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| So you're into sci fi? But what about sci fact? Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction... Each month our very own Voyager Science Queen* will bring you interesting, quirky and downright bizarre tid bits from the world of science. And its all completely, totally, 100% true! April Sci-Facts Australia abounds in some of the most unique flora and wildlife. Quite a lot of it can kill you, one way or another; it’s all part of the miracle of nature. So let’s look at some of the more exotic specimens, rather than the usual run of snakes and spiders, with an eye to the special qualities that make them so unusual or individual. |
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The Stonefish and friends |
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What lurks in the silt and sand of the ocean floor? There are quite a few nasties…the fire coral, which stings like a jellyfish on contact; the cone shell and its poisoned spike; but one of the outstanding dangers is the spiny stonefish. The animal is well camouflaged and nearly impossible to pick from the background rock, hence its name. Stand on one of these creatures when you aren’t wearing any protective shoes, and you are definitely in for a hospital stay and weeks of painful recovery and convalescence. The stonefish, Synanceja trichinous and Synaneichthyes verrucosus, does not wield its spines for offensive purposes, such as killing prey; they are purely defensive weapons. The spines are not hollow, but deeply grooved; and the skin on the tips of the spines is thin and weak. At the base of the spines, there are poison sacs, which have no ability to pump their toxic contents. Instead, when you step on a stonefish barb, the skin at the tip of the spine tears, and the weight of your body pushes the skin down the shaft as the spine enters your flesh. This squeezes the poison sacs, and the goo is forced up the grooves in the spine and injects the toxin into your foot. Infection as well as the poisoning complicates most stonefish injuries. The animal is sheathed in mucus, and that enters the flesh when the spine penetrates the body. The mucus is not toxic in composition, but it contains a high proportion of bacteria and other contaminants. It is easy to prevent a stonefish-related injury. A stout pair of shoes – not thongs or sandshoes – will prevent penetration by the barbs, when you are walking in areas where stonefish are present. But even thin-soled shoes can reduce the actual physical damage and the amount of invasive toxins & mucus. |
| The Box Jellyfish and its relatives |
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Most jellyfish float passively in the water, trailing stinging tentacles to capture and kill prey – usually plankton or small fish. The stinging cells on the tentacles are called nematocysts, with each nematocyst containing a coiled thread coated with a toxin. When these cells are triggered, by contact with the cnidocel, they turn inside out and the thread springs out, piercing any flesh in contact with the nematocyst, and injects the toxin. The Box Jellyfish, Chironex fleckeri of the Order Cubomedusae and the Class Scyphozoa, also known as the sea wasp, has numerous tentacles that can be up to 3 metres long, and its toxin can cause an allergic reaction in humans, in the form of painful weals or rashes. A large enough dose can be lethal, and contact with just 4 metres of a single tentacle can deliver this dosage. To treat a sting, first of all you must rinse the site with seawater – not fresh water – and do not rub. There will be unactivated nematocysts remaining in the tentacles, and you do not want them to discharge. Do not touch the tentacles with your bare hands, for the same reason. Then pour vinegar over the tentacles, which will slow or deactivate the nematocysts, and remove them with tweezers or tongs (if you have them available). Take care to lift them straight off the wound, to prevent further stings. Then, cover the stings with mud or a paste of baking soda, and get the victim to a doctor asap. If you are some distance from a doctor, you can attempt to remove any remaining stinging cells lodged in the skin by ‘shaving’ the affected area with a razor or a knife. Immobilise the wound with bandages, as you would for snakebite, and keep the patient calm and quite while transporting them to medical help. It is important to see a doctor even if the victim has received only a minor sting. The wounds can become infected, or further symptoms of poisoning may occur, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, swelling, breathing difficulties, coma and/or death. While we are on the topic of stinging jellyfish, I should mention two other species that infest Australian waters. There is the common blue bottle, Physalia physalis, not a true jellyfish but actually a colony of modified polyps, which can deliver a nasty sting that is only fatal in very rare circumstances – though you may wish you are dead from the pain they can inflict (pick which I’ve been stung by). Blue bottles also go by the name Portuguese man-of-war, and tend to travel in large groups, which increases the chance of being stung when they are in season. And there is the Irukandji jellyfish, Carukia barnesi, another cubozoan jellyfish like the Box jellyfish; this animal is smaller, but has stinging cells all over its body and has caused fatalities in recent years. |
| The Drop Bear |
The Drop Bear, Aprilinis firstus is not really a bear, but a close relative of the Koala, Phascolarctos cinereus. They are not a real danger to human beings, as they are neither poisonous nor are they venomous, but they can deliver a hefty whack to the head. The creatures are quite dopey, are not very graceful, and very cowardly, as any sudden, loud noise will make them lose their grip on a branch and they plummet to the ground. They are heavily furred, and quite well cushioned by fat, so the fall isn’t injurious to them. It’s just any unfortunate person or animal underneath the drop bear can be seriously concussed by several kilograms of free-falling marsupial. Even though there are no recorded Drop Bear deaths, prevention is better than cure, and you really don’t need a headache when you’re trying to enjoy a bush walk; it is best to avoid aquamarine-flowering gums and to wear a stout hat when strolling through a Drop Bear infestation. |
| *The Voyager Science Queen is also known as Lynne Green So, who is this woman who attempts to entertain us with Science? Well, I really am a scientist. I have a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Queensland, in Zoology. And, at the moment, I am working in a Pathology laboratory. I have always been intensely curious about every aspect of our universe, from the teeny tiny workings of the gene right up to the mind-bending forces that are twisting and knotting inside a blackhole. So, now I am sharing a brain stuffed full of trivia…and hopefully entertaining people at the same time. As well, I write Fantasy stories and novels. One day, I hope to have a book published, but don't hold your breath. Reading is my other major love, and my favourite authors are Terry Pratchett and Isaac Asimov, though I could list hundreds of others. If I had one wish, I ask for more time to write! Read previous Sci-Facts: Something light-hearted Looking for more scientific oddities? Have you checked out Dr Steven Juan's website? He is, quite literally, the wizard of odds! |
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