The most informative map of Oz... EVER

[Kitchen]

1 hour ago, Ken Gargett said:

if we are putting up contenders, the poor old cassowary would not even make the pre-fight card. i doubt if 90% of australians even know they can be dangerous. they are so far off the 'animals to worry about' list it does not matter. 

not that i have the slightest desire to ever confront a grizzly, but grizzly v saltie? the saltie would take care of the grizzy before settling down to snack on both of us. and there are plenty more. 

In the water, the saltie would win 100% of the time.  On land though, I think the grizzly holds the advantage.  The saltie only has its jaws to fight with and must land a good bit on flesh, not fat, to be effective.  Unfortunately, grizzlies have a lot of fat, so this would prove to be difficult.  Now the grizzly not only has jaws, albeit smaller, to work with, but also some pretty damn strong arms and legs.  Not to mention I would assume the grizzly would be more nimble during a fight.  

Still, my original point was, N. America has plenty of animals that can kill you pretty damn fast too.  The only thing is we instinctively know these animals are dangerous.  Nobody thinks a bird, even a big one, can kill a person with little effort, so it is more off putting.  But at the end of the day, you have your birds to worry about, and we have our bears.  

[Fuzz]

8 minutes ago, cigcars said:

     *According to the nice lady in the narration, these birds kill maybe one person a year. She told of a bloke killed by one but he was trying to kill IT. Elephants in India kill 300 people a year; our own Man's Best Friend in the States kill around 28 people a year...*

 

In India, people are around elephants quite a fair bit. In the US (and most parts of the world), dogs are constant companions of humans. But how often do you think people are around cassowaries? Only when a dopey tourist goes up to one and says, "Hey! Get a pic of me with this weird looking bird!.... <clawing & stabbing sounds> ... ARGH!! This bird is crazy!!!"

[cigcars]

1 minute ago, Fuzz said:

In India, people are around elephants quite a fair bit. In the US (and most parts of the world), dogs are constant companions of humans. But how often do you think people are around cassowaries? Only when a dopey tourist goes up to one and says, "Hey! Get a pic of me with this weird looking bird!.... <clawing & stabbing sounds> ... ARGH!! This bird is crazy!!!"

     **That's actually a little hilarious!  Bird makes me think: "Sounds like myself!  'Hey I never gave you my okay to get RIGHT UP ON ME and clown around like you know me!' " 

[Ken Gargett]

22 minutes ago, cfc1016 said:

Pitching animals of equal weight, in neutral territory (2' deep water, let's say - since grizzly bears are actually quite adept swimmers, but a land battle would be unfair to the croc), and in equally cranky, hungry moods - I give it to the griz. They're a lot tougher than you think. Their skin and coat are like a kevlar vest with tank armor on top of it; their claws are just as versatile weapon as their bite. Death roll or not, I think the griz would stand a good chance of getting at the croc's belly and disemboweling it. He'd probably also die, but only after limping away from leaving the croc dead at the scene.

please do not think that i am in any way demeaning the threat of what a bear can do. when i travelled around northern the states and canada, years ago, we were terrified of what they might do. yes, had the food on ropes in the trees and all sorts of things - do you still do that? 

in water, the poor bear would stand no chance. 

on the land, i'd still put odds on the saltie - assuming a big one here. smaller ones might struggle. but say 5 metres against a fully grown grizzly. it would be a mess but the crocs are far smarter than most give them credit for, incredibly patient and the strongest bite in the world. would the bear be able to avoid the jaws forever? i doubt it. i'd still go with the saltie. 

[Ken Gargett]

24 minutes ago, Kitchen said:

 But at the end of the day, you have your birds to worry about, and we have our bears.  

i can promise you that no one in australia worries about a bird of any size, shape - except perhaps for what it might drop on your car. 

[hoyopr]

3 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

 yes, had the food on ropes in the trees and all sorts of things - do you still do that?  

 

Yes you keep your food away from your sleeping area, learned from early experience.

LOL