I’m a Scientist is like school science lessons meet the X Factor! School students choose which scientist gets a prize of $1000 to communicate their work.
Scientists and students talk on this website. They both break down barriers, have fun and learn. But only the students get to vote.
This zone is the Boron Zone. It has a range of scientists studying all different topics. Who gets the prize? YOU decide!
it depends on what it was…. but I would probably leave it alone
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Humans are not on the menu (eaten by) or attacked by very many species, just some of the top level predators (e.g. Great White Sharks, Saltwater Crocodile or African Lions) or as a consequence of defencing a territory (e.g. Hippopotamus). Even when attacks do occur they tend to be an opportunistic encounter, rather than planned attack (Crocodiles an exception). In such situations you may certainly need to defend yourself as best you can, however these are rare events and if thought through, most can be avoided before they arise.
It is far more common for us to encounter a potentially dangerous/deadly creature that sees us as a threat and is looking to defend itself. Many of these creatures given the option would rather avoid an encounter with humans, because if they do come into contact with us, they are likely to get hurt themselves.
Classic examples of creatures that have caused human fatalities include Sydney Funnel-web Spiders, Blue-ringed Octopus, various venomous snakes and Cone Shells. Personal encounter with Blue-rings demonstrate that they would rather escape an encounter – they flash vivid blue as a warning, but will readily swim away or hide if given the opportunity. Although Australia has some of the most venomous land snakes on the planet, relativity few bites are recorded each year and of those a significant percentage are dry bites (no venom injected). So why would a venomous creature deliver a dry bite? It is thought that they recognise the level of threat and the more serious the threat, the more likely the victim will be envenomated. Interestingly the three groups/situations most likely to be bitten by snakes are…
– 18-30 year old males
– Where alcohol has been consumed
– A pet owner trying to separate an snake from their pet.
So if you encounter a creature that is potentially dangerous (particularly in Australia) it is a much better idea to leave it alone and give it a way to escape! The vary majority will take the escape route and you will both be better off for it. 😀
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I would leave it along for sure. But I would probably try to watch it for a while.
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I would leave it alone. The chances are “it’s more afraid of you, than you are of it.” It’s a bit of a cliche, but I think in most cases that’s because it true.
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