In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...
Quoted message said:
Indeed, the man-eating marsupial squirrles may even be attracted by
such pitiful attempts at self-defense. They probably consider the
fiery pepper spray a savory dressing for the carcasses of their
victims.
Is this really surprising? I mean, we're talking about Australia here. To quote
Bill Bryson (from In a Sunburned Country):
"It is the home of the largest living thing on earth, the Great Barrier Reef,
and of the largest monolith, Ayers Rock (or Uluru to use its now-official, more
respectful Aboriginal name). It has more things that will kill you than
anywhere else. Of the world=3Fs ten most poisonous snakes, all are Australian.
Five of its creatures=3Fthe funnel web spider, box jellyfish, blue-ringed
octopus, paralysis tick, and stonefish=3Fare the most lethal of their type in the
world. This is a country where even the fluffiest of caterpillars can lay you
out with a toxic nip, where seashells will not just sting you but actually
sometimes go for you. Pick up an innocuous cone shell from a Queensland beach,
as innocent tourists are all too wont to do, and you will discover that the
little fellow inside is not just astoundingly swift and testy but exceedingly
venomous. If you are not stung or pronged to death in some unexpected manner,
you may be fatally chomped by sharks or crocodiles, or carried helplessly out
to sea by irresistible currents, or left to stagger to an unhappy death in the
baking outback. It=3Fs a tough place."
I'd say bloodthirsty marsupial mice are par for the course.
--
__o Kristian Zoerhoff
_'\(,_ [email hidden]
(_)/ (_)
