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EBOOK REAU5057 Acknowledgements Dangerous Aussie Animals i. I-stock Photos. © 2010 Ready-Ed Publications ii. Clip art images have been obtained from Microsoft Printed in Design Gallery Live and are used under the terms of Author: Lindsay Marsh the End User License Agreement for Microsoft Word Ready-Ed 2000. Please refer to www.microsoft.com/permission. Publications iii. Wikimedia Commons.

Cover Acknowledgements Blue-ringed Octopus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hapalochlaena_lunulata2.JPG

Copyright Notice The purchasing educational institution and its staff have educational institution (or the body that administers it) has the right to make copies of the whole or part of this book, given a remuneration notices to Copyright Agency Limited beyond their rights under the Australian Copyright Act (CAL) under Act. 1968 (the Act), provided that: For details of the CAL licence for educational 1. The number of copies does not exceed the number institutions contact: reasonably required by the educational institution to Copyright Agency Limited satisfy its teaching purposes; Level 19, 157 Liverpool Street 2. Copies are made only by reprographic means Sydney NSW 2000 (photocopying), not by electronic/digital means, and not Telephone: (02) 9394 7600 stored or transmitted; Facsimile: (02) 9394 7601 E-mail: [email protected] 3. Copies are not sold or lent; 4. Every copy made clearly shows the footnote, ‘Ready-Ed Reproduction and Communication by others Publications’. Except as otherwise permitted by this blackline master Any copying of this book by an educational institution or licence or under the Act (for example, any fair dealing for its staff outside of this blackline master licence may fall the purposes of study, research, criticism or review) no within the educational statutory licence under the Act. part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by The Act allows a maximum of one chapter or 10% of any means without prior written permission. All inquiries the pages of this book, whichever is the greater, to be should be made to the publisher at the address above. reproduced and/or communicated by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that that

Published by: Ready-Ed Publications PO Box 276 Greenwood WA 6024 www.readyed.com.au [email protected]

ISBN: 978 1 86397 791 3

2 Contents

Teacher Notes 4 Curriculum Links 5

Box - Information Sheet 1 6 Terrifying Tentacles 7 Design A Sign 8 Boxy Box Jellyfish 9 Interview A Victim 10 Box JellyFish - Information Sheet 2 11 Box Jellyfish Up Close 12 Friends In The Ocean 13

Blue-Ringed Octopus - Information Sheet 1 14 Paralysing Bite 1 15 Paralysing Bite 2 16 I Lived To Tell The Story 17 Blue-Ringed Octopus - Information Sheet 2 18 Amazing Octopus 1 19 Amazing Octopus 2 20 Papier-Mâché Blue-Ringed Octopus 21 Dangerous Pet 22

Stingrays - Information Sheet 1 23 Stabbing Stingrays 1 24 Stabbing Stingrays 2 25 Stingrays - Information Sheet 2 26 Stingray Statistics 27 Studying Stingrays 28 Stingray Search 29

Brown Snakes - Information Sheet 1 30 Snakey Statistics 1 31 Snakey Statistics 2 32 Brown snakes - Information Sheet 2 33 SSSSSSSnakes 1 34 SSSSSSSnakes 2 35 Design An Enclosure For A Brown Snake 36

Saltwater - Information Sheet 1 37 Saltie Statistics 1 38 Saltie Statistics 2 39 The Saltwater - Information Sheet 2 40 Studying Salties 1 41 Studying Salties 2 42 Design A Sign 43 Trading Cards 44

Answers 45-46

3 Teachers’ Notes

Dangerous Aussie Animals is designed to help students understand more about the animals that share their world. Through this understanding, students should begin to value and respect living things and their environments, and interact with them responsibly. They should begin to recognise that animals usually only threaten humans when they feel threatened themselves and feel more able to make informed decisions if they ever find themselves in hazardous situations.

By looking closely at five of Australia’s most deadly and fascinating animals, students will begin to develop an understanding of the biology of living things, such as how their physical characteristics help them to move, grow, reproduce, survive and meet their needs. This book also encourages students to consider how changes in physical environments require animals to adapt and change themselves. Recognition of the interdependence in life is also examined.

This book helps students to learn by being engaged, as it is written to fascinate and amaze. The activities are practical and fun. Answers are provided at the back of the book to make life easy for the teacher.

4 Curriculum Links

NSW (Science and Technology) Living Things - Stage 3 Describe Features of Living Things - Stage 4 (4.8)

TAS (Science) Science as a Body of Knowledge – Living Things - Standards 3 & 4

ACT (Science) ELA 19 The student understands and applies scientific knowledge

NT (Science) Life and Living - Bands 3 & 4 Earth and Beyond - Bands 3 & 4

QLD (Science) Life and Living - ELS – Year 7

SA (Science) Life Systems - Standards 3 & 4

VIC (Science) Knowledge and Understanding - Levels 4 & 5

WA (Science) (8) Life and Living

5 Information Sheet 1 Box JellyFish

Ouch! Nice To Meet You Ahhhhhhhhhh. When stung by box jellyfish, the pain is said to be excruciating. In fact Australian box jellyfish are renowned many people go into shock from the severity for being the most venomous marine of the pain and drown. Of course the degree animals known to humankind. They of pain felt depends on the size of the box have killed more people in Australia jellyfish, how much venom is released, the than sharks, snakes and saltwater crocs amount of tentacles involved, the size of the put together! As well as box jellyfish, victim (children are more vulnerable) and they also answer to chironex fleckeri, also on where the victim is stung. A person boxfish, sea wasp, fire medusa, or just stinger. stung on the chest for example, is likely to suffer greater injuries than a person Australian box jellyfish belong to the stung on the ankle. Cubozoa class of animals. First Aid

What Makes Deadly When stinging away, the tentacles } } of box jellyfish stick to their victims' THEM Deadly? Fact skin. Attempting to remove the One jellyfish contains tentacles can mean that more Box jellyfish are like ghosts in the enough toxin to kill toxic venom is released and lead to ocean, as they are made up of 60 people! greater injuries. Pouring vinegar over 95% water. Their transparent pale the tentacles will take the sting out of blue colour makes them pretty much them. Most Australian beaches where invisible in their environment, so they are box jellyfish are known to lurk, will have easy to swim into. Not helping matters is the vinegar in their first aid kits. Once victims are free of the tentacles, mild stings can be treated with fact that their box-shaped bodies can grow ice, painkillers and antihistamines. If a victim up to 30 centimetres in diameter (about the is having difficulty breathing, swallowing, has size of a basketball) and their tentacles can extensive skin damage or has gone into cardiac grow up to three metres in length. Their size arrest, an antivenin must be given, usually within means that many an unsuspecting swimmer minutes. While waiting for antivenin to arrive, a has swam into their long tentacles and pressure immobilisation bandage can help. CPR become entangled. Box jellyfish have around may also need to be performed. 60 tentacles. They have approximately 15 tentacles on each side of their box-shaped Did You Know? bodies. On each tentacle lies thousands of deadly stinging cells (nematocysts). These Australia is one of the few countries to display signs on stinging cells are activated when they come beaches which warn swimmers about box jellyfish. Countries into contact with certain chemicals which such as Thailand think that signs will affect tourism and they exist on the surface of fish, shellfish and us! have been known to cover up deaths caused by box jellyfish as So if you are unlucky enough to swim into drug overdoses! There are estimated to be between one and their arms, you may be stung to death. two hundred deaths annually caused by box jellyfish in the South East Asian region.

How dangerous do you think Rate box jellyfish Increasing danger Danger box jellyfish are?

rating Colour in the danger rating Misunderstood! Dare me to Enter water at Deadly dangerous! I want one for a pet. swim with own risk. Stay on the shore. just for fun. one.

6 Activity Terrifying Tentacles

Read about box jellyfish on page 6 to help you complete the following. Questions

1. What feature of a box jellyfish makes it hard to see in the water? ______

2. What is a nematocyst?______

3. When is a nematocyst activated?______

4. Is a box jellyfish's sting painful?______

Draw and label the items needed in a doctor’s first aid Create a Scale box that is designed to deal with a box jellyfish’s sting. Draw some tentacles on the box jellyfish below and create a scale to show the length of a real life tentacle. E.g. One metre = three centimetres. Include and label its nematocysts.

Scale

7 Activity Design A sign

Read about box jellyfish on page 6 to help you complete the following.

Design a sign which will warn and educate swimmers at a local beach about box jellyfish. First, brainstorm some words that you can use on your sign.

Brainstorm

8 Activity Boxy box Jellyfish

Read about box jellyfish on page 6 to help you complete the following.

Indicate whether the following statements are true or false. 1. The box jellyfish is made up of 80% water.  True  False 2. The box jellyfish is only found in Australia.  True  False 3. The box jellyfish has around 60 tentacles (15 on each side of its body).  True  False 4. The box jellyfish bites.  True  False

Colour Fact 1 Colour in red the parts of the human body which, if stung, are likely to result in severe injuries. Write Colour in yellow the parts of the human body which, Write three if stung, are less likely to lead to severe injuries. facts about box jellyfish in the spaces provided.

Fact 2 Fact 3

Draw an everyday object that you think feels Extra! like a box jellyfish on the back of this sheet.

9 Interview a victim

Imagine that you are a TV or newspaper reporter interviewing Your Task an eyewitness of an extremely dangerous attack by a box jellyfish. Create a list of interesting questions to ask the eyewitness. Draw a picture which relates to an Details of Attack interesting part of the event. Location______

Time______

Name of Victim______

Injuries Suffered ______

Question 1______

Question 2______

Question 3______

Question 4______

Question 5______

10 Information Sheet 2 Box JellyFish

Box Jellyfish Box Jellyfish Powers Although we have great difficulty seeing box Hangout jellyfish, they can see us perfectly. On each side of their four-sided bodies, they have a If you want to avoid being stung by box cluster of six eyes, meaning they have 24 eyes jellyfish, as well as donning a stinger suit and altogether. Some of these eyes are extremely swimming at beaches which use nets, it may sophisticated. As well as having great vision, be an idea to learn about where they like box jellyfish are quick and agile. They can to hang out. Box jellyfish are found in the propel themselves in jet-like motions to reach tropical oceans around northern Australia. speeds of up to three to four knots. This means They like to mingle in shallow estuaries, that they can travel approximately two metres creeks and river mouths after it has rained. per second! They do this by filling their bodies You’re unlikely to bump into any in deep with water and pushing this water out again waters, rough seas, near coral reefs using their coronal muscles. and in areas laden with sea grass or weed. Although you need to watch out for box jellyfish Deadly all year round, victims are } Fact } Box Jellyfish Hit larger in number during the wet season which runs from A box jellyfish's tentacle List November to April. that is detached from its The good news is that box body will still sting you if jellyfish don't like to snack on you touch it! people. Small fish (especially crustaceans, such as shrimp and crabs) and other jellyfish, rate as their favourite meals. A box jellyfish will avoid being torn by its prey by killing its prey first with its venomous sting. It will then contract its tentacles to put food into its mouth which is located in the underside of its body. However many experts believe that box jellyfish rarely have to actively hunt their food, because food usually runs into their long tentacles. Butterfish, batfish, rabbitfish and turtles like to eat box jellyfish for dinner. Turtles can eat box jellyfish easily as they are not affected by their toxic stings.

Did You Know?

Cute little baby box jellyfish are born in late summer at river mouths. Ahhhh. When born http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Haeckel_Cubomedusae.jpg they are known as polyps. Polyps attach themselves to rocks and in spring develop into mini box jellyfish which are about one and a half millimetres in size.

11 Activity Box Jellyfish UP close

Read about box jellyfish on page 11 to help you complete the following.

Here are two beakers of water. Draw a box jellyfish in the water that you think it would like to live.

warm and shallow cold and weedy

Questions

1. Where does the box jellyfish like to hang out?______

2. The box jellyfish has a v______sting.

3. Up to what speeds can the box jellyfish travel?______

4. Name the calendar months when the box jellyfish does the most stinging.

______

5. What do you call a baby box jellyfish?______

6. Explain why the box jellyfish does not often have to hunt for food.______

______

Complete Three Food Chains

1. eat Box Jellyfish eat

2. eat Box Jellyfish eat

3. eat Box Jellyfish eat

12 Activity Friends in the ocean

Bazza the box jellyfish is trying to find a friend on ocean-net (an Internet site for marine animals). Read his profile then create the profile of an ocean friend for Bazza below. Profile 1

Name: Type of marine animal: Bazza Box Jellyfish

Likes: Baby box jellyfish, shallow waters Dislikes: Turtles, vinegar, sea grass and weedy areas www.istock.com/Lee Daniels www.istock.com/Lee

© Dining out: Shrimp please Favourite sayings: Watch where you’re going! Bump into me again and you’ll know about it! Strengths: Speed and vision Weaknesses: Swimming in deep waters and deep seas Achievements: Killed more people than any other dangerous animal in Australia

Profile 2

Name: Type of marine animal:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Dining out:

Favourite sayings:

Other interests: Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Achievements:

13 Blue-Ringed Octopus Information Sheet 1 Ouch! Their bite is usually painless, but the effects nice to meet you of the paralysing venom are horrific. Ten to fifteen minutes after being bitten, victims You can take your pick of blue-ringed will experience numbness around their octopuses because there are three known mouths, which soon spreads to their faces species. Maculosa is the southern blue-ringed and necks. They will begin to have trouble octopus, lunulata is the greater blue-ringed breathing, swallowing and speaking. They octopus and fasciata is the blue-lined octopus. will also feel sick and often go temporarily Blue-ringed octopuses are known for being blind. They will be aware of their surroundings among the most toxic sea creatures in the but may appear dead as they will be unable world. Although they only live until they are to react or move. Their bodies may then go two years of age, they can do some extensive into respiratory arrest. If victims are treated damage in their lifetimes. immediately after they have been bitten, they Blue-ringed octopuses belong to the can recover. If they do not seek medical Octopodidae family. help, death is inevitable. Deadly } Fact } One blue-ringed octopus First Aid has enough poison to Unlike box jellyfish, no antivenin What Makes THEM paralyse 26 adults in is available in Australia!! three minutes! Deadly? The only treatment is hours of heart massage and artificial The venom of blue-ringed octopuses respiration, which should be performed contains tetrodotoxin (te-tro-do-tox-in), until the poison has worked its way out of a poison more violent than any other the victim’s system. Pressure-immobilization poison found in land animals. and mouth to mouth resuscitation can keep The venom is found in their saliva the victim alive until the poison wears off. which is released into the human body when they bite fingers or hands which prod them or attempt to lift them, or feet which step on them! The venom is Did You Know? deadly. Moments before blue-ringed octopuses The venom of pufferfish also contains tet- bite, electric blue rings will appear on rodotoxin. The first recorded case of tetro- their brown and yellow skin, making dotoxin poisoning is from Captain James them deadly beauties. Cook’s diaries in 1774. He noted that his crew ate some local fish (pufferfish) and fed the remains to the pigs on-board the ship. The crew experienced numbness and shortness of breath, while the pigs were all found dead the next morning!

How dangerous do you think Rate blue-ringed octopuses Increasing danger Danger blue-ringed octopuses are? rating Colour in the danger rating Misunderstood! Dare me to Don't touch! Deadly Dangerous! I want one for a pet. swim with Stay on the shore. just for fun. one.

14 Activity Paralysing Bite 1 Read about blue-ringed octopuses on page 14 to help you complete the following. Questions 1. List the three known species of the blue-ringed octopus.______

______

2. When does the blue-ringed octopus show its electric blue rings?______

______

3. Does it hurt when a blue-ringed octopus bites?______

4. If you were bitten by a blue-ringed octopus at 3 pm, what time would it be when you start to show symptoms of being bitten? ______

Label the effects of a blue-ringed octopus’ Imagine venom on the human body below. One Imagine that you are a forensic scientist. You need to carry has been done for you. Indicate where the out an autopsy on a body which has fallen victim to a blue- saliva enters the body. ringed octopus. Complete the profile of the victim below.

numbness around Name of victim: the mouth Male Female Age:

Bitten by:

Where bitten:

Where found: Poison found in body: Symptoms shown of being bitten within minutes:

First aid attempted: Yes No

Antivenin given: Yes No

15 Activity Paralysing Bite 2

Read about blue-ringed octopuses on page 14 to help you complete the following.

Write three facts about blue-ringed octopuses in the circles provided. Fact 3 Fact 1

Fact 2

Colour the blue-ringed octopus below to show what it looks like just before it Imagine attacks. Imagine that you are on-board Captain James Cook's ship in 1774 and the crew have just caught a blue-ringed octopus. The Captain prepares the octopus for dinner. Write a diary entry about how the crew feels after dinner. ______

Internet Activity Extra! • Blue-ringed octopuses and pufferfish both contain tetrodotoxin. On the back of this sheet make a list of other animals which contain this toxic poison.

16 I lived to tell the story There are many news stories which you can find on the Internet that relate to people's deadly encounters with blue-ringed octopuses. Write your own newspaper article reporting an attack. Include your own picture, an attention grabbing headline and interesting details about the incident.

by: ______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

17 Blue-Ringed Octopus Information Sheet 2 Blue-Ringed Blue-Ringed Octopus Octopus Hit List Hangout A blue-ringed octopus hunts and eats during the day. It likes crabs, squid, Blue-ringed octopuses are not shrimps and lobster. If one of its prey is aggressive animals and will only unleash nearby, it will pounce on top of it, clasp their venom on those who invade their it with its eight tentacles, paralyze it with hang out. They like to make little cubbies its venomous bite, and use its beak to for themselves. They build their cubbies tear off and munch on pieces of its flesh. by digging holes in the sand and will If its prey is some distance away, it will even build little doors for their cubbies squirt venom through its siphon (funnel) by piling rocks on top of one another. into the water and wait until it is They like to lurk in shallow waters immobile before devouring it. on the coast of Australia. These Deadly Large fish and crevice are areas that contain lots dwellers, like the moray eel, of coral and rock pools so Fact } } kill and eat blue-ringed that they can hide from If you place a blue-ringed octopuses. To avoid being predators. Their bodies eaten up, a blue-ringed are soft, so they can easily octopus in a container that is octopus has some amazing squeeze into tight spaces. not secure, it will escape. Like other octopuses, the blue-ring powers. It can change is deceptively strong. colour rapidly to blend in with its environment and can change the texture of its skin to resemble sand, rocks, reefs, coral and seaweed! A blue-ringed octopus forces water out of its siphon to breath Baby and propel itself through the water.

Blue-Ringed Octopuses beak A blue-ringed female octopus lays about eye 50 eggs in late autumn and will carry these eggs under her eight arms (which are covered in suckers) for six months. During this time she does not eat. siphon Three to six months after the eggs have hatched, the female dies. The cute little pea sized babies mature rapidly and are ready to mate the following autumn. sucker tentacle Baby blue-rings can weigh up to 100 grams Did You Know? and grow up to 20 centimetres in length resembling the size of a golf ball. If blue-ringed octopuses lose an arm, they will quickly grow back another.

18 Activity Amazing Octopus 1 Read about blue-ringed octopuses on page 18 to help you complete the following. Fill in the Missing Words 1. A blue-ringed octopus can force water out of its ______.

2. The blue-ringed octopus likes to build ______in the sand.

3. An octopus has ______arms. 4. The blue-ringed female octopus lays about _____ eggs.

Read the five steps below to help you draw the life cycle of a blue-ringed octopus in the circles provided. 1 1. Begins life in an egg.

2. Eggs are carried under mother's arms for six 5 2 months.

3. Eggs eventually hatch. Draw the life cycle of a blue- 4. Baby begins life the ringed octopus. size of a pea.

5. Baby eventually grows to the size of a golf ball. 4 3 Complete the two food chains for a blue-ringed octopus below.

The Blue-

eats ringed octopus eats

The Blue-

eats ringed octopus eats

The blue-ringed octopus has a relatively short lifespan.

Research the life expectancy of some other Name of animal life expectancy RANK animals. Create a table like the one shown Blue-ringed octopus 2 years here to complete on the back of this sheet. Rank the animals according to their lifespans.

19 Amazing Octopus 2 Activity Read about blue-ringed octopuses on page 18 to help you complete the following. Colour and Texture Draw, colour and label three types of environments that a blue-ringed octopus can blend in with by changing its colour and texture.

Circle the object most likely to feel like a blue-ringed octopus.

The reason why I circled the ______is ______

You have discovered a blue-ringed octopus washed up at your local beach. Fill in the table below.

} Species: Male Female } } Length: Diameter: } Approximate Where found: } age: } Last meal: } Colour: } Likely cause Special markings: } of death:

20 Papier-Mâché Activity Blue-Ringed Octopus

Make a papier-mâché blue-ringed octopus or other dangerous animal of your choice by following the procedure below. If making a blue-ringed octopus, show its colours before it is about to attack, its eight arms with suckers on, its two eyes, its beak and its siphon. Look at the picture on page 18 to help you locate these parts of its anatomy. Display your model in the classroom.

1. Mould aluminium foil or newspaper into the shape of octopus arms. You need eight.

2. Use tape to attach the eight arms to a balloon or round ball (octopus' body).

3. Tear some newspaper into strips. Don't cut the newspaper, as torn newspaper works better.

4. Saturate the strips of newspaper one at a time with prepared papier-mâché paste. (To make papier- mâché paste, mix together one cup of flour and Materials needed two cups of water. Make sure that the paste is • balloon or round ball (body) runny and not lumpy. Add more water or flour as necessary. Mix well to remove any lumps. Store the • aluminium foil or newspaper glue in a sealed container and place in the fridge (tentacles) for a few days.) • masking tape 5. Squeeze off any excess paste and place each strip • water and flour (paste) over your form and smooth it down with your fingers. Make sure that strips overlap. • newspaper torn into strips 6. When you have completely covered your form, let it • paint/materials to create blue dry for about 24 hours, then add another layer. rings, suckers, eyes, beak and siphon 7. Repeat this process until you get the desired effect. You should have at least three layers.

8. Use paint, crayon, pastels and other materials to add detail to your blue-ringed octopus' anatomy.

9. Display.

21 Dangerous Pet Complete the following flyer based on a blue-ringed octopus or other dangerous animal of your choice.

My Pet ______is Missing!

Answers to the name of: Last seen: (give details of location)

Is likely to be found in areas: (give details of habitat)

Is known to feed on: (give details of diet)

Possesses the following characteristics: (give details of anatomy)

It looks like this: (Draw a picture)

Other special features include:

If you see my pet, please call ______

Reward Offered!!

22 Information Sheet 1 Stingrays

Nice to Meet You OucH! Stingrays belongs to the Dasyatidae family. Stingrays' venom is largely protein- Don’t get on the wrong side of this family, based and causes immediate and because they are related to sharks. excruciating pain. The pain normally lasts up to 48 hours, but is most severe On 4th September 2006, stingrays crept in the first 30 to 60 minutes and may further up the list of dangerous animals, be accompanied by nausea, fatigue, when one pierced Steve Irwin in the chest headaches, fever, chills, abdominal while he was snorkeling in the Great Barrier pain, swelling, muscle cramps, an Reef. Irwin was one of Australia’s best known irregular pulse and seizures. and loved wildlife experts. His death was a very public reminder to all, of stingrays' ability to poison, puncture, sever and kill.

Deadly } } First Aid What Makes Fact There is no antivenin for them Deadly? Being struck by a stingrays' stings. The only way stingray’s tail is like being Stingrays poison, puncture, to stop the pain is to apply near- sever and kill using their thin stabbed by a dagger! scalding water to the wound whip-like tails. At the end of a and take a dose of prescribed stingray's tail is a sharp spine with antibiotics. Anesthetic can also bring serrated edges or barbs. By flicking instant relief for some hours. Doctors their tails and flexing the serrated edges should clean the wound thoroughly to avoid on their spines, stingrays can pierce a infection and remove any of the stinger’s human’s skin and inject venom into the barbs commonly left in the victim’s body. wounds that they create. As the venom If victims attempt to remove long stingers left seeps into their victims' skin, muscles in their wounds themselves, they can bleed to begin to severely contract and tissues death. Some experts believe that Irwin would and cells begin to die. If a victim is still be alive today if he had not pulled the wounded close to vital cells and tissues, stingray’s tail out of his chest himself. death is likely. If a victim is struck on the foot Did You Know? for example, chances of survival are obviously higher. Stingrays often lose part of their tails in attacks. However their tails regrow as quickly as human fingernails.

How dangerous do you Rate Stingrays Increasing danger Danger think stingrays are?

rating Colour in the danger rating Misunderstood! Just dare me to Ouchh! These Deadly Dangerous! I want one for a pet. swim with one! ones stab and Avoid at all costs. just for fun. sting.

23 Activity Stabbing Stingrays 1 Read about stingrays on page 23 to help you complete the following. Questions 1. To what other animal is the stingray related? ______

2. The stingray belongs to the ______family.

3. Is there an antivenin for a stingray's venom?______

As a class, brainstorm major cells and tissues in the human body. Brainstorm Then complete the task on the human body below.

Look at the human body below. Colour red the parts of the body which, if stabbed by a Describe how a person may feel in the first 30 to 60 stingray, are likely to lead to a fatality. Colour minutes after being injured by a stingray. yellow the body parts which, if stabbed by a ______stingray, are likely to need medical treatment. ______

Look at this picture. Which part of a stingray is this?

Colour the shape which most closely resembles a stingray's body.

24 Activity Stabbing Stingrays 2 Read about stingrays on page 23 to help you complete the following. Design a Sign

Design a sign which makes the public aware of one or two important facts about stingrays. Display in the classroom.

Indicate Whether the Following Statements are True or False 1. A stingray's venom causes immediate pain. ______

2. You should apply cold water to a stingray wound. ______

3. A stingray could lose part of its tail during an attack. ______

4. Antibiotics can be prescribed to a victim of a stingray attack. ______

Create a Scale A stingray’s tail is its weapon. It can grow up to 25 centimetres in length. Complete a scaled drawing of a stingray tail below. E.g. 1 cm = 0.25 cm centimetres.

Scale

25 Information Sheet 2 Stingrays

Stingray Hit List Stingray Hangout Like sharks, stingrays possess electrical sensors around their mouths (on the ventral side) which Stingrays live in shallow sandy salt water detect the natural electrical charges of potential where it is warm. They usually stay on the prey. As well as their electrical sensors, they also bottom of the ocean bed and partially use their excellent sense of touch and smell to bury themselves in the sand. Sliding your catch their food. Stingrays' noses are referred feet through the sand when entering the to as snouts and are at the tip of their diamond ocean will help you to avoid stepping on shaped bodies. They eat clams, oysters, mussels, stingrays and becoming their next victim, worms, shrimps, crabs, snails and occasionally as the rays will detect this movement fish. They have sharp teeth which crush the outer and swim away. Stamping hard on the shells of their prey and they force streams of bottom of the ocean bed as you water out of their mouths and flap their tread through murky water will fins over the sand to entice their prey also cause stingrays to swim Deadly to crawl out of their burrows in the away. Stingrays are generally } } sand. Stingrays' eyes are on the thought to be docile Fact dorsal side of their bodies and allow them to see prey above creatures which only attack Stingrays will slash open them. others in self-defence. Many a victim’s flesh with reports claim that Steve their tails if they feels Stingrays are preyed on by sharks Irwin was killed because and larger rays. They try to escape threatened or harassed. he accidentally boxed the being eaten up by camouflaging stingray in and it felt cornered themselves. Their flat bodies and the and threatened. At the time of the colour of their skin (usually brown, grey attack, Irwin was swimming alongside or black) help them to hide beneath the sand. and slightly above the stingray and a Stingrays breath by drawing in water through cameraman was filming the animal ahead. their mouths and expelling it through gill slits which are on the dorsal and ventral sides of their bodies.

CUTE Baby snout gill slits Stingrays Baby stingrays are known as pups and are born in groups of five to ten. Female mouth stingrays lay eggs inside their bodies and after a period of four to eleven months

the eggs hatch within the mothers' Blache www.istock.com/Meredith © bodies. The pups measure 20 to 34 centimetres at birth and weigh 282 to Did You Know? 1,128 grams. The pups have long, slender tails and broad wing-like pectoral fins at birth. When male stingrays reach 51 In some parts of the world, stingray is centimetres and females reach 75 to 80 commonly served as a dish and the skin centimetres, they are considered mature. of stingrays is used to make exotic shoes, boots, belts, wallets, jackets and mobile phone cases.

26 Activity Stingray statistics Read about stingrays on page 26 to help you complete the following. Questions 1. What is the best way to enter the ocean where a stingray is lurking, to avoid stepping on it?

______

2. Is the stingray an aggressive or docile animal? ______

A stingray can grow up to two metres The diagrams below represent two sides of a stingray. tall. Compare your own height to 1. Label one diagram the dorsal (top) and the other diagram that of a fully grown stingray’s, on the the ventral (bottom/underside). height chart below. 2. Draw the stingray’s eyes, mouth and gill slits. 3. Label the stingray's snout. 4. Show where its electrical sensors are. 2 metres A stingray’s ventral is white, and its dorsal is brown, grey and black. Colour the diagrams accurately.

1.5 metres

1 metre

0 metres You Adult Stingray

Stingrays are heavy lumps, weighing up to 350 kilograms. Compare your weight to a stingray’s, by writing your weight in kilograms on the weighing scales below.

How does a stingray's colouration help it?

Your weight: ______

Stingray's ______weight: 350 kilograms ______

The average lifespan of a stingray is 15 to 25 years. Find out what your average lifespan is and compare it to a stingray's.

27 Activity Studying Stingrays Read about stingrays on page 26 to help you complete the following.

What do you call a baby stingray?

Imagine that you have been asked to look after a baby stingray, just until it is old enough to hide from predators. Draw some water in the tank below and label some features that make it just right for your new pet.

To find out about sea creatures, scientists observe their Colour the animals below which prey behaviour by electronically tagging them, filming them and on stingrays. sometimes by dissecting dead sea creatures washed up on the shore. Recently scientists cut open a deceased stingray to find out what it hunts and eats. What do you think they found? Make a list inside the stingray's body below.

Extra! Go to: www.ehow.com/how_2172915_stingray-hand-puppet.html for instructions on how to make a stingray puppet.

28 Activity Stingray Search Read about stingrays on page 26 to help you complete the following.

Brainstorm words that might describe a stingray or Brainstorm are connected to a stingray.

Create your own stingray word search by choosing ten words from your brainstorm list. Write the words in the word search template below and surround them with other letters. Swap word searches with the person sitting next to you. Find the key words in the word search below. They can go up , down or diagonally . Key Words

• ______

• ______

• ______

• ______

• ______

• ______

• ______

• ______

• ______

• ______

Design a cover for an Include: exciting ocean life • the title of your magazine magazine on the back • picture of a stingray of this sheet. • the date Extra! • the price The feature story is on • other pictures stingrays. • headings which indicate other articles inside the magazine

29 Information Sheet 1 Brown snakes

Nice to Meet You OucH! Brown snakes are the proud owners of Bites from brown snakes are not the second most deadly venom in the usually painful, in fact many people world. Taipan snakes have the most do not even realise that they have deadly venom in the world but brown been bitten. The pain comes after the snakes cause the most number of bite and symptoms include sudden deaths per year, and this is the reason collapse, abdominal pain, having why brown snakes have slithered into difficulty breathing and swallowing, this book. drooping of the eyelids, convulsing and sometimes kidney failure.

What Makes Deadly First Aid THEM Deadly? } } Luckily only 20% of people Fact bitten by brown snakes The venom of brown On average brown snakes are are injected with their snakes contains two responsible for two to three deadly venom. The rest poisons (neurotoxins and deaths each year in Australia escape unscathed. For the coagulants) which once 20% affected, a pressure inside the human body, do and recently this number has been on the rise! bandage applied firmly (not lots of damage. Neurotoxins tightly) over the bitten area prevent a person’s nerves should slow down the passage from functioning which causes of the venom through the lymphatic progressive paralysis, and coagulants cause system, at least until the victim receives human blood to thicken and clot. Brown antivenin. Keeping the body very still will snakes have killed more people than other also prevent the venom from spreading snakes mainly because they have begun through the body. to adapt well to living in urban areas. It is becoming more and more common to find brown snakes sneakily hiding under debris Did You Know? in vacant plots, in parks and even on city streets. In June 2009 for example, a man Pseudonaja is the scientific name for brown was bitten by a brown snake in Melbourne’s snakes. It means false cobra. This probably CBD outside Myer when he was throwing refers to the behaviour of brown snakes when out some rubbish! they feel threatened, as like cobras, they raise the front parts of their bodies, flatten and Brown snakes are active during the daytime inflate their necks and sway from side to side. in spring and autumn, but are mainly Standing still when close to a brown snake nocturnal during summer. will prevent it from attacking you.

How dangerous do you Rate brown snakes Increasing danger Danger think brown snakes are?

rating Colour in the danger rating Misunderstood! Just dare me to Watch Out! Deadly Dangerous! I want one for a pet. hold one! These ones are Run for your life. just for fun. very sneaky.

30 Activity Activity Snakey Statistics 1 Read about brown snakes on page 30 to help you complete the following. True or False?

1. The brown snake’s scientific name means false cobra. True False 2. The brown snake is so deadly because there is no antivenin for its bite. True False 3. Brown snakes are often found in Myer stores near the men’s department. True False 4. The bite of a brown snake is not painful. True False 5. Abdominal pain could be a sign you have been bitten by a brown snake. True False 6. Swollen ears could be a sign you have been bitten by a brown snake. True False

Making Comparisons Roughly indicate on a pie chart below how many people are injected with a brown The taipan and the brown snake are often snake’s venom when bitten and how many compared. One of the most noticeable differences people remain unscathed. between the two is that the brown snake is streamlined, so its head is not wider than its body. answer the questions below.

1. Which has the most poisonous venom, the taipan or the brown snake?

______

2. Which snake is responsible for the most number of deaths in Australia?

______

3. Why is this?

______

______

4. What is the first thing that you should reach for when bitten? Extra! ______

5. If you see a brown snake what is the best thing to do to avoid being bitten? Create a Venn diagram on the back of this sheet to highlight the similarities ______and differences between a brown snake and a taipan snake.

31 Activity Snakey Statistics 2 Read about brown snakes on page 30 to help you complete the following. Write a Diary Entry Write a diary entry describing a brown snake attack on your friend. Include details regarding how you helped rescue your friend bitten by its deadly fangs. Include a picture. ______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

The average length of a brown snake Draw a scaled drawing of a brown snake here. is one and a half metres. Use the E.g. One metre = three centimetres. height chart below to show how you measure up to a brown snake.

2 metres

1.5 metres

1 metre

0 metres You Brown Snake Scale

Extra: Find out what family the brown snake belongs to.

32 Information Sheet 2 Brown snakes

Brown Snake Hangout Brown Snake Hit List

Eastern brown snakes are found all the way Brown snakes eat frogs, rats, house mice, along the east coast of Australia, in the dry lizards, other snakes and small birds. They areas of the and in the far detect their prey by sensing movement and east of the Kimberly in Western Australia. They odour and catch their prey by coiling up and do not like swampy or wet areas, so are not darting forward at great speed to bite and found in rainforests. More and more brown inject venom into their food. A brown snake snakes are being encountered near residential will also coil itself around its prey until it dies. houses and in farm barns and sheds. This is mainly due to their diet. Most farmers A brown snake cannot rip its food apart, so don’t mind brown snakes as they control the it will swallow its victim whole. A number of number of rodent pests on their properties. features make it capable of doing this. Firstly, the two halves of its lower jaw are not fused in the middle, which allows its mouth to stretch incredibly far apart. Secondly, it is able to produce Deadly} huge amounts of saliva to Fact } lubricate its victim as it passes down its throat. Location of Brown Even a baby snake can cause Thirdly, a brown snake's Snakes in Australia human fatalities. Like its parents, ribs can stretch apart as it winds its body into an 'S' shape, its victim moves down its raises itself off the ground and body, as its ribs are not strikes rapidly and repeatedly attached to its breastbone with its mouth open. (like a human's ribs) and Baby Brown finally, its skin is extremely stretchy. Snakes Larger snakes and birds, such as hawks, Female brown snakes produce a clutch falcons, owls and eagles prey on brown of 10 to 40 eggs in late spring or early snakes. summer. Females do not guard their nests after they lay their eggs, so baby snakes are totally independent of their mothers. The eggs hatch after three months. Baby brown snakes are dark grey or black, and have broad bands on the back of their heads and numerous reddy-brown spots on their bellies. By Did You Know? about three years of age, their bands usually disappear. When baby brown snakes mature their colour can range Brown snakes can take several hours from light to dark brown, orange to to swallow a large animal. Their yellow or even black. Their bellies are ability to swallow very large food cream, yellow or pale orange with items means that brown snakes may darker orange spots. need to eat only a few meals every year!

33 Activity SSSSSSSnakes 1 Read about brown snakes on page 33 to help you complete the following. Life Cycle of a Snake Read each step to help you illustrate the life cycle of a brown snake in the boxes below. 1 2

The female brown snake produces 10 to 40 eggs. The female does not guard its nest after it has laid its eggs. The eggs hatch after three months.

4 3

A baby brown snake also has numerous A baby brown snake is dark grey or black, and has reddy-brown spots on its belly. a broad band on the back of its head.

 Draw what a brown snake likes to eat.

Extra! Make a list of other deadly snakes in Australia on the back of this sheet.

34 Activity SSSSSSSnakes 2 Read about brown snakes on page 33 to help you complete the following. Questions 1. What letter of the alphabet does a brown snake resemble when it is about to attack? ______

2. Circle the object below that you think most closely resembles how a brown snake would feel.

3. Why is a farmer most likely to welcome a brown snake?

______

4. What four features of a brown snake make it able to swallow its prey whole?

• ______

• ______

• ______

• ______

A brown snake’s belly looks Shade the Map different to its dorsal area. On the map of Australia shade the areas where Colour the two diagrams below to show the brown snakes can be found. possible colours of a mature brown snake.

dorsal (upper side) Ventral (underside)

35 Design an Enclosure for a brown snake

Today, animals in captivity are rarely kept in cages. Instead, they are kept in specially designed enclosures that reflect, as closely as possible, their natural habitats in the wild. Design an enclosure for the brown snake at the Wild Zoo. Careful planning will need to take place to ensure that your animal will be able to exist comfortably in this enclosure. Remember, your brown snake probably wouldn’t choose to live in the zoo, so design your enclosure as close to its real habitat as you can.

You will need to think about: Space - How much space will the brown snake Vegetation - What types of plants need to be need to roam around? placed in the enclosure? Water - Will it need to be near a watery Building a home - What things do you need to environment such as a pond or river? add to the enclosure? Trees - Will it need to be near trees? Making the enclosure safe - What type Light - Is it nocturnal? of barrier will you use to keep it inside the enclosure? Food - What will it be fed and how often will Temperature - What temperature suits the feeding occur? brown snake? Draw a design of your enclosure in the space below.

36 Information Sheet 1 Saltwater Crocodiles

Nice to Meet You OuchH! Saltwater crocodiles are the best hunters in the business. There is no animal or person Few people who are attacked by a who they can’t catch. They are Superman, saltie live to tell the story. However Spiderman, Batman and Wolverine rolled into there are a few documented cases of one. And for this reason, they take pride of victims being released from crocodile place at the top of the food chain. If attacked jaws and escaping death. Depending by them, you have little chance of surviving, on the case, most victims have been given their sheer strength and size. Crocodiles left with severe cuts and wounds to have been around for millions of years. their bodies. They have witnessed the rise and fall of the dinosaurs, the evolution of mammals and birds, the civilisation of humankind and have survived the break up of the continents and the ice ages. They are tough cookies and have a Deadly lifespan of over 70 years! } } Saltwater crocs belong to the Fact Crocodylidae family. Saltwater crocodiles are First Aid responsible for many unprovoked attacks. You don’t Anyone who has been What Makes need to make contact with released from a crocodile's them Deadly? them to become their next jaws will need to be meal. treated for shock. You may Salties' jaws and their ability to need to perform CPR and explode from a stationary position apply direct pressure over with great speed make them deadly weapons. bleeding wounds until Salties can attack on land or from the water. medical help arrives. They are skilful swimmers due to their streamlined bodies, but they can also travel over land effectively. They usually wait until their victims are close by before launching Did You Know? themselves towards them and clenching them between their jaws; sometimes applying several tonnes of pressure. Clenched between Saltwater crocodiles are responsible their jaws, smaller victims are usually crushed for at least one to two deaths a year in to death and eaten whole, while larger victims Australia, although it is thought that in the are usually dragged into water and drowned Aboriginal community of Arnhem Land, before being torn into pieces and devoured. which occupies roughly half of the top end Salties are also known to roll with their victims of the Northern Territory, attacks may go to disorientate and unbalance them. This is unreported and may be more common. known as the “death roll”.

How dangerous do you think Rate saltwater crocodiles Increasing danger Danger saltwater crocodiles are? rating Colour in the danger rating Misunderstood! I want to be a Here saltie wal- Deadly Dangerous! I want one for a pet. croc wrestler. tie, here boy... Run, Run, Run... just for fun.

37 Activity saltie Statistics 1

Questions Read about saltwater crocodiles on page 37 to help you complete the following.

1. When submerged in the water what object do you think the crocodile is most likely to be mistaken for by swimmers? ______

2. What is the average lifespan of a saltie? ______

3. Explain the death roll.______

______

4. How much pressure can a saltie’s jaws apply to an object? ______

5. Does a saltie attack only when it feels threatened or harrassed? ______

6. If someone escaped a , what assistance would they need?______

______

7. What family does the belong to? ______

Crocodile Smile

A saltie is known to have between 60 and 80 teeth. It is said that you can gauge a saltie’s age by counting the rings on its teeth. One ring represents approximately one year. The oldest crocodile is thought to have been 130 years old. Draw a tooth belonging to a four year old saltie.

While swimming, salties tuck their feet into their sides to decrease water resistence. Their webbed feet also allow them to make fast turns and sudden moves. Draw what you think their webbed feet look like in the box.

A saltwater crocodile can swim 12 to 14 kilometres per hour in short bursts. Extra! Research how fast other animals are capable of moving and record and Name of animal Fastest Speed RANK Saltwater crocodile 12-14 km per hour rank them from fastest to slowest moving, on the back of this sheet. Create a table like the one shown here to help you organise your information.

38 Activity saltie Statistics 2

Read about saltwater crocodiles on page 37 to help you complete the following.

Write down four facts that make a saltwater What did the crocodile say to the dinosaur? crocodile an extraordinary animal. Fill in the speech bubbles below.

Fact 1

Fact 2

Fact 3

Fact 4

In some parts of the world, crocodiles are not protected by laws and are farmed commercially. Their hide is tanned and used to make leather goods such as shoes and bags and their meat is considered a delicacy. Create a poster to persuade such countries to protect the saltie.

Extra: In pairs, do some research to see if you can find a story about someone who has survived a crocodile attack. Make some notes on the back of this sheet and take turns to tell the story that you have found to the rest of the class. You may want to consider the following: who was involved, where it happened, details of the victim’s struggle and escape and what injuries the victim suffered.

39 Information Sheet 2 Saltwater Crocodile

saltie Hangout Saltwater crocodiles spend most of their time in water, despite being able to move effectively on land. They like to spend their time in freshwater rivers in coastal areas. Saltwater crocodiles are fiercely territorial and fully mature male salties force younger saltie Hit List and smaller salties into the ocean where they Fully mature saltwater crocodiles are have to search for river systems. This explains capable of wrestling anyone or thing on their wide distribution. In northern Australia, land or in water. Their prey is known to saltwater crocodiles are found in large include: monkeys, kangaroos, wild boars, numbers. This includes the top ends of the goannas, dingoes, water buffalos, horses Northern Territory, Western Australia and sharks. Salties, when not hunting, and Queensland. are very inactive, which helps them to conserve and build up Australian officials go to Deadly energy to hunt and means great lengths to post } } that they can survive for crocodile warning signs Fact months at a time without at every billabong, river, food. swamp and lake known Salties can to be inhabited by overpower and Juveniles are restricted crocodiles. Being well- demolish an to eating smaller animals informed about where animal weighing such as insects, mud salties hang out prevents over a ton. crabs, turtles, goannas, human fatalities. Signs are lizards, snakes and birds. less frequent and deaths are Juveniles are eaten by larger therefore believed to be higher crocs. in number in countries such as New Guinea, Borneo, Sumatra and eastern .

Location of Saltwater Baby salties Crocodiles in Australia Female salties usually lay between 40 to 60 eggs every year in nests made from Did You Know? mud, grasses and vines. However it is believed that many eggs do not survive due to flooding, and due to predators such Salties are thought to be as lizards, wild pigs and very intelligent animals, human egg collectors. The capable of learning eggs normally hatch after 80 difficult tasks. to 90 days and are taken by their mothers into the water.

40 Activity Studying Salties 1

Read about saltwater crocodiles on page 40 to help you complete the following. Read each step to help you illustrate the life cycle of a saltwater crocodile in the boxes below. 1 2

A female saltie lays eggs in nests made from mud, grasses and vines. The eggs normally hatch after 80 to 90 days.

4 3

Baby salties are taken by their Baby salties can swim from birth. mother into the water.

The diagrams below represent two sides of a mature saltie. The ventral (belly) of a saltie is a creamy yellow to white colour, except the tail which is usually more grey in colour nearer the tip. The dorsal (top) side is dark in colour, with lighter tan or grey areas or spots. Colour the diagrams below accurately.

ventral (belly)

dorsal (top)

41 Activity Studying Salties 2

Read about saltwater crocodiles on page 40 to help you complete the following. Imagine Imagine that you are part of a research team of scientists investigating the death of a 72 year old saltwater crocodile. Complete the report below. On the map of Australia Description of crocodile: shade the areas where crocodiles can be found in high numbers.

Male Female Rings on teeth: Age: Where found: Contents of stomach:

Cause of death:

Complete the Two Food Chains Below

baby eat salties eat

mature eat salties eat

Questions

1. What type of water does a saltie prefer to inhabit?______

2. When does a saltie inhabit ocean water?______

______

______Freshwater Ocean water

Extra: Find out what the expression ‘’ means. ______

42 Activity Design A sign

Reported deaths by salties are quite low in Australia mainly due to warning signs displayed in crocodile infested areas. In 2002, a young German tourist was killed by a crocodile when herself and the tour group she was with ignored signs displayed in the in Northern Australia. Create a warning sign below and remember that all non-English speaking tourists must understand the sign.

43 Trading Cards Create four dangerous animal trading cards to swap with your classmates. Complete the templates below and find or draw pictures to illustrate your dangerous animals.

Name:______Name:______Habitat:______Habitat:______Location:______Location:______Preys on:______Preys on:______How dangerous is this animal?______How dangerous is this animal?______

Scientific name:______Name:______Habitat:______Habitat:______Location:______Location:______Preys on:______Preys on:______How dangerous is this animal?______How dangerous is this animal?______

44 Answers Terrifying Tentacles P7 which appear on the octopus’ yellow and brown 1. Its transparent pale blue colour. body. 2. A stinging cell. Internet activities: students may list animals 3. When it comes into contact with certain such as newts, parrotfish, some toads, sea-stars, chemicals which exist on the surface of fish, angelfish and ocean sunfish. shellfish and humans. 4. Yes. Amazing Octopus 1 P19 Students should draw and label: vinegar, ice, 1. Siphon painkillers, antihistamines, antivenin and a 2. Cubbies bandage. 3. Eight 4. 50 Boxy Box Jellyfish P9 The moray eel eats THE BLUE-RINGED OCTOPUS 1. False eats crabs/squid 2. False Large fish eat THE BLUE-RINGED OCTOPUS eats 3. True shrimp/lobster 4. False Students should colour red parts of the human Amazing Octopus 2 P20 body where major organs are located, such as Students should draw, colour and label the chest. All other parts should be coloured environments consisting of three of the yellow. following: sand, rocks, reefs, coral or seaweed. Students should circle the cushion as it is soft Box Jellyfish Up Close P12 and can be manipulated into tight spaces. Students should draw the box jellyfish in the beaker containing warm and shallow water. Stabbing Stingrays 1 P24 1. In tropical oceans around northern Australia. 1. The shark 2. Venomous. 2. Dasyatidae 3. Three to four knots. 3. No 4. November, December, January, February, Students should colour red parts of the human March and April. body where major organs are located, such as 5. A polyp. the chest. All other parts should be coloured 6. Its tentacles are so long that animals become yellow. entangled in them and become its next meal. In the first 30 to 60 minutes after being injured Turtles/rabbitfish eat BOX JELLYFISH eat shrimp/ by a stingray a person may feel sick, tired, have jellyfish/small fish a headache, a fever, chills, abdominal pain, Butterfish eat BOX JELLYFISH eat crabs experience swelling and muscle cramps, have an irregular pulse and experience seizures. Batfish eat BOX JELLYFISH eat plankton It is the end of the tail of a stingray called the spine. It has serrated edges on it. Paralysing Bite 1 P15 Students should colour the diamond shape. 1. Maculosa (southern blue-ringed octopus), lunulata (greater blue-ringed octopus) and fasciata (blue-lined octopus). Stabbing Stingrays 2 P25 2. Just before it is about to attack/bite. 1. True 3. No, the bite is usually painless. 2. False 4. About 3.10pm or 3.15pm. 3. True Students should indicate numbness around face 4. True and neck, difficulty with breathing, swallowing and speaking, nausea, lack of vision and inability Stingray Statistics P27 to move. 1. Sliding your feet through the sand or stamping hard on the ocean bed is the best Paralysing Bite 2 P16 way to enter an ocean inhabited by stingrays. Students should show the electric blue rings 2. Docile

45 Students should draw the eyes and gill slits Students should colour the dorsal side brown, on the dorsal side. On the ventral side, they orange, yellow or black. They should colour the should draw the mouth and more gill slits. They ventral side cream, yellow or pale orange with should indicate that its snout is at the top of its darker orange spots. diamond shaped body and that its electrical Students' maps should resemble the map on sensors surround its mouth. the information page. (P33)

A stingray’s colouration helps it to camouflage Saltie Statistics 1 P38 itself from predators. Its underside blends in 1. Logs or large trunks broken from trees near with the sand and its dorsal side blends in with the water edge. the ocean. 2. 70 years. 3. The saltie holds its victim in its jaws and Studying Stingrays P28 rolls with the victim to disorientate and A pup. unbalance it. The water in the tank will need to be warm, 4. Several tonnes. shallow, sandy and salty. 5. No it has been known to attack humans Students should colour the shark and the without being provoked. stingray. 6. They would probably need to be treated for Students should list things such as: clams, shock, CPR may need to be performed and oysters, mussels, worms, shrimps, crabs and their wounds would need attention. snails. Students should draw a tooth with four rings.

Snakey Statistics 1 P31 Studying Salties 2 P42 1. True 2. False 3. False 4. True 5. True 6. False Students' maps should resemble the map 1. The taipan snake. provided for them on the information page. 2. The brown snake. (P40) 3. Because it is found in areas which are more Larger crocs eat BABY SALTIES eat mud crabs/ populated such as lots, parks and even city turtles/goannas/lizards/snakes and birds. streets. MATURE SALTIES eat monkeys/kangaroos/wild 4. A bandage. boars/goannas/dingoes/water buffalos/horses 5. Stay very still. and sharks. Students should draw a pie chart which A saltie prefers to inhabit freshwater. indicates that 20% of people are injected with A saltie usually inhabits ocean water when it venom when bitten and 80% of people bitten has been driven out of fresh water by older and remain unscathed. larger salties. Crocodile tears means fake tears. Snakey Statistics 2 P32 The brown snake belongs to the Elapidae family. Design a Sign P43 Students can produce a sign similar to the SSSSSSSnakes 1 P34 official one shown on the following web site: Students should draw frogs, rats, house mice, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kakadu_2430. lizards, other snakes and small birds. jpg Students will possibly list other snakes such as The copyright holder of this file allows anyone the taipan, tiger, death adder, mulga and the to use it for any purpose, provided that Tourism king brown. NT is always credited as the image provider even when passing it to third parties and where possible a link is provided to the website http:// SSSSSSSnakes 2 P35 www.travelnt.com. 1. The letter S. 2. Students should circle the shell or tyre. 3. Because brown snakes control the number of rodent pests on farmers' properties. 4. The two halves of its lower jaw are not fused in the middle, it is able to produce huge amounts of saliva, its ribs can stretch apart and its skin is stretchy.

46 47