. can often be seen feeding on the nectar of flowering eucalypts and banksias.

On this parrots tour, we will search for parrots in at least 3 different locations. During the day we may see many of our colourful parrots including king parrots,  cockatoos, lorikeets, corellas, galahs, more parrots . On some days we may only find a few of these species, on others we will find ten or so. Often, we may also see other native birds including our pelicans, ibises, kookaburras and magpies. Book Now

Unique Island

Our city’s waterways have many hidden and unique islands. In this tour, we take a leisurely boat to a very special island where there are no private cars. Here, people use old wheelbarrows to cart their shopping from the ferry wharf to their homes and school children ride their bikes to the wharf to catch a ferry to school. We walk around this beautiful small island, the locals call paradise. It is a haven for Australian parrots and other native birds and a beautiful tranquil area to spend some time. We will most likely see kookaburras, rainbow lorikeets and sulphur crested cockatoos. On many occasions, we also see eastern rosellas, king parrots, galahs, corellas and even pelicans.

Olympic Lunch Stop

This tour will stop for lunch at Olympic Park, where the 2000 Australian Olympics were held. Here, we will meet some of the local ibis (also known as bin chickens because they raid garbage bins). We will also take a short walk to visit a wetlands area where we may see some of our lovely water birds. We head to a specially constructed permanent hide. Bring binoculars to see them the best. At times, we are able to see pelicans and black swans in this location. We will generally see other water birds at the same location.

In the afternoon, we will visit suburban areas where many species of parrot make their homes.

Other Tour Details

Guarantee
These are wild animals. As such, there is no guarantee that any birds will be there for us when we get there. However, if we do not see at least 3 species of parrots, we will provide you an opportunity to attend another occasion at no charge. This has not happened on this tour in our history.

Who will enjoy our Parrot tour?
This tour is for international tourists who have an interest in seeing and appreciating some of our unique and colourful bird life. We transport you to the places where you will have the best chance of seeing our amazing parrot and bird life.

Whilst twitchers may like to join this parrots tour to get to see our bird life, our Sydney Parrots tour is not a twitchers (or bird watchers) dream as we may not provide the duration or detail about the birds you desire.

Sydney Parrot Tour Testimonials

★★★★★ Lynne R

best experience

“locals would talk about visiting this place and insisted it was a must visit. I’m so glad i went
my experience was excellent, a lovely change from the norm. we had so much fun and the
weather was great!.“

king parrot

musk lorrikeet

rainbow lorrikeet

eastern rosella

sulphur crested cockatoo

red rumped parrot

galahs

unique island

corella

pelican swimming

magpie

kookaburra